The Lion Dream: ReefQueen's 65

[ReefQueen]

Introducing Mantis

And Pepper

Yeah that’s my pinky, Pepper is super tiny and will be spending quite a bit of time in the acclimation box lol.

 

[Katrina71]

Your tank and inhabitants are just beautiful!

 

[ReefQueen]

Your tank and inhabitants are just beautiful!

Thank you!

 

[Katrina71]

@Robin Haselden look!

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Cool tank, that has to be the smallest snowflake I've seen.

 

[ReefQueen]

Cool tank, that has to be the smallest snowflake I've seen.

Thank you. Same, and I have worked in the pet/fish industry since I was a teen. I wanted a small eel, but dang! I’ve seen earth worms bigger then her haha. Might as well have gone with the golden dwarf I was originally considering lol. It should be fun watching her grow though.

 

[ReefQueen]

Someone was not happy that Pepper had two tiny ghosties all to herself, even though he had just eaten about a dozen himself lol.

Poor Pepper is getting bruises on her snoot from trying to escape out of the holes in the box. Not to sure what to do about that yet.

 

[ReefQueen]

Hubby did me a solid tonight and redid the canopy so that it opens from the front for me. Just opening from the top was getting old because the top needed propped open because of how close the tank is to the wall and I got sick of dragging something to stand on over to the tank. I had him do it like my reef tanks canopy which opens like the part that goes over piano keys (does that have a name? I’m sure it does lol). I have my son pretty wary of the lions so I don’t think he will be opening it up to dip his fingers in anytime soon, and my daughter isn’t even walking yet so I still have time to scare her with painful sting stories too haha.

I guess I need to repaint the white now, maybe, it’s on the inside to idk if I care enough to fix it. Don’t make fun of my light, it’s temporary haha. In other news I had to use Reynolds wrap on the lid of the acclimation box today because Pepper figured out she could fit through the slightly larger holes up there. Luckily I had just fed her when she noticed so I was right there to grab her before she made it out into the display. I can tell she is going to be fun lol. At least she has a ravenous appetite, so hopefully she grows quickly enough that the box won’t be necessary for very long.

 

[Katrina71]

Could you line it with craft canvas?

 

[ReefQueen]

Could you line it with craft canvas?

Now that is an idea! The plastic wrap is working fine for the top because it is slightly above the water, but I like that idea for keeping her from bruising her nose in the holes on the sides and bottom! I think I have some in the “random fish junk” cabinet too. I’m not sure why the design has different size holes on top, obviously they weren’t thinking about pencil sized eels during the design process lol.

 

[Katrina71]

That may be the cutest eel ever photographed. Sorry Robin.

 

[ReefQueen]

That may be the cutest eel ever photographed. Sorry Robin.

Haha haha thanks, all babies are cute though! We will see how cute she is when she is 2 feet long and still has the little attitude she does now lol.

 

[Katrina71]

Did she eat ok with a sore little face?

 

[ReefQueen]

Did she eat ok with a sore little face?

Oh yes, she gobbled up some minced krill today. She was not into the ghost shrimp, I think they may have still been too big for her, so the boys happily ate those for her.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Tank developed nicely. Hope all occupants do well . Definitely some conversation occupants in that tank

 

[ReefQueen]

Tank developed nicely. Hope all occupants do well . Definitely some conversation occupants in that tank

Thank you, it is definitely coming along. The stock list is nearly done, just need that rhinopias lol. I plan on waiting a while on that one though. Gonna let the newbies grow a bit first, and I need to upgrade the skimmer too.

 

[ReefQueen]

The girls are settling in. Pepper is an eating machine and has only turned her nose up to live foods so far, she loved the swordfish offered today! Mantis has been slower to come around and had me worried because she was hiding and not moving around much, until lights out that is. I had forgotten that Fus tend to come out more when the lights are dimmer;Facepalm. The tank lights are out now and she is hopping all over the tank while her roommates left give her dirty looks for keeping them up lol. Here she is yesterday when she was out a bit while the lights were on.

 

[Janci]

The girls are settling in. Pepper is an eating machine and has only turned her nose up to live foods so far, she loved the swordfish offered today! Mantis has been slower to come around and had me worried because she was hiding and not moving around much, until lights out that is. I had forgotten that Fus tend to come out more when the lights are dimmer;Facepalm. The tank lights are out now and she is hopping all over the tank while her roommates left give her dirty looks for keeping them up lol. Here she is yesterday when she was out a bit while the lights were on.

What a great pictures.
Lovely fish.

 

[ReefQueen]

The gangs all here!

 

[ReefQueen]

I am going to try and do regular size comparison pics for Pepper. It’s been just over a week but I swear she has grown some. Maybe I am just used to seeing her now and the shock of how tiny she is has worn off. I wish fish were as easy to tell as reptiles, but you can’t just plop an eel on a scale lol. She is a little pig for frozen though, I am going to pick up more ghosties tonight and see if she will give live a try this time.