Advice Please Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish or Fu Manchu Lionfish

sandy7263 · Sep 2, 2019

Have a newer tank and would really like to get a Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish or Fu Manchu.

If I feed them well, will they leave their tank mates alone?

Someone said they are bottom dwellers, so only fish on tank bottom would be at risk??? Is this true?

Someone told me they will suck hermit crabs out of their shells? Is this true?

Chromis that are 1.5" will they be gone? Just a fish that I could base everything else around...

Really would like to add a "unique" fish to my tank, but I don't want it to be the only fish either. My thought was if I started with a really small fuzzy, and kept it fed, maybe it would leave everyone else alone? These don't eat corals which is a huge plus.

I also contemplated blue throat trigger, but I think they would destroy corals.

Anyone know any other unique fish that doesn't eat corals and won't remove all livestock? LOL

Any words of advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jesterrace · Sep 2, 2019

Might help if we had your tank size so we can come up with some appropriate options. Off hand I would say the Fu Manchu would be the safest bet if you had to pick one of the two simply because they stay small (about 4 inches max vs 7 inches max with the Fuzzy Dwarf Lion). The truth about any lionfish is that any fish that will fit in it's mouth is food and they have large mouths.

Mical · Sep 2, 2019

From my experience you have to feed them live food, so keep that in mind.

sandy7263 · Sep 2, 2019

Sorry, forgot to mention tank size. I have a RedSea 500 Peninsula. 100gal display, 20 gal sump.

sandy7263 · Sep 2, 2019

I thought Fu Manchu and Fuzzies both maxed at 4". Thanks for the heads up. I just checked LiveAquaria and Fuzzies can get 7" :-o

lion king · Sep 2, 2019

Go to the Predatory Fish Discussion and read through some of the post to see if that's the kind of fish you are willing to commit to. You seem to already have quite a bit of misinformation. Fuzzys will get to over 6" in captivity and the fu will get to 5" and they will eat fish and shrimp up to 2/3rds their own size depending on the body type of the fish in question. They will perch at the top of the tank to hunt down any potential prey, and they will not bother hard bodied inverts. They will likely need to be fed live foods in the beginning and for long term success it is highly recommended to maintain live foods as a part of their diet. There is never a guarantee you will get them to take dead food and it is best if you decide to get one, that you will be able to commit to live feedings. No matter how you feed them, nature is nature, and they will at some point, eat what ever they can, one month or one year from now.