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Dwarf lion fish diminished appetite, lethargic
1/22/20
Dwarf zebra lionfish; beh., fdg.
8/18/15
Dwarf lionfish food? Reading on WWM? Plus Ophiuroid comp.
Dwarf Fuzzy... Lionfish... still not reading Dwarf Lion Fish 11/05/08 I've read just about everything on your site about Lion Fish but I'm still baffled. I don't know much about the aquarium, it is my husbands hobby not mine. He recently purchased a Dwarf Lion <size?> because he knew I was fascinated by the Lion fish. We've had the fish for about a month and we never see him eat. Pat (my husband) feeds his fish <It would be useful to know what the other inhabitants are, how large the system is.> frozen food and sometimes he gets live shrimp <What type?>. We have never seen the Lion eat but he seems to be thriving, there doesn't appear to be anything missing in the tank. Obviously we can't be sure about all the little crabs <Do you have that many?> and snails <Not likely to be eaten.> don't know how many are in there at this point. Do you have any idea what he is surviving on? <May eat some of the live shrimp at night if they are of adequate size and have not been eaten by other inhabitants. May also slowly starve to death. You should try observing, feeding him at night with nothing but a small flashlight to clarify that. Unless he is feeding on frozen food it should not be kept with faster predators which might eat the live food intended for him. River or Ghost shrimp are an adequate choice, disease free Black mollies or Guppies (no Goldfish or Minnows) may work if other options fail. You should try to train the lionfish to take frozen food from a feeding stick or very long tweezers (don't put your hands in there) in the long run. Please see here http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lions&rels2.htm , http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dwarflionfaqs.htm and http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dwflionfdgfaqs.htm for further information.> In addition he seems to have set up home at night resting in the pulsing Xenia. One day we looked in the tank and the Xenia looked like it was not doing well but it was fine a few hour earlier then I noticed that the Lion was sitting in the branches. Later when he swam away the Xenia started coming back now I've noticed that the Lion seems to like it there at night. Is the Xenia going to suffer from this intrusion and if so do you have any suggestions? <Not a big problem and not much you can do about his choice, except trying to offer a better shelter.> We also have 2 clowns that have taken up residence in the Colt coral, is this healthy? <The same as above replacing the word "shelter" by "host anemone". Generally it's no problem for larger corals, smaller specimens might suffer, though.> Thanks in advance for any advise you can give. Sandi. <Welcome. Cheers, Marco.> Please Help! Dwarf Lion rdg. 1/16/08 Hello there and thank you for your time. I have a fuzzy dwarf lionfish approx. 4 inches in length. I recently moved him from a 30 gallon tank to a 72 gallon tank.? His other occupants are a Niger Trigger, <Incompatible... likely harassing> 3 Clowns, <May eat> a few hermit crabs and about 50 lbs of liverock. I noticed today that he is perched on a piece of liverock (he does this often) with a clear almost milky film around him. <Pteroines, Scorpaenids do shed... mucus... but...> He is still rich in color and all the other occupants seem to be doing fine. I don't know if this is relevant but the day before I moved him, he did not eat. <Not generally a worry> I usually feed him ghost shrimp and he eats about 5-7 in a matter of minutes. My water temp is at 80, the PH is 8.2, Nitrates are at 0 and so is the ammonia. Please, any thoughts? <Not from what's presented here... either than the Odonus needs to be elsewhere. Read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/dwfliondisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Victoria Dwarf Lion, dis., sys., fdg. 4/6/06 I got my dwarf lion about 2 weeks ago and he looked good when I bought him, but now he is a little pale and his eyes are clouded. I left the lights off for a couple of days after I put him in so he wouldn't freak out, now I turn the lights on for short periods during the day. I wanted him to eat frozen food but he doesn't want it so I gave him some ghost shrimp and some guppies and he ate them right up! He shares the tank with 3 damsel fish that are about 1.5'. He also hides most of the time, I would really like to see him swim around more. Any suggestions? <Read: Scroll down to Scorpaeniforms... Bob Fenner> Dwarf Lionfish - They're Not Just Small 11/15/05 Hey Bob, <Jay> Let me thank you again for all your top notch help. <Welcome> Here's my problem, I purchased a dwarf lionfish on Wednesday and the LFS recommended using frozen shrimp for feeding. By Sunday I couldn't convince the lionfish to eat the shrimp (tried dropping it in front of the power head to fly around and look live as well as dangle it on a feeding stick in front of it) so I went and bought small feeding fish which it ate up quickly. My first question is how can I convert my fish mainly to the frozen shrimp rather than live (except for the occasional mix it up since I know feeding one food is not good)? Also how often should I feed it? <Posted... