SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish?
No. No comment.
Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where?
I do not know.
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get?
Received specimen from reliable Bali supplier. Should look for undamaged, disease free fish that eats food before purchase. Allow a few days to a week between moving from one environment to another.Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species?
The very small speciment seem to be more triangular shaped as opposed to the longer bodied larger adults. My guess it is due to mature internal sex organs. Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish?
I would start by observing know breeding pairs for differences in shape etc. If no pairs available try observing 8 to 12 sexually mature specimens for anatomical differences that may be obvious or very slight. ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?
No, the usual proceedures are fine. Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen?
Need variety of good food and frequent feedings. Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?
That depends on the size and type of the aquarium and the size, type, and population if its' inhabitants. COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank?
This fish is alone in a segregated section of a 100gal. coral holding system. 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?
No. N/A. N/A. Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank?
No. What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you?
#8217? I do not understand this question.Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?
No.Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?
No, none were made available.Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)?
I fed it live bait green crabs from the Jersey shore. Like eating potatoe chips. Did this fish hurt/eat Mollusks (snails, clams, oysters, mussels)?
I fed it Atlantic cold water clams and mussels.Did this fish hurt/eat Echinoderms (sea cucumbers, sea stars, urchins)?
No, none of these were made available.Did this fish hurt/eat Worms (feather dusters, flat worms, etc)?
No, none of these were made available.FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first?
Live damsels. If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?
Once the fish learns you are the source of food you stop feeding until hunger sets in and then the fish usually takes what you give him. I have trained lionfish to eat flake food and pellets. This works well with predators as they usually can go a little hungry without real damage. What’s the diet?
What's with this#8217? I do not understand this question. How much and how often do you feed?
I fed an equvalent of two large shrimp or two large mussels or a large clam once daily and sometimes twice. How does this fish eat?
Like Jaws on drugs!Does this fish eat any microalgae or macroalgae in your tank? If so what type of algae?
COncerned about veggies I fed large pinches of flake food and dried sushi nuri seaweed. GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)?
Arrived approximately ten inches total length and grew about three quarters of an inch in a year and one half - measurements estimated. What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish?
This fish was segregated in a fifty gallon section of a 1000gal. multi chambered coral holding facility in about seven inches water depth. Technically speaking, as long as the fish has enough room to turn around, tank size is meaningless provided water conditions do not inhibit growth. I have raised quite a nuber of fresh water fish to rapid maximum size in relatively small aquariums by changing water very often to remove or dilute growth inhibiting theramones that the fish naturally produce - natures way to regulate size in overcrowded conditions. If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take?
Recieved very large adult. How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause?
I had the fish for a little longer than one and a half years when it died. I used feeding this fish in conjunction with experimenting with my prototype nitrate remover. I cut back on his feeding for a short time and he became very weak and was unable to feed. I hand fed him for another ten days - equivalent to using a turkey baster to squirt food into the fish by way of his mouth which he allowed me to do. He started to improve but then died. IMO I do not think he starved to death - chemical capture of these fish are always at the front of my mind.What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?
I do not know. DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment?
Shortly after receiving this fish I got in a Phillipine Specials that included box lots of lionfish - the trigger came down with Dynoflagulate disease, possibly Oodinium. Treatment included raising the temperature a little and keeping the lights on for fourty eight hours. The system was treated with copper temporarily and UV lights were serviced.BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?
Yes, sleeping, eating and stress. Does this fish dig the substrate often?
No gravel but fish moved live rock for some time, especially when hungry. How active is this fish? Is this fish shy?
Hungry - active, full - complacent, shy - never! How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates?
Hungry - aggresive and territorial. When full a real pussycat. There were never any tank mates. Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?
No, but it was impossible to do so. How does this fish sleep?
Wheter the lights were out or not, this fish would swim into the same corner of his tank near some liverock at about the same time every night. I was amazed and amused at this as he reminded me of a baby human.Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often?
N/A - Never introduced these. How does this fish interact with human?
Interaction with humans solely motivated by food. This fish could differentiate myself from another human somehow. Did the fish release toxic substance that killed other creatures in the tank?
No. Any other interesting observation of this fish?
Seemed more "intelligent" than any other marine fish I have dealt with and I have dealt with them all over the years. REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up? Any information of spawning in captivity?
No to both questions. 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
[b]
It is generally accepted in the business that these fish can put up with greater variations from the norm in water conditions than many other fish. When acclimating from international shipment these fish react the same as do all the others although they may recover sooner and there may be less fatalities. This does not mean that they or their water should be neglected. The volume of food they eventually require will soon raise nitrate levels that will cause them to suffer in ways we might not be aware of.
Do you think we should not keep this fish (for what reason)?
That depends on whether you like it or not.
Would you recommend this fish to beginners?
Yes, provided they understood its' requirements. Is this fish best kept in mature/established (6 months or older) tank? Any other recommendations/comments?
N/A REFERENCES
Do you have any links to web sites, online articles or any other source of information about this species that you would recommend?
If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us!
