High Hopes

lion king · Aug 27, 2020

After the devastating losses in my 90 Lion's Reef, I had a challenging time considering what to do. i was going to shut it down but it's in my office, and with the 210g on one wall, and the 90g on another; you can guess it's my favorite room in the house. I was going to do a 2 eel tank, but really couldn't shake my love of lions and addiction to venom.

So I stripped the reef and made it a low light fowlr with a refugium. This set up has worked so well for me in other set ups; zero nitrates and phosphates and absolutely no algae. I transferred my purple rhino and a sub adult fuzzy, So the line up will be: purple rhino, fuzzy, radiata, and mombasa.

I ordered these 2 from my fav lfs, they are by far the healthiest of these 2 species I've ever seen, coming in that is. While I usually always recommend treating for internal parasites, I am going to closely observe these 2. They ate as soon as they went, when I saw as soon as, I mean immediately. They have clear eyes, good color, very active and the radiata has eaten every other day for week; the mombasa I got yesterday. I'm eyeing for strinky poo and am ready to treat id they all of sudden go off eating. If their eyes get cloudy or colr fades, i will immediately treat with general cure. They are in an observation tank and so far are eating guppies and ghosties. They will, and all my preds will get a live diet forever.

FangsAndGames · Aug 27, 2020

Nice radiata

Picasso the Triggerfish · Aug 28, 2020

Good luck with the radiata! Such a beautiful but delicate fish

I’ma tempermental coral · Aug 28, 2020

Rhinos and radiata are two of my all time favorite fish!!!! I’d LOVE to do your sps build as a tang and predator reef!!! Don’t think it will happen though lol. But hey! I can hope too right? Hahaha

lion king · Sep 4, 2020

Bad news, mombasa has a bacterial infection. It looks like it was likely due to an injury. He ate right away and was eating every other day for a week, on the 10th day he refused food. I'm not a fan of antibiotics but this does require treatment. I decided to go with Paraguard, I did have some success using this in the past. His eyes are clear and he is perching out in the open, so I'll optimistically give it 50/50. Prematurely I flipped the radiata to the display, i just didn't want to expose him to medication unnecessarily.

FangsAndGames · Sep 4, 2020

Best thing to do is keep supporting him. He’ll be fine.

lion king · Sep 4, 2020

Radiata is right at home with the rhino.

lion king · Sep 5, 2020

Well the mombasa died, this is at least 5 maybe 6 that I have tried, this one lasted the longest, at 11 days. I know of at least 5 more that only lived a few days. This one came from Asia, I've also had them from Africa. You see there arte actually 2 near indentical species called the mombasa lion, Pterois mombasae and P. paucispinula. Most of the lions have an unusually high mortality rate, but this is just ridiculous. Maybe if I would have caught the bacterial infection earlier, but everything pointed to this one doing extremely well.

FangsAndGames · Sep 5, 2020

I’m sorry man. I could do some research to help you out if you’d like to try to care for another. That’s what R2R’s for. R.I.P. Mombasa - just keep swimming.

FangsAndGames · Sep 5, 2020

Let’s call in an expert. @lion king

vetteguy53081 · Sep 5, 2020

Ruby rally pro would be a good and safe treatment

FangsAndGames · Sep 5, 2020

This could be a good resource https://seaunseen.com/mombasa-lionfish/

lion king · Sep 5, 2020

vetteguy53081 said:
Ruby rally pro would be a good and safe treatment

I've used many treatments on bacterial infections on lions, and most are very dangerous, I haven't used that one but it sounds very similar to Paraguard. This is what happens to their liver after treatment with antibiotics, most don't live but several months to a 1.5 years after successful treatment. That's why I am always very resistant to treatment, unless a case of life and death. This was a necessary treatment and it was the infection that got him, not the treatment. He showed no stress to the treatment.

lion king · Sep 7, 2020

Here's the 3

lion king · Oct 8, 2020

These 2 are always hanging out. Its been 6 weeks and the radiata is doing really good. I'm glad I didn't have to use any meds so as the title of this thread says, I have high hopes for this one. Can you tell from the pic how much he has grown.