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FAQs about Dwarf Lionfish Behavior
Related Articles: Dwarf Lionfishes,
Lionfish & Their Relatives, Keeping
Lionfishes and their Scorpaeniform Kin Part 1,
Part 2, by Anthony Calfo and Robert Fenner,
Related FAQs: Dwarf Lionfishes,
Dwarf Lions 2, Dwarf Lion
Identification, Dwarf Lion
Compatibility, Dwarf Lion Selection,
Dwarf Lion Systems, Dwarf Lion
Feeding, Dwarf Lion Disease,
Dwarf Lion Reproduction,
Lions 1, Lions 2,
Lions 3, Lions 4, Lionfish
Selection, Lionfish Compatibility,
Lionfish Behavior,
Lionfish Feeding,
Lionfish Disease, |
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Poor Ruffus, I'm so
Distraught.
Lionfish jumping, Lionfish Beh. 4/30/2009
<Hi>
I have had a fuzzy dwarf lion named Ruffus for about six months now, my
sister had him for a year prior to that. I do weekly water changes along
with testing.
<Very good>
Everything has been going VERY well. Normally as soon as the door opens
he's at the glass looking at me like a puppy, literally.
<Not at all uncommon with Lionfish, particularly Fuzzy Dwarfs.>
Tuesday when I came home from work I couldn't find Ruffus in any of his
normal hiding spots. After looking for about 15 min. I started to worry.
I finally found him dead on the floor under the stand.
<Sorry for your loss.>
The tank is covered except for a gap about 2.5" x 2.5" near the filter.
I know this is where he left the tank, but what I don't understand is
why. He was the only fish in it and I've never heard of them jumping.
<Any fish can jump.>
After the clean up I tested everything from salinity to nitrates, and
everything in between even the water temp. and everything is good going
by what I've read from multiple, multiple sources.
<Actual readings would be better, but this will suffice.>
Judging by the fact that he just barely fit through the gap, it almost
seems like he planned it.
<No, it wasn't planned.>
Any ideas what drove my poor Ruffus to suicide?
<Fish do NOT commit suicide. Fish lack the mental capacity to make that
type of decision. It is more likely that your fish saw something by the
filter opening that it interpreted as potential prey and rushed it,
propelling itself out of the water.>
<Mike>
Lionfish
mucus 11/25/06
Hello:
<Hi there>
I just got a
fuzzy dwarf lion a week ago. As I acclimate him to frozen krill and
silverfish, his eating is improving.
<Good>
Today, I notice a
white mucus coming from him. What is it?
<Mmm, a natural body
exudation. Pteroines/Lionfishes produce, release a good deal of body
slime/mucus in good health>
Do I need to treat the water with
something.
<Nope>
My LFS said E.M. tablets. The tank parameters
are good. Thanks for the help.
Howard
<No worries all the way
around. Bob Fenner> 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
- Dwarf Lion Growth Rate -
Hi, Great site.
A question that's I
have searched, your archives, and all information I can find. The
question is, how long at the best guess, will it take a dwarf zebra
lionfish, to grow from 1.75 inches to 4 inches.
<A couple of
years.>
He is kept in a 40 gallon with 40 lbs live rock, a few
mushrooms and a flower anemone. He is fed Mysis shrimp once daily now as
he is still small. As he grows I'll feed silversides, krill, and chopped
market shrimp about once daily or as needed. He eats very well, and I
don't plan on feeding to much. The water is ph.8.3 , s.g 1.023, ammonia
0, nitrite 0, nitrate 5, calcium 400, dKH 12, temp 78. Thank you for
your reply in advance, and yes I know he can/will get 7 inches or more
when full grown, just concerned how long until he's 4 inches.
<More
than a year, but probably not less than two.
Cheers, J -- > Fu
Man Chu Lion Questions
Hello Crew!
