seriously considering adding blue cheek trigger and dwarf fuzzy lion to my reef.....

organicreefer · 12-23-2001, 08:23 PM

well i have to make a decision ,add them to my reef,or get rid of them .im breaking down my fowlr,because of the electricity bill

,and lack of time to truly give 100% attention to it(and my cichlid tank,its going too).ive grown really attached to the lion and trigger and id like to keep them.my fowlr has zoanthids mushrooms and sponges ,hermit crabs and snails and both these fish seem to ignore them all.
my one main concern is my shrimps and my mandarin.anyone keep a lion with a mandarin?pretty rediculous sounding huh?

still im very close to doing it and seeing what happens .all advice /thoughts/flames welcome............

organicreefer · 12-26-2001, 10:27 PM

youre parents brought you all up very well

i did it

i now have :
mimic tang
mandarin
cleaner wrasse
blue cheek trigger
FD lion
in my reef

so far no problem ,but im keeping a close eye on em

the tang is whooping up on the trigger a little,but theyll work it out im sure.
im only really worried about the lion /mandarin combo.......i think i read somewhere that the mandarin 's colors are a warning sign to predators that they are/could be poisonous/taste nasty........can anyone confirm this for me ?

Ironreef · 12-26-2001, 11:56 PM

The manderine color is correct. I read that Scott Micahel?? I'm sure it was him who wrote the article. they have a dorsal fin that when a fish eats them they spit them out. But he removed them as an experiment and the fish ate them and still spit them out. But fwiw I had a six line kick a manderine butt and keep it in the corner and wouldn't let it eat or move. So as for being eaten it may have protection but fish still may kick its butt maybe not what you have but any future fish that eats the same may.. i would be worried about the triggar moving stuff around and making a mess. But well see.

**Ninong** · 12-27-2001, 08:15 AM

Yes, Mandarins have aposomatic coloration--advertising a distastefull nature through the use of bright or striking color combinations... used by prey... so do a lot of butterflies (the ones that fly in the sky), nudibranchs, etc. The opposite would be cryptic coloration, designed to blend in with the background--stonefish, etc.--used by anything that wants to hide... could be either predator or prey. Mandarins have no scales... they have a slime coating that evidentally tastes really nasty.

Someone on another board who kept a pair of Mandarins with a 6-line posted that his 6-line ate the eyes out of his female Mandarin... competition for the same food source, I guess.

Organic, yes I have heard of both of those fish being kept in a reef-tank but I didn't want to encourage your behavior, so to speak.

Both choices do have certain risks associated with them but not quite as bad as other Triggers or Lionfish. Naturally you will have to be aware that some of the smaller fishes might eventually end up as lunch. You might have more problems with the Trigger than the Lion when it comes to your selection of invertebrates. Let us know how things are going about this time next year.

Ninong

organicreefer · 12-27-2001, 08:36 AM

thanks for the replies guys

the most amazing thing happend last night(well amazing to me

)
i was feeding the tank, and the lion was getting some mysis shrimp,and swimming around looking at everything like food(like he always does) when the mandarin swims up by him real close/slow........and procceeded to eat frozen mysis

this guy has been in captivity for over three years and has never once looked at prpared food,now he's having dinner with a lion

ill definitely keep the board posted on how these guys do long term,i must say it looks really cool with a trigger swimming in front of my corals

Ironreef · 12-27-2001, 07:35 PM

My manderine eats mysis and I've had another that did also. A few will over time. But like you said it took 3yrs that you saw it eat. So they can convert. the problem is keeping them alive till then= alot of pods.

ReefHog · 12-28-2001, 08:07 AM

If I remember corectly Mandrin fish come from nutrient high locations where the "critters" they feed on may consume consume toxic algaes and such which they secrete in their slime coat. Much like Poison Dart Frogs.(very colorfull also) It's been a few years so I could be a little off but I'll see if I can find the article.

