lion

[adidas]

would like to buy a lil lion fish, just wondering if anyone has some care/feeding tips... thought i would do the right thing and study up before buyin one.

thanks guys

[scuglass]

the only tip i can think of is dont hand feed it. i read on here somewhere about someone getting bit and having to have their arm under burning hot water in order to break apart the posion cells or something(i know nothing about biology or chemistry :biggrin: )

[adidas]

the only tip i can think of is dont hand feed it. i read on here somewhere about someone getting bit and having to have their arm under burning hot water in order to break apart the posion cells or something(i know nothing about biology or chemistry :biggrin: )

lol ya, my hand is never goin in the water...

[AndyL]

Lions are pretty easy to care for, just stay away from the freshwater feeders, preferably get some already trained on frozen mysis. They're actually a fairly easy/hardy fish to keep.

Oceans actually had in some absolutely FABULOUS Fu's on friday, never seen them that bright red.

[scuglass]

big als also had alot in when i wet there on thursday they didnt seem very lively tho maybe thats how they are tho i dont know much about them

[jimmyray]

I bought one returned him 2 weeks later yes they look cool but all he did was hide at the back of the tank as for feeding easy anything wiggeled in front of him good luck

[Abbyreefer]

Big als had them last weekend and only 15 bux for the dwarf zebra lions.. I bought one :) but still one more left and they had them eating frozen Mysis. Call them to see if they still have one it was at the Coquitlam BA store in B.C.
________
XV920 (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Yamaha_XV920)

[JSTR]

I have a fuzzy dwarf and he will eat silversides mysis and krill all frozen - not that hard to train them either, hunger is a wonderful motivator. I'd stay away from the lions at big als here in calgary unless you are putting it in a 4 foot or longer tank, they are not the dwarf variety. Golds may be ordering some shortly as I told Dennis tht I need a second one. Also for the dwarfs I would recomend the fuzzy over the zebra as the zebra hids more, also dont expect to see them for a few days till they calm down after being moved - they hid when stressed and also when they are full.

They dont bite persay but if you get stuck by the dorsal spines - venom location on the dwarfs - the pain is approx. three times as bad as a bee sting and there is a possibility or an allegic reaction.

Here's a good link for general info:
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/index.php
Personally I would recommend one, theyacn be quite entertaining.

If you interested feeding day will be Mon or Tues - stop by.

Paul

[SeaHorse_Fanatic]

Ummmmm....

That was me who got poisoned by a 14" Volitan lionfish. It hurt worse than any other pain I've ever experienced & I was an accident prone kid :redface: Poked 2 dorsal spines (aka Poison-filled injection systems) into my finger & almost had my bro cut off my arm (long story). Poison Control hotline states that: "Poisons are enzymes, enzymes are proteins, proteins de-nature (break apart) when under high heat." At that point, the poison was past the shoulder & approaching the internal organs so I poured almost boiling hot water on my arm to break up the poison. Sold the Lionfish (used to hand feed it squids/smelts) the next day.

Anthony

[JSTR]

Sorry for the luck Anthony, having no first hand experience on the pain involved in a sting from the lionfish, I respectfully bow to your experience. I do how ever know that with care I have yet to be stung by my dwarflionfish(little less aggressive and less poisonous spines) I also find that unless its the feeding stick (yes he reconizes his food source) my lionfish will run away to the other side of the tank make maintenance easier for me. Yet I still will always keep an eye on him and be careful.

Guess what I am trying to express is in my opinion they make wonderful pets (providing you are willing to accomotate them) and one should not disreguard them simply as they are venomous (not poisonous, but thats splitting hairs).

On the flip sidce of this coin, I have no children to inavertantly place things in the tank, and I know the risks and take percautions towards them. As one may have noticed I stated I have yet to be stung, realistically I expect one day I will be but I feel that it is still worth having my lionfish .

Just my opinions, not a sermon or rant against anyone. I applaud adidas for inquiring prior to purchase, but will let them make their own dicision.

Thanks
Paul

[adidas]

well, i did my reading for a bit, and picked up a little guy at big als, he is only about 1 inch, got him in his own lil tank. acclimated him 5 hours, dropped a silverside in, the current moving it around tricked him and he ate it.

i havent yet put my hand in, don't plan to. will net him if i absolutely need to put my hand in. lol i do not want to get stung, ever. i'll post a pic sometime soon! :mrgreen:

[JSTR]

Dont blame you on the not sticking hands in, personnaly I use a 3 foot feeding stick. One trick for when you have to clean the tank(and it should be fairly often as they can be huge waste factories) is to use a tank divider and chase the lion to one side, put in the divider and clean the opposite side, then reverse to do the other half. Netting a lionfish is not always a good idea and is a little tricky, the spine can get tangled in the mesh of the net, causing you to have to grab hold of the most dangerous part of the fish.(be careful when using a net, expecially when they get bigger)

Just out of curiousity, did the guys at Big Als tell you which lionfish you were buying(species). Cause when I was there on Friday all they had were the large ones, Volitans and Russellis by the look of them, none were the dwarf species. Please refer to the above mentioned link for further info and care needs. If you post a picture, I may be able to help you figure out which one, and if they knew at Big Als then all the better. Yes I know they are small now, but they will grow to at least 10 inches and up to 15-16 inches.


Paul

[adidas]

didnt say what speciers it was, he is about 2 " actually right now, i'm planning a 200g tank this winter, so im not too worried. he is light colored with the redish brown striping on his body, the spines are almost yellow with blue stripes.

good idea about the tank divider idea, good tip thanks.

[Kabong]

Sounds like a Volitain
http://a1272.g.akamai.net/7/1272/1121/20050105225629/www.liveaquaria.com/images/products/large/p_72823.jpg

[adidas]

here he is

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y271/adidas28/6d3d9cd7.jpg

[Invigor]

striking resemblance to the live aquaria image :mrgreen:

[Gools]

How big do the dwarfs get at full grown?