my new addition

adidas · #1 10-10-2005, 06:23 AM

allright, here is my new lion fish. what do you guys think?

hockey nut · #2 10-10-2005, 07:16 AM

he sure is purdy.......

impreza · #3 10-10-2005, 07:26 AM

Those dwarf's are reef safe? Won't they eat your inverts?

adidas · #4 10-10-2005, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by impreza

Those dwarf's are reef safe? Won't they eat your inverts?

apparently they are reef safe, there is a chance he would eat shrimp and other small inverts. My shrimps are the same size as the lion, and my fish aren't bigh enough to fit in his mouth.

he isn't a dwarf either, so i've heard...

WWWD · #5 10-10-2005, 08:37 AM

whoever told you lions are reef safe was pulling your leg.

adidas · #6 10-10-2005, 08:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WWWD

whoever told you lions are reef safe was pulling your leg.

look it up....

SeaHorse_Fanatic · #7 10-10-2005, 09:05 PM

Followed your "advice" & looked it up.

From: http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/20...ture/index.php

I have found these fish to grow fairly quickly when fed properly, and they will easily become 10 inches long within one year [Figure 13b].

Figure 13a. A juvenile Russell lionfish, similar to what is commonly seen at local pet stores. This little 4 inch juvenile possesses long flowing pectoral fins and will grow into a foot-long fish eater within one year. Photo by Frank Marini.

Figure 13b. The same lionfish 1 year later. Sure, I feed them well, but look how big they get. Russell's lions are eating machines, and will easily outgrow a 55 gallon aquarium within 8 months. If you noticed that the body of this fish is getting thicker and the pectoral fins are appearing shorter, you are correct. Older Russell's lionfish have fat, squatty bodies and relatively short pectoral fins. Photo by Frank Marini.

From Scott W. Michael's Marine Fishes guidebook:

Every description of every species of lionfish (dwarf & otherwise) states:

"Will eat ornamental shrimp & smaller fishes."

It may be small now, but how about a few months from now when your shrimp & fish are small enough to fit into the mouth of a growing lionfish? If you google image search or check in Scott Michael's book, the Zebra dwarf lionfish looks totally different (with regard to markings), while the Russell's lionfish is what your pic looks like.

Anthony

reeferaddict · #8 10-10-2005, 09:16 PM

Oh lionfish are reef safe allright - they won't go after corals, just don't keep ANY shrimp... mine stalked and ate every shrimp I had, and anything else that was alive and would fit in it's mouth. You have a volitans lion there BTW and when an adult will consume about 1/4 pound a week of silversides if he's to stay healthy. So unless your reef is over 300g and you don't want to keep any shrimp or small fish with it, I wouldn't recommend them as that kind of nutrient load would be unsuitable for some of those beautiful corals you have there... one more thing... I thought mine would be incapable of eating a shrimp that was nearly as long as it... WRONG! Was I surprised when I saw the poor shrimp get gobbled and then die a slow death at the hands of this peaceful looking predator... which LFS told you it was "reef safe"?

DanG · #9 10-10-2005, 10:41 PM

Lions and angels, I've never heard reef safe, but never an outright no. Always with caution.

adidas · #10 10-11-2005, 05:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reeferaddict

Oh lionfish are reef safe allright - they won't go after corals, just don't keep ANY shrimp... mine stalked and ate every shrimp I had, and anything else that was alive and would fit in it's mouth. You have a volitans lion there BTW and when an adult will consume about 1/4 pound a week of silversides if he's to stay healthy. So unless your reef is over 300g and you don't want to keep any shrimp or small fish with it, I wouldn't recommend them as that kind of nutrient load would be unsuitable for some of those beautiful corals you have there... one more thing... I thought mine would be incapable of eating a shrimp that was nearly as long as it... WRONG! Was I surprised when I saw the poor shrimp get gobbled and then die a slow death at the hands of this peaceful looking predator... which LFS told you it was "reef safe"?

no lfs told me it was reef safe, i looked it up. but yeah, it will eat shrimps, so it is a risk. my shrimps asre bigger than him almost. at any rate, im watching him closely, everyone is afraid of him lol