Mombasa vs fuzzy dwarf lions.

[tyler1503]

Hi everyone. Just wondering which fish would be a better choice between the Mombasa lion and the fuzzy dwarf lion? I've kept fuzzies before and they were quite easy for me. I've never kept a Mombasa though.
Which is easier to get feeding on prepared foods? Would I be correct in saying they would put pretty much the same strain on filtration?
Is one more likely to eat tank mates than the other?

Any information comparing the two would be very much appreciated!
Thanks

 

[jasonrusso]

I had a Mombasa for 2 years. He is still one of my favorite fish. When he swam in open water he was the most impressive looking fish I've had. I got him on frozen food within a week. I bought some live ghost shrimp and I put them in the freezer for 15 minutes to kind of zonk them out. Then I feed them to the fish. This way the fish associate the feeding tongs with food.

I'm still not sure what happened, but one day he stopped eating and died a week later. I have no idea why. I would get another on in a second of I come across one again. The first was an accident. I ordered a dwarf zebra, but I got a Mombasa.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

A Mombasae is a medium bodied fish where the fuzzy is a dwarf, so in that regard they will have a different impacts on the filtration and tankmates.

The mombasae is an awesome fish. They are supposed to be a little less hardy, but that hasn't been my experience. They were very much on par with the behaviour of the fuzzy.... always out and looking for a handout. I didn't find them any harder to train than my fuzzies. They are a deepwater fish, so keep that in mind with lighting/places to hide. You'll notice their eyes are proportionally larger than the other lions because of this.

 

[tyler1503]

According to liveaquaria, the Mombasa is typically almost an inch smaller than the fuzzy when fully grown. What are your thoughts on that @Lionfish Lair ?

I think I may just stick with the fuzzy They're a lot cheaper and easier to come by, especially in smaller sizes.

 

[jasonrusso]

My Mombasa was probably 6 inches. The "wingspan" was maybe 8" in open water

 

[Lionfish Lair]

According to liveaquaria, the Mombasa is typically almost an inch smaller than the fuzzy when fully grown. What are your thoughts on that @Lionfish Lair

They are wrong.

You'll never go wrong with a fuzzy. I'm looking for one too.

Maybe these stats can help in the future....
http://www.lionfishlair.com/quickstats/

 

[tyler1503]

They are wrong.

You'll never go wrong with a fuzzy. I'm looking for one too.

Maybe these stats can help in the future....
http://www.lionfishlair.com/quickstats/

Awesome
Thanks for the info. I didn't think the Mombasa was a dwarf species, but when I saw that on LA I figured I was mistaken.
Thanks for the link too!

 

[tyler1503]

@Lionfish Lair What do you think of shipping leaf scorpions? Do they handle shipping well? If they're already feeding on pellets, how likely are they to revert back to only accepting live foods?
I found some at an LFS who are willing to ship to my door so I'm super excited!!

 

[Lionfish Lair]

Eating pellets!!! GET IT!!!!!! They ship very well. Don't switch it back!!! Leafs are hard to get train to frozen in the first place and to convert one back would be blasphemy. LOL

 

[tyler1503]

There's two of them eating pellets! I saw the videos and they're absolutely adorable!
Too bad my tank isn't ready yet. It's not even wet I've asked the LFS to hold them for me, but it will most likely be a couple of months till the tank is ready for such messy fish like scorps. I can't expect the LFS to hold them for that long unfortunately. Fingers crossed they're still available next year!

Haha I don't meant switch them back myself. That would be crazy!
I mean due to the stress of being shipped and placed in a new tank, how likely are they to revert back and only accept live foods afterwards. I take it from your last post they are likely to stay eating pellets though

 

[Lionfish Lair]

You're in AUSTRALIA!! Dang, I was going to ask if they would send one to me... guess not O.O

Ohhhhhhhh, on the live. You almost gave me a heart attack! I suspect if they are eating pellets before shipping, they would eat pellets after. They might give it up for a bit, but I think it would be easy to get them back on.

 

[lion king]

No matter what you read on the internet, and you don't have to believe me; feeding these ambush predators dead food for the long term rarely works out. So many occasions every single person I've met, and many many post online confirm this. Not only do you end up with an ornament waiting to be fed, they usually just stop eating within a few to several months. I imagine it's just suicide, much like predators in a zoo they need some type of stimulus. I've kept anglers and dwarf lions on live food for many years. I believe these type of fish should be fed live food or left in the ocean. Just my opinion but all of my research has not proven any benefit other than cost and availability of food to feeding dead. On the contrary I've never met anyone keeping them long term on dead food. There are always exceptions but speaking in percentages this is what I've found to be the case.

 

[Lionfish Lair]

On the contrary I've never met anyone keeping them long term on dead food.

Hi, my name is Renee and I've kept lions and scorps on dead foods long term. Now you've met someone.....

I think we can agree that I perhaps have a few friends that keep preds as well, and they too don't have a problem keeping their fish alive with frozen. Your percentages don't match my experiences and exposure. Feeding a dead food diet is not a problem, feeding an inappropriate dead food diet can be, and I feel that is the pit many fall into.

 

[tyler1503]

Haha I can ask about international shipping. There's probably a negative 100% chance though
Hopefully they will continue to eat pellets when they arrive, if I end up getting them.

Lion king, don't mean to disregard your information, all opinions are very welcome and will be considered However I've also kept predators long term on dead foods. Both packaged fish food for volatins and fuzzy dwarf lions and grocery store bought seafood for eels (which are the fish I've had most experience with). Perhaps more demanding species are more difficult to keep long term? I haven't had the experience to have an educated opinion there. Like I said, your input will be considered

 

[lion king]

I know my sample source is limited to my own experience and just about 5 years of researching with 3 large and busy lfs and the hobbyists and friends that have kept dwarf lions, scorps, and anglers. I will repeat that I have never met anyone keeping these fish longer than a few months on dead food. I also pm'd many posters online that had post like "dwarf lion, scorp, angler won't or stopped eating". I either got no response or the response was "they didn't make it"; not one positive response. The thing about internet advice, most don't follow up on the results of their advice. It also turns them into nothing more than an ornament, lions being a bit more active. It's bad enough we take from the ocean, but then take their natural predatory nature from them as well. After watching the fascinating nature of my lions and angler keeping their predatory nature, I would never keep one weaned to dead food. I believe it's also good for their psychological well being to stalk and hunt as well.

By the way, there's a gorgeous mombasa on dd. I don't think they get larger than a fuzzy or zebra, just a thicker broader body

 

[Lionfish Lair]

I will repeat that I have never met anyone keeping these fish longer than a few months on dead food.

*sigh* And yet 3 of the 4 people in this very thread have done just that.

I'm not even getting into the "leave it in the sea" discussion... we ALL live in that glass house.

Anyways... Tyler, one thing to keep in mind about pellet, is not to get it everywhere. I would actually soak them in a smidge of water and put them on the end of a piece of fishing line. That way none got lost behind the rocks. I was feeding pellets to my Blackfoot Lion that way.

 

[tj w]

Well Tyler, my fuzzy dwarf was in a friends tank for 2 years on a frozen diet and has been in my tank a few months on the same. Such a great fish, always front and center begging for food and spitting water at me.