My new Lionfish

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yamanjazz

The Wizard of OZ
Mar 9, 2005
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I just got my Pterois volitans. After a long period of research i finaly decided to get one. As many of you will agree, it is a wonderful creature to look at. After geting it used to my tanks water i put it(him or her. i dont know) in. It did the usual hide and seek ritual. To prevent any further stress i came to my room and left it to do its own thing. I go and check it out but its still not ready to explore the tank yet.

I have done my homework on this species but we all know that not everything can be learned from books and articles and will sometimes need an experts help. So i would be very greatful if any of the other Lionfish keepers would share any info concerning them.
Thanks in advance:)
 

FloridaBoy

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Jan 10, 2005
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Not an expert, but I agree they are spectacular... generally pretty hardy, but can be sensitive to poor water quality and overfeeding is the most common cause of death (no goldfish!). Keep him hungry with feedings every other day or so and lots variety is the key (see my replies to previous post below on Radiata; re: issues with bright lighting, feeding, etc.) Make sure you have plenty of room to grow, also a good skimmer is essential to export nutrients from heavy protein feedings. Watch those spines.
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59916
 
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yamanjazz

The Wizard of OZ
Mar 9, 2005
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its a 95gal tank. he is now swimming happily all around the tank:)

@Floridaboy: i took a look at the post you linked and found it very helpful. feeding is one of the things i am worried about. thanks:)

Update vol:1. After putting the Lion in the den i noticed the blue damsel i THOUGHT was dead. The Lion is trying to eat him. i feel bad for the little guy but im too scared to put my hand in and take him out. i dont want to get stung. although i find this situation very evil, it has made me confident that he is already ready to eat. when do you think i should introduce his first meal?
 
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DansMarineTank

This ship is England!
Dec 13, 2004
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How big is the lion? was he eating frozen in the lfs?

I found my radiata loves Squid and Octopus frozen or fresh he cant resist, also i feed him krill, muscules, mysis shrimp and silversides all frozen, thanks again to FB for his help getting mine to eat!
 

FreddytheFish

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Aug 29, 2005
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Go ahead, put your hand in the tank to get the damsel. The lion probably won't harm you, but wash your hands first to make sure it doesn't smell like food. If you hand feed, watch out, 'cause it will associate your hand with food and could try to get food from it.

Feeding: try to get it to feed on frozen food, the sooner you get it to do this the better. DO NOT feed FW goldfish. To get it to eat frozen, spear the forzen food on a feeding stick, and wiggle it around to make it appear live.

You may want to reconsider keeping it in a 90 gallon. It should be fine, but keep in mind they get huge. A good analogy that OrionGirl said was "its like a basketball floating in your tank.

Good Luck with your new lion. They truly are spectacular fish. :)
 

FloridaBoy

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Jan 10, 2005
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yamanjazz said:
its a 95gal tank. he is now swimming happily all around the tank:)
@Floridaboy: i took a look at the post you linked and found it very helpful. feeding is one of the things i am worried about. thanks:)
You are welcome my friend. We actually now have a large breeding population of P. volitans along the east coast from FL to NC to NJ.

yamanjazz said:
Update vol:1. After putting the Lion in the den i noticed the blue damsel i THOUGHT was dead. The Lion is trying to eat him. i feel bad for the little guy but im too scared to put my hand in and take him out. i dont want to get stung.
CAUTION: Lionfish can/will lower their heads and spear you, so I would be very careful about catching that damsel. Here are some other ideas from my files:
I have usually caught fish in a decorated display by removing all the rocks/decs from one end of the tank as required, then placing a large "bag net" in that corner. A bag net is a clear transport bag which has been inserted into a standard net frame (the net is removed completely from the frame, no netting!) You push the top edge of the bag up into the frame and roll/fold it back over the wire frame. Thus creating; the bag net.
Using a wooden dowel or other chase instrument, you "herd" the fish into the bag net, which never moves. It pays to observe the escape pattern of the fish; use discretion and strategically place the trap. Sometimes placing a little food into a clear mason jar or acrylic box will also work, you simply lure them into the trap and quickly cover the jar with a net. Also try the double bag method; place a small sealed Ziploc bag with live brine inside a large rolled-op open bag, this will lure the fish into the big bag where they can be trapped/lifted by hand or fishing line wrapped under the rolled top. Patience required here; it usually fails the first few times.
 

FreddytheFish

Nano-Reefer
Aug 29, 2005
1,800
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Cincinnati, OH
CAUTION: Lionfish can/will lower their heads and spear you,
That isn't normal though, is it? Most things I read say that this is very rare and usually occurs when the owner hand feeds so the lion associates the owner w/ food.
 

FloridaBoy

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Jan 10, 2005
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The lionfish is not usually agressive; it's a defensive posture used if they feel threatened. Injury can occur when the unwary aquarist is cleaning the inside of the glass or sticking your hand in for the afore-mentioned capture of another fish.
 

yamanjazz

The Wizard of OZ
Mar 9, 2005
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Thanks for all the info guys:) all is well atm. ill keep you posted on what has been going on thoughout this week.

quick question: when would be the best time to give it its first meal?
 
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