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dwflionfdgfaqs.htm and the general Lion Feeding FAQs file> My second question is what can I put in my tank to sift the sand. I get this white cottony substance build up on the sand bed (usually over old food at the bottom). I figure if the sand is moved a bit that substance won't grow. I don't feel I overfeed, however the fish I worry the fish I have in there don't get enough to eat. I have a yellow tang, flame angel, royal Gramma and the dwarf lion. I use pellets that fall pretty quick that the angel and tang eat (but usually not off the sand) and the gamma that only eats flakes (not off the sand either). Any help is appreciated, look forward to your advice thanks again. Jay <Here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marsiftfaqs.htm and the linked files above... Please, learn to/use the indices, search tool. Bob Fenner> Dwarf lionfish questions 7/28/05 I have a well-established 46
gallon tank. Currently I have 2 Percula Clowns, 1 Chocolate
Chip starfish and a Coral Banded Shrimp (approx. 2 inches long). Re: DOA Lionfish 7/26/05 yes they were dead and one I received the other day we put him in the water in our tank, he was upside down and never recovered. defiantly dead. <Interesting.> I thought maybe they were delicate shippers? <Actually, no.> or two much heat or temp change . where can I find a list of all wholesalers ? <Doubtful. There is no real compiled list of all wholesalers on the planet.> lol I have tried to get a dwarf lion fish 3 times for a customers each time it is DOA or shortly after being put n the tank/ . <I am beginning to suspect your water over the quality of then fish you are receiving.> on one order I bought 3 at one time and all three died one made it a little longer but it look like there was something wrong with his eyes. pop eye maybe or something . were thinking about direct importing ourselves . <Perhaps. What are you parameters? Mike G> Dwarf Lionfish 7/22/05 I was wondering if any of the dwarf
lions are easier to acclimate and keep than others and which one(s) are
easier to convert to frozen food. I recently added a dwarf zebra to my
65 gallon tank, he never ate anything and died after 5 days, If I
attempt another I would like to know if any other dwarf is easier than
the zebra? Lionfish taxonomy Dear crew: I have perused everything on this site that I can find, and Dr. Marini's articles on reefkeeper.com, and I remain baffled, hoping you can shed some light. I'm trying to identify a fish by species, and having difficulty. I am sorry that I can't forward digital pictures, and am hoping that a gross physical description might be a purposeful place to start. <Not likely> A local fish store has a variant of dwarf lion that seems not to fit with what I can find in descriptions of species. When asked, employees could only report that it had been taken in trade, and had been in the store for some time. Anecdotally, one of them thought it might have originally come from Florida, though that could just as easily have been the locus of the collector/aquarist. When queried about the species, they generalized it to be a fuzzy dwarf. <There are many scorpaenoid fishes called "dwarf lions", not all are Pteroines...> The critter in question most generally seems to be brachypterus, but not quite. The pectoral fins have the characteristic shape reminiscent of the sail on a Chinese junk, and are webbed almost to the end of the spines. Body shape [about 4"], coloration, and fin profile are generally consistent, but there are a few significant departures. It lacks the "moustache" protuberances at the corners of the mouth, and has no noticeable "horns" above the eyes. There are bumps of tissue along the lateral line, again consistent with brachypterus, but most noticeably there are no "flags" of tissue at the ends of the dorsal spines as both of my Fuzzies have. Finally, while every fuzzy I have seen has blue eyes, the eyes of this fish have a bright orange outer circle, with a center that is a deep green/black [like a Tahitian black pearl]. My best guess is that it's actually a barberi. Can you suggest any definitive characteristics that I can look for to identify it more definitively? Am I