Tank mates w/ Dwarf Lion 60G

[Cstar_BC]

Hi amazing forum

Looking for some suggestions / recommendations to add to my 60G cube.

Currently housing my dwarf lion and spotted mandarin.

My possibilities I've been toying with :

Dwarf butterfly fish ~ blackback or
Dwarf angel ~ bicolor

Snowflake eel ~ worry about it trying to eat dwarf fuzzy but he's pretty big now, size of my palm so don't think he would be viewed as food.

My fuzzy is 50/50 on frozen silversides and live feeders (doing freshwater danios) he never bothers my mandarin and knows too left corner =food

Looking for suggestions, this is not my coral tank so no need for reef safe options or suggestions. Recently rescaped the tank so will update my build thread

Suggestions and recommendations welcomed

 

[Hugh Mann]

Snowflake eel all the way. Or some other type of smaller moray.

I had my greyfaced with a similar sized Dwarf lion without issue, and smaller fish besides. Currently housed in a tank with 6 mollies it could easily eat and hasn't. I don't know the dimensions of a 60 cube, but just double check a potentially 60cm eel would be comfortable.

Dwarf angels are great, myself I prefer lemonpeels and coral Beauties.

If you don't mind fish made of hate and anger, a maroon clownfish. If you can find one big enough the lion can't eat it.

 

[Arlen nemeth]

Hi amazing forum

Looking for some suggestions / recommendations to add to my 60G cube.

Currently housing my dwarf lion and spotted mandarin.

My possibilities I've been toying with :

Dwarf butterfly fish ~ blackback or
Dwarf angel ~ bicolor

Snowflake eel ~ worry about it trying to eat dwarf fuzzy but he's pretty big now, size of my palm so don't think he would be viewed as food.

My fuzzy is 50/50 on frozen silversides and live feeders (doing freshwater danios) he never bothers my mandarin and knows too left corner =food

Looking for suggestions, this is not my coral tank so no need for reef safe options or suggestions. Recently rescaped the tank so will update my build thread

Suggestions and recommendations welcomed

Mm interesting keeping a dwarf lion with a mandarin as most people keep them in a predator tank and mandarins in a peaceful tank. So im not to sure on your choices, would skip out on aggresive/predatory fish if u want to keep that mandarin

 

[MCatano]

Dwarf golden moray eel

 

[Cstar_BC]

Snowflake eel all the way. Or some other type of smaller moray.

I had my greyfaced with a similar sized Dwarf lion without issue, and smaller fish besides. Currently housed in a tank with 6 mollies it could easily eat and hasn't. I don't know the dimensions of a 60 cube, but just double check a potentially 60cm eel would be comfortable.

Dwarf angels are great, myself I prefer lemonpeels and coral Beauties.

If you don't mind fish made of hate and anger, a maroon clownfish. If you can find one big enough the lion can't eat it.

Thanks that's good to know the combo worked. There's a tiny snowflake at a local lfs however I do have my 240 he could upgrade to in the future.
Coral beauty are probably top If my dwarf angel list as well !

Mm interesting keeping a dwarf lion with a mandarin as most people keep them in a predator tank and mandarins in a peaceful tank. So im not to sure on your choices, would skip out on aggresive/predatory fish if u want to keep that mandarin

I thought it was a great combo as my mandarin is too big for my dwarf eat, and the dwarf isn't competing for pods

My dwarf gets fed every second day and honestly doesn't even look at the mandarin. However I may have a chill dwarf and can see how this may not be an ideal pair

Dwarf golden moray eel

OK YES! But also I can not afford that

 

[sfin52]

Second snowflake

 

[mav3rick478]

Snowflakes eat crustaseans, so your lionfish will be fine. Bicolor angel will be nice since they get pretty big for pygmy angels.

 

[Hugh Mann]

From what I understand about mandarins, is what the problem usually stems from is getting out competed for food. If nothing else eats what they eat, I don't see how it would be a problem, besides an aggressive fish just being a bully.

In regards to the snowflake, my eel, which isn't a snowflake, but still a moray has been kept with hermit crabs and snails and hasn't eaten any either, for CuC
Shrimp are a definite no go, as would be regular crabs, unless they are too big to be swallowed.

The general rule of thumb with lions is if they can't fit it in their mouth, it should be a fine tank mate.

