Fu Manchu Lionfish

AC2020x · 09/27/2010, 08:23 PM

Hey, I was thinking of adding a Fu Manchu to my 125g system. What I currently have is a small huma huma trigger (currently non aggressive). Blue Spot toby puffer, snowflake eel (non aggressive) and a firefish. I personally don't see any issue with any of the tank mates but it anyone else does let me know.

For anyone who has any experience with a Fu Manchu, how easy is it to get them on prepared foods? On liveaquaria they have one that says eating live ghost shrimp very well. Is it difficult to get them on prepared foods? I don't have any good fish stores in the area that sell ghost shrimp.

Any other tips or comments on this fish would be great also.

Thanks,
-AC

FMarini · 09/27/2010, 08:26 PM

Fu Man Chus lions act more like scorpionfish than lionfish, and they are one of the more difficult lionfish to wean over to prepared foods.
You might find these articles interesting
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/
and this
http://www.lionfishlair.com/careguid...pionfish.shtml (http://www.lionfishlair.com/feedingt...thetrade.shtml)

namxas · 09/29/2010, 08:37 AM

What frank said...triggers and tobies would most likely pick at the Fu.

Our Fu currently resides with a female red-finned waspfish and a C. maculatus coral croucher. It took about 2 months to wean.

jaredlee · 10/02/2010, 12:47 PM

We purchased ours while it was 'young' - 2 inches. The first obstacle is getting them to survive in captivity, which bodes better for younger individuals. These fish do not ship well - many refuse to eat and die away. Those that do eat, will accept only live food (crustaceans are usually the best). It also took us 2 months to wean ours on frozen food (second obstacle). He was sharing a tank with a percula clownfish, which never competed for the live food, but could eat frozen food in front of the lionfish. After ignoring the mysis shrimp, week after week, he just snapped one day and ate one. Our fu manchu has been slurping them up like a pig ever since. As strange as it sounds, these fish need to 'unlearn' many wild habits in order to make for good tank inhabitants.

Mental1 · 10/02/2010, 01:04 PM

I have 2 fus, a dwarf fuzzy, and a melanurus wrasse in a 65g tank. I bought the fus from DD and they were perfectly healthy and travelled fine. I made no plans to switch them to frozen. So I fed them home bred saltwater mollies and shrimp. Then one day I made one of Greg and Renee's fancy feeding sticks, tried feeding them frozen and they took it on the first try -- about 2 months after having them. So far I am lucky as I think I have 2 of the same sex and they are okay after a period of chasing. Today they eat frozen, shrimp and home bred mollies -- whatever I feel like. They eat everything.

I think it was easy to get them to eat frozen because I always used a net when I fed them live and they got used to me. Now I can just drop food in the tank and 1 of the fus and the fuzzy will grab it. One fu still needs the feeding stick.

jaredlee · 10/05/2010, 07:40 PM

With any luck, they you might have both a male and a female, and then raise babies.

deep_sea_Dennis · 10/20/2010, 06:12 AM

I have had a fu man chu for 2 years now and never have been able to get him to take nothing but live food so I breed ghost shrimp gut pack them and he seems to enjoy the hunt

namxas · 10/20/2010, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by deep_sea_Dennis

I have had a fu man chu for 2 years now and never have been able to get him to take nothing but live food so I breed ghost shrimp gut pack them and he seems to enjoy the hunt

Sometimes, they never convert, but it sounds like you're doing a great job and enjoying your fish. As I mentioned, weaning our fu was a 2 month process, which is a pretty long time, even with Renee doing the weaning (she's really good at it).

We'd love to see some pix if you have them.

Sitarangi · 10/20/2010, 11:20 PM

My Fu has never gone for prepared foods either. He loves chasing live brine. I soak the brine in oyster-feast for about an hour then strain it all out. Currently I'm working him on (partially) dead gut-loaded ghost shrimp. One of my favorite fish I have ever had and very fish safe from what i've seen.

namxas · 10/21/2010, 08:27 AM

Pretty fu you have there!

Here's a good method for enticing your fu to eat dead foods:

"crawling" ghostie

Sitarangi · 10/22/2010, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by namxas

Pretty fu you have there!

Here's a good method for enticing your fu to eat dead foods:

"crawling" ghostie

He ate his first piece of krill today! yesterday I got him to eat a dead ghost shrimp. I think the key to success is getting them comfortable with the feeding tongs (yellow zoo med ones in this case). Any time I put them in the water now he comes out to investigate. Once I break down my current 29g, I wanna set up a lion reef with him and a radiata.