overlooking the obvious, and can you tell me what I should have figured out on my own? <Mmm, you might peruse the linked references for these species, genera on fishbase.org or make a trip to a large college library for a computer searched bibliography... There is variation in the Brachypterus mentioned... color and appendages-wise... Bob Fenner> Looking forward to your suggestions, Rick Walters Dwarf (Lionfish) Done Did Himself Dear crew, This evening I noticed that my dwarf zebra has a tear or puncture in the membrane of one of his fins. There are actually two tears or perforations, one about 1/8" in diameter, the other about 1/16", joined by a thin strip of tissue. He swims fine, is not sheltering or guarding, and is currently feeding. First, is this nothing to worry about? <<Nope, I'd just watch him, continue feeding properly, might add some Selcon to food if not already. Have Spectrogram on hand at all times.>> Second, if it is a cause for concern, should I do something prophylactic to prevent infection? <<That would best be the supplement, Selcon.>> Or will it likely heal on its own without my doing anything? [I Googled, and found only a section on wound management that pertained to lions wounding us, rather than assisting a wounded lion.] <<Stuff like this happens to all fishes all the time. Given proper conditions, it should heal just fine. But, even if the tissue *doesn't* grow back, it will do no harm to the fish.>> Thanks, as always, Rick Walters <<Quite welcome. Marina>> - Dwarf Lion Questions - I have fuzzy dwarf lionfish who shows no interest in any food except Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, and ghost shrimp. <Ghost shrimp and Mysis shrimp are fine - nothing to worry about here.> I have tried krill, goldfish, saltwater guppies and Tubifex worms but has shown no interest in them. <Would keep up with the krill but would not offer "feeder" fish - these will affect the long term survivability of your lionfish. As for the Tubifex worms - these are not marine in origin and I've seen very few marine fish, let alone lionfish that will eat them.> Well do you recommend all my levels are all where they should be. <Think you're doing fine - you might want to offer the krill on the end of a feeding stick - waggle in front of its face... but the Mysis and ghost shrimp are certainly suitable foods.> My fuzzy also turns a creamy color every once in a while, is this rare or a problem? <This is neither rare nor a problem. Cheers, J -- > When a Lionfish Does What a Lionfish Does.. >Hello all. >>Hello one. >I've Googled, and found no answer. >>At least you made the effort. >Yesterday I brought home a beautiful little fuzzy dwarf lion, who is the first occupant of my 75 gallon tank [along with 40 pounds of very crusty live rock]. >>Of all the things that should or should not be crusty, rock that is live, and bread. >After recovering from the stress of the trip, he adjusted well, and even took a ghost shrimp for an evening snack. After lights out, he cruised the tank for several hours, getting to know the neighborhood. >>Alright. >Since this morning, though, he has spent the entire day perched on one of my heaters. I have not been able to find any information relating stress or transition to a need for additional warmth. I checked the temperature of the tank, and it's 76.8 F in the center of the tank, as well as at the front wall [measured 6" under the surface]. I have read that lions tolerate temperatures between 72 and 78 well, so I think I'm in the ballpark. Should I just chalk this up to WTTFJD [weird things that fish just do]? >>Oh, no, not at all. This isn't weird in the least, either. This *is* what Lionfishes, especially dwarf lions, do. Simple as that. Marina When a Lionfish Does What a Lionfish Does - II >Marina, >>Hello Rick. >Thanks for your reassurance. I have learned some hard lessons with smaller tanks [harder for the fish than for me, I suppose]. I want so much for this tank to succeed that I might be overly fretful, and apt to turn molehills into mountains. After some further introspection, I suppose I was the same way with the first of my children. >>Better to be safe, yeah? >I came home tonight from a concert to find said little fuzzy guy cruising energetically, displaying for his reflection. I enjoyed having a nightcap and watching him being so active out in the open, illuminated by the moonlight LED's with the room otherwise dark. I'm thinking that such moments are the real reason we go to such effort to do this. >>For those who get into the hobby in the first place, absolutely. For those who are "bitten", it can go far beyond that. >Thanks again, Rick Walters >>You're most welcome, and I'm glad you can now enjoy your new fish. Marina
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