Adding Loinfish to my tank?

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roka64

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Mar 21, 2006
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I will remove a few of my damsels. My LFS has a beautiful lionfish. Not sure if it is an Antennata or Volitan. Do you think this will work. I'm not sure which damsels to "trade-in" or give away to anyone in the WV/VA/MD/PA area. They are in good health and my LFS won't give me credit, (they are mean, but I still want them to be in a safe place). My bluse devil is usually the meanest, then only one of my 3 stripped is mean, and least mean is my yellow tails.

Any takers/suggestions/advice?

Thanks
 
Since there is a size difference in these two lions, what size tank do you have? How is your Filtration?

A Volitan grows very fast and reaches 12-15 inches in the first 18 months. Antennata Lions reach 7-9 inches and are slower growers. Either way they are very messy fish and your tank needs to be able to handle housing one of these lions.

Here are Two Good articles on lions.....

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/index.php

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i2/lionfish/keeping_lionfishes.htm

Kaye
 
I was looking more at the Antennata. I have a fluvial 304 canister. All that stuff is under "my info", but here you go:
5 Gallon
304 Fluvial Canister
2 Yellow Tail Damsels
2 3 Stripped Damsels
1 Blue Devil Damsel
1 Forktail Blenny
1 pencil and pincushion urchins
6 Blue Leg Hermit Crab
About 50-60 LBs of LR
About 120 LBs of LS

Keep in mind, I an getting rid of the damsels, and the forktail blenny has a Venomous bite. If swallowed, he will bite the inside of the fish's mouth and be spit out.
I am also thinking about a pistol shrimp/goby combo. I am thinking about A clown and anemone.
 
A lion can swallow 1/2 it's body size, so even if it can not eat the Shrimp/goby & clown right now, it will grow fast enough to eventually eat them, These fish will be at risk if added with a lion.

Kaye
 
Sigh...that's what I figured. I was trying to avoid a species only tank. But I want a puffer too! LOL!! I suppose I'll have to break down and buy another tank. Would a puffer and Loin go together?
 
I wouldn't put a lion and puffer together. Some people do it successfully but I've read alot of places where the puffer will nip the lions fins. You don't have to have a species only tank with a lion but in a tank where space is limited, it is normally best.
 
It is possible but risky, Puffers are known for picking at lions and can pick them to death, in turn a lion can sting a puffer and kill it. I keep both species in my 300g but I keep a close eye on the mix, the same applies to trigger and lion mix.


Kaye
 
Another problem is many puffers get large and the smaller puffers are known for nipping.....LOL


Kaye
 
In a 300g system, I would probably try it too. And I've read that the smaller puffers like the sharpnose puffers, ones that would fit into a 55g, are actually more aggressive and prone to picking then the large puffers.

roka64, Kaye always gives great advice on lions, head her warnings, read the links she's given. She won't steer you wrong. ;)
 
Will do Fluff! I have always loved loins, ever since I learned to SCUBA.
Thanks Kaye!
 
Kaye,

Thanks for the excellent post.

I have a dwarf zebra in QT right now (about 2") awaiting transfer to the main (first lion ever). Just picked it up this weekend. I have not witnessed it feeding yet and understand it can take a few days. I have tried frozen krill, mysis and silversides. Hoping to avoid live foods.

Anyone have any feeding tricks. I understand they are good eaters(similar to a fw oscar) once they are trained.

TIA,
 
I have tried frozen krill, mysis and silversides.

Have you tried to soak the food in garlic, that seems to work for mine that are a little shy at feeding time.
 
Thank You Fluff, I do like my lions......

TIA, some times you can not avoid live foods, if you need to feed live try ghost shrimp but feed the shrimp something nutritional first (gut load), you can feed them pellets, flake or cyclopezee.

Did you pick up a feeder stick?

Place the frozen food on your feeder stick, let the lion come to you or they can shy away. Even if feeding the ghost shrimp let it see food on the feeder stick. This lion is young and should be fed smaller chunks.

See if you can pick up some frozen Sand Eels, they are smaller than silversides, and just try and try again.

When the lion is weaned over to frozen, soak your foods in vitamins (Selcon/Zoe), they need a variety of foods, try Frozen Sand Eels, Silversides, Raw Shrimp, Crab, Octo & Squid. A young lion can be fed a small chunk daily or every other day, as your lion matures you can feed small chunks 2-3 times throughout the day, every 2-3 days.

Kaye
 
Marc118 said:
What about a lion and a coral beauty in a 60g? No no?

It depends what species of lion, they can eat 1/2 their body size, so keep this in mind when placing your lion with a coral beauty.

Kaye
 
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