12-23-2001, 08:23 PM	#1
organicreefer Governor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Northern CA Posts: 2,171	seriously considering adding blue cheek trigger and dwarf fuzzy lion to my reef..... well i have to make a decision ,add them to my reef,or get rid of them .im breaking down my fowlr,because of the electricity bill ,and lack of time to truly give 100% attention to it(and my cichlid tank,its going too).ive grown really attached to the lion and trigger and id like to keep them.my fowlr has zoanthids mushrooms and sponges ,hermit crabs and snails and both these fish seem to ignore them all. my one main concern is my shrimps and my mandarin.anyone keep a lion with a mandarin?pretty rediculous sounding huh? still im very close to doing it and seeing what happens .all advice /thoughts/flames welcome............

12-26-2001, 10:27 PM	#2
organicreefer Governor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Northern CA Posts: 2,171	i guess nobody had anything nice to say youre parents brought you all up very well i did it i now have : mimic tang mandarin cleaner wrasse blue cheek trigger FD lion in my reef so far no problem ,but im keeping a close eye on em the tang is whooping up on the trigger a little,but theyll work it out im sure. im only really worried about the lion /mandarin combo.......i think i read somewhere that the mandarin 's colors are a warning sign to predators that they are/could be poisonous/taste nasty........can anyone confirm this for me ?

12-28-2001, 08:07 AM	#7
ReefHog Council Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Chicago Ill. Posts: 374	If I remember corectly Mandrin fish come from nutrient high locations where the "critters" they feed on may consume consume toxic algaes and such which they secrete in their slime coat. Much like Poison Dart Frogs.(very colorfull also) It's been a few years so I could be a little off but I'll see if I can find the article. __________________ Art Beanbag Game & Cornhole Bags

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12-26-2001, 11:56 PM	#3
Ironreef Governor Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Pacific WA Posts: 1,220	The manderine color is correct. I read that Scott Micahel?? I'm sure it was him who wrote the article. they have a dorsal fin that when a fish eats them they spit them out. But he removed them as an experiment and the fish ate them and still spit them out. But fwiw I had a six line kick a manderine butt and keep it in the corner and wouldn't let it eat or move. So as for being eaten it may have protection but fish still may kick its butt maybe not what you have but any future fish that eats the same may.. i would be worried about the triggar moving stuff around and making a mess. But well see.

12-27-2001, 08:15 AM	#4
Ninong Moderator Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Louisiana Posts: 19,724	Yes, Mandarins have aposomatic coloration--advertising a distastefull nature through the use of bright or striking color combinations... used by prey... so do a lot of butterflies (the ones that fly in the sky), nudibranchs, etc. The opposite would be cryptic coloration, designed to blend in with the background--stonefish, etc.--used by anything that wants to hide... could be either predator or prey. Mandarins have no scales... they have a slime coating that evidentally tastes really nasty. Someone on another board who kept a pair of Mandarins with a 6-line posted that his 6-line ate the eyes out of his female Mandarin... competition for the same food source, I guess. Organic, yes I have heard of both of those fish being kept in a reef-tank but I didn't want to encourage your behavior, so to speak. Both choices do have certain risks associated with them but not quite as bad as other Triggers or Lionfish. Naturally you will have to be aware that some of the smaller fishes might eventually end up as lunch. You might have more problems with the Trigger than the Lion when it comes to your selection of invertebrates. Let us know how things are going about this time next year. Ninong

12-27-2001, 08:36 AM	#5
organicreefer Governor Join Date: May 2001 Location: Northern CA Posts: 2,171	thanks for the replies guys the most amazing thing happend last night(well amazing to me ) i was feeding the tank, and the lion was getting some mysis shrimp,and swimming around looking at everything like food(like he always does) when the mandarin swims up by him real close/slow........and procceeded to eat frozen mysis this guy has been in captivity for over three years and has never once looked at prpared food,now he's having dinner with a lion ill definitely keep the board posted on how these guys do long term,i must say it looks really cool with a trigger swimming in front of my corals

12-27-2001, 07:35 PM	#6
Ironreef Governor Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Pacific WA Posts: 1,220	My manderine eats mysis and I've had another that did also. A few will over time. But like you said it took 3yrs that you saw it eat. So they can convert. the problem is keeping them alive till then= alot of pods.

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