 

[Arlen nemeth]

Thanks that's good to know the combo worked. There's a tiny snowflake at a local lfs however I do have my 240 he could upgrade to in the future.
Coral beauty are probably top If my dwarf angel list as well !


I thought it was a great combo as my mandarin is too big for my dwarf eat, and the dwarf isn't competing for pods

My dwarf gets fed every second day and honestly doesn't even look at the mandarin. However I may have a chill dwarf and can see how this may not be an ideal pair



OK YES! But also I can not afford that

No i mean the lionfish is ok with a mandarin but im saying a snowflake eel might not be the best idea

 

[sdreef]

Not on your list, but I'd suggest considering a marine betta. I've kept mine in a 60 cube for about five years. A lot of personality, and no compatibility issue for me when I kept a mandarin in the past.

 

[Hugh Mann]

+1 to Marine Betta. Wasn't sure if it would be comfortable in a cube or not.

I have one, and it's my favourite fish too. Absolutely bombproof too, survived Velvet and subsequential copper treatment.

 

[KingTideCorals]

DWARF GOLDEN!

They are so cute. I have always wanted one. Kept a Snowflake for years, also a very fun eel.

 

[Reverend Turtle]

Marine betta for sure.
As for mandarins, they have a foul taste, very few fish will eat them.

 

[lion king]

The snowflake and the bicolor angel are both good choices. Alternately you could choose a dwarf golden eel as others have mentioned along with your choice of a different dwarf angel.

On a side note: mollies are better live food choice than danios for the fuzzy; mollies have a similar fat and protein structure to saltwater fish as they are a brackish fish that easily live in salt water.

 

[Cstar_BC]

The snowflake and the bicolor angel are both good choices. Alternately you could choose a dwarf golden eel as others have mentioned along with your choice of a different dwarf angel.

On a side note: mollies are better live food choice than danios for the fuzzy; mollies have a similar fat and protein structure to saltwater fish as they are a brackish fish that easily live in salt water.

I agree and have bought some adult mollies to breed. With Covid I haven’t been able to source adolescent mollies - and adult mollies are too large for my dwarf to eat . He bites it but ends up spitting it out

danios were cheap and accessible- can’t even find guppies right now

 

[Cstar_BC]

Not on your list, but I'd suggest considering a marine betta. I've kept mine in a 60 cube for about five years. A lot of personality, and no compatibility issue for me when I kept a mandarin in the past.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen one for sale up here . I’ll keep a look out they are definitely beautiful

 

[Cstar_BC]

From what I understand about mandarins, is what the problem usually stems from is getting out competed for food. If nothing else eats what they eat, I don't see how it would be a problem, besides an aggressive fish just being a bully.

In regards to the snowflake, my eel, which isn't a snowflake, but still a moray has been kept with hermit crabs and snails and hasn't eaten any either, for CuC
Shrimp are a definite no go, as would be regular crabs, unless they are too big to be swallowed.

The general rule of thumb with lions is if they can't fit it in their mouth, it should be a fine tank mate.

what type of eel do you have. ?
Are they sensitive to copper - how do you go about QT ?

 

[BantyRooster97]

Haven't ever had a dwarf lionfish but have had a volitan & snowflake. The snowflake was fine with it for many years. Really any other fish is fine as long as the lion can't get it in it's mouth. I know these days people say its bad but I had a voltan in the 90's for almost 10 years, eating goldfish from the pet store & minnows from the local bait shops.

 

[Cstar_BC]

Haven't ever had a dwarf lionfish but have had a volitan & snowflake. The snowflake was fine with it for many years. Really any other fish is fine as long as the lion can't get it in it's mouth. I know these days people say its bad but I had a voltan in the 90's for almost 10 years, eating goldfish from the pet store & minnows from the local bait shops.

I was more worried that the snowflake may think the lion was food . I know most eels don’t have amazing eye sight

 

[lion king]

While lions and eels can be tricky, starting with a small snowflake and training him in an observation tank, there should be no problem. Large mature snowflakes direct from the ocean, may be another story. Keeping them on a strict feeding schedule a snowflake would usually not go after fish, other than something small that they couldn't pass up. To wrestle down a fuzzy would be rare,

As far qt goes, copper is a nono, even if they survive treatment, they rarely live much more than a year afterwards, usually much less. Eels are very resistant to protazoan diseases like ick and velvet, so there really is no need for copper. Them transferring such diseases to your dt is also very unlikely. Now treating for internal parasites is highly recommended.