<Hello back. MikeD here>
Thanks so much for all you do and for the amazing amount of information
you
provide. I have searched the site and need more information on
the Fu Man Chu
Lionfish. Do they stay that small (one at LFS is 2
1/2 in.)?<While the books generally indicate a maximum size of roughly 4
inches, I've seen some five inchers over the years, quite likely very
old fish that were caught late in life.> Can I feed them
frozen
food or do I have to invest in Mysis or something of the like?<As a
rule, the Fu Man Chus are among the hardest to train over to non-living
foods, although it can be done with some concerted effort.> We have a
very healthy 'pod population, keeps our Mandarin happy. I have a gold
striped
maroon clown hosting a bubble tip anemone, a mated pair of
CBS, and a Mandarin
Dragonet, a green star polyp colony, 3 1/2 in
DSB, and LOTS of live rock, part
made into a shelf which the CBS
have taken over the underside as their lair.
Will these tankmates be
ok?<No. The coral Banded shrimp will become food immediately, if not
sooner. While the Fu Man Chus are not above eating a small fish,
particularly if hungry, by nature they specialize in shrimp and small
crabs.> The Fu Man Chu seems too small to eat any of them,
but will
that change?<Again, yes. Don't be surprised to see a Fu grab a shrimp
fully as large as itself and swim around for the better part of the day
gradually swallowing until the whole animal disappears. In extreme
cases, they've been known to choke to death attempting to eat shrimp and
fish larger than themselves.> I'm sure he'll love the CBS's young,
(every 3-4 weeks
they have more babies). I'm sure it is not really
possible to keep this fish
in my set up, but I was hoping it would
be, my husband has been drooling over
lions for the past year!<Fully
understandable.....I now have a 125 gal. tank and a 300 devoted
primarily to larger lionfish and their kin, so be warned, once you make
the plunge, they can be extremely habit forming.> Our tank is almost 4
years old and seems to be doing
well. I guess we are greedy, and
need to get a bigger tank, ours is only 20
gal. We also have a
Refugium 13.25" X 4.5" X 12" and a good amount of constant
flow
Penguin Sponge 170, Rio 600, and Rio 200 on the Fuge. My husband's
birthday is coming up and I wanted to surprise him, but if this would be
death
to the lion or my current fish, I'll leave him in the
store.<Alas, at the moment this sounds like the wiser
strategy.> Alternatively,
when we do get a bigger tank could we use
this 20 gal for a smaller lion by
itself if our current set up won't
house him?<That is a definite yes. In fact, a 20 gal. tank could
actually house a pair of Dwarf Fuzzy Lions AND a Fu Man Chu all together
if you so desire, which I suspect, you'd love. I had a pair of Dwarf
Fuzzy Lions that laid eggs 62 times over the course of 9
months...unfortunately, due to the extremely small size of the very
numerous fry, and the fact that they need live plankton I was never able
to successfully rear any, an ongoing hope (so far, to the best of my
knowledge, they've never been reared in captivity). The Fu Man Chus will
get along with Dwarf Fuzzies, but it's suggested that you keep only one
per tank as they will fight to the death with their own kind in
captivity, actually seeking each other out in tanks as large as 125
gallons !(yep, I tried that too! **grin**) Thanks so much! You guys
are
always a great help!<Thanks for the encouragement...we try.>
Allison Dailey Stevenson Ranch, CA Dwarf lion, zebra I
think
Hi, I just bought a dwarf lion. He is about 2 to 3 in. I
have a 55 gal tank with a lot of hiding places, MAYBE THAT'S WHY I CAN'T
FIND HIM ANYWHERE! I checked on him all afternoon and he was hiding
behind a rock but now I don't see him. I should tell you that I also
have a Niger trigger that is about 4 in long and a percula clown (Nemo
fish) 2 in. I was told there shouldn't be a problem in my size tank?<no
there should not be any problems> Well what do you think? Also won't the
lion poison the other fish if he bits them?<The lions bite is not
venomous...it is his dorsal spines which are venomous> He is sooo cute I
hope he is alright and is just hiding.<he's probably hiding> Could you
tell me if dwarf lions are active or our they hiders?<mainly hiders>
Well I guess that's all the questions I have for
now. I hope you can
help. :-) Sincerely, Jill. P.S. I also have a lawn mower blenny and a
med size hermit crab that is growing by leaps and bounds!!!!!!!<Good
luck, IanB>
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