[angelfishlover]

SELECTION
1.Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where?

I got mine at PETCO. As far as I know it's wild caught

Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get?

I just picked one that was eating and free of any disese

Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species?

The pectoral fins have a smaller ratio to body size as they age

Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish?

As far as I know there is no way to tel a male and female apart

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?

Acclimate slowly. It can be sensitive to extreme changes in water chemistry

Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen?

Just make sure to have some live food ready cause they usually take some time to accept prepared food

Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?

Doesen't really matter. Should be the smallest fish in the tank cause they eat smaller fish

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank?

FO tank. Mines with a california stingray and a snowflake eel

Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school?

I would keep one per tank unless you have a huge tank in the 400-500 gallon range cause they get kinda big

Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank?

Never tried it

What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you?

I would add this fish to a mature tank cause they put on a high bio-load

Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?

It's killed a pinktail trigger that once bumped into it. It almost killed a picasso trigger.

Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?

Never tried it but I would only try if you have a very effecient skimmer like an Aqua C or a Euro-Reef

Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)?

Never tried but I wouldn't cause they are very effecient predators

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first?

Feed live food for one day then starved it for a week then tried prepared foods

If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?

It only took live food at first. Then I starved it for a week and it took silversides and krill then.

What’s the diet?

Silversides and krill

How much and how often do you feed?

I feed 4 pieces of krill daily and a couple silversides every other day.

How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc)

Ambush predators. They eat what will fit in there mouths.

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached?

It's about 7" at the moment

How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)?

It grows kinda slow. Its only grew about 1/2 an inch in 5 months.

What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)?

55 at the moment. 180 in a few months.

What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish?

I would say 75 on its own but 125 or bigger with other fish

If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take?

I got this fish at about 6 1/2" so I dont really know

How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause?

I've had my lion for about 5 months so I don't really know.

What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?

I've heard of them living about 12 years. The biggest I've heard of them getting is about 15"

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment?

Never got sick. This species is very sensitive to copper though.

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?

It lightens in color if water quality gets bad

How active is this fish? Is this fish shy?

Swims but very slowly. This fish is not shy at all and is always out.

How territorial or aggressive is this fish?

Very peaceful fish but will eat tankmates if there small enough

How does this fish interact with tankmates?

Prett mutch diesent care. I havd a brave picasso trigger that loved to swim through its fins

Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?

No. Probably not active enough

How does this fish sleep?

Turns dark and stays sideways or up-side-down

Does this fish allow cleaners to clean?

Tried a cleaner wrasse and it ended up as lunch.

If so which cleaner and how often?

Never accepts any cleaners. Just eats them

How does this fish interact with human?

Lots of personality. Will come to the front and follow me if he's hungry

Any other interesting observation of this fish?

Very beutiful fish and wonderful to keep. They are true pets

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?

Just one in my tank. Like I stated above one per tank unless in the 400-500 range or bigger

Any information of spawning in captivity?

Never heard of spawnings in captivity

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?
1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry

3-Will refuse to eat if there are terribly high nitrates.

Would you recommend this fish to beginners?

Prabably. You just need to have some live foods on hand.

Any other recommendations/comments?

Be careful of its venomous spines while doing maintnence. If you get stung soak the effected area in water as hot as you can stand for about 20-30 minutes.