09/27/2010, 08:23 PM	#1
AC2020x Marine Conservationist Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: State College, PA Posts: 503	Fu Manchu Lionfish Hey, I was thinking of adding a Fu Manchu to my 125g system. What I currently have is a small huma huma trigger (currently non aggressive). Blue Spot toby puffer, snowflake eel (non aggressive) and a firefish. I personally don't see any issue with any of the tank mates but it anyone else does let me know. For anyone who has any experience with a Fu Manchu, how easy is it to get them on prepared foods? On liveaquaria they have one that says eating live ghost shrimp very well. Is it difficult to get them on prepared foods? I don't have any good fish stores in the area that sell ghost shrimp. Any other tips or comments on this fish would be great also. Thanks, -AC

09/27/2010, 08:26 PM	#2
FMarini 10 & Over Club Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Winston-Salem, NC Posts: 5,259	Fu Man Chus lions act more like scorpionfish than lionfish, and they are one of the more difficult lionfish to wean over to prepared foods. You might find these articles interesting http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/ and this http://www.lionfishlair.com/careguid...pionfish.shtml (http://www.lionfishlair.com/feedingt...thetrade.shtml) __________________ Fish die belly-up and float to the surface: its their way of falling- Andre Gide

09/29/2010, 08:37 AM	#3
namxas Things With Stings R Us! Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Carson, CA Posts: 4,594	What frank said...triggers and tobies would most likely pick at the Fu. Our Fu currently resides with a female red-finned waspfish and a C. maculatus coral croucher. It took about 2 months to wean. __________________ Greg Current Tank Info: too many to describe, but i think the count is up to "lucky 13"!

10/02/2010, 01:04 PM	#5
Mental1 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New Hampshire Posts: 1,541	I have 2 fus, a dwarf fuzzy, and a melanurus wrasse in a 65g tank. I bought the fus from DD and they were perfectly healthy and travelled fine. I made no plans to switch them to frozen. So I fed them home bred saltwater mollies and shrimp. Then one day I made one of Greg and Renee's fancy feeding sticks, tried feeding them frozen and they took it on the first try -- about 2 months after having them. So far I am lucky as I think I have 2 of the same sex and they are okay after a period of chasing. Today they eat frozen, shrimp and home bred mollies -- whatever I feel like. They eat everything. I think it was easy to get them to eat frozen because I always used a net when I fed them live and they got used to me. Now I can just drop food in the tank and 1 of the fus and the fuzzy will grab it. One fu still needs the feeding stick. __________________ Sherri Current Tank Info: 400g - 65g DT and 180g peninsula DT both drop into basement. 5 tanks plus a QT in the basement.

10/21/2010, 08:27 AM	#10
namxas Things With Stings R Us! Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Carson, CA Posts: 4,594	Pretty fu you have there! Here's a good method for enticing your fu to eat dead foods: "crawling" ghostie __________________ Greg Current Tank Info: too many to describe, but i think the count is up to "lucky 13"!

10/02/2010, 12:47 PM	#4
jaredlee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: NY Posts: 12	We purchased ours while it was 'young' - 2 inches. The first obstacle is getting them to survive in captivity, which bodes better for younger individuals. These fish do not ship well - many refuse to eat and die away. Those that do eat, will accept only live food (crustaceans are usually the best). It also took us 2 months to wean ours on frozen food (second obstacle). He was sharing a tank with a percula clownfish, which never competed for the live food, but could eat frozen food in front of the lionfish. After ignoring the mysis shrimp, week after week, he just snapped one day and ate one. Our fu manchu has been slurping them up like a pig ever since. As strange as it sounds, these fish need to 'unlearn' many wild habits in order to make for good tank inhabitants.

10/05/2010, 07:40 PM	#6
jaredlee Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: NY Posts: 12	With any luck, they you might have both a male and a female, and then raise babies.

10/20/2010, 06:12 AM	#7
deep_sea_Dennis Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lagrange, Ohio Posts: 51	I have had a fu man chu for 2 years now and never have been able to get him to take nothing but live food so I breed ghost shrimp gut pack them and he seems to enjoy the hunt

10/20/2010, 11:20 PM	#9
Sitarangi Moved On Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: San Diego Posts: 588	My Fu has never gone for prepared foods either. He loves chasing live brine. I soak the brine in oyster-feast for about an hour then strain it all out. Currently I'm working him on (partially) dead gut-loaded ghost shrimp. One of my favorite fish I have ever had and very fish safe from what i've seen.

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