Fu Manchu lionfish

Care at a glance

Overview

Keep a single Fu Manchu in a quiet tank of at least 110 litres with many caves and ledges, at 24 to 27 C and pH 8.0 to 8.4. It is coral safe but eats small fish, shrimp and crabs, so avoid tiny tankmates and ornamental shrimp. Getting it to eat is the challenge: it usually starts on live saltwater shrimp at dusk and needs weaning onto thawed foods with patience. Keep it away from fast, greedy tankmates that will outcompete it at feeding time.

In the wild

The Fu Manchu is a small dwarf lionfish named for the pair of fleshy whiskers on its chin that look like a drooping moustache. It is patterned in red, brown and cream and has two false eyespots on the rear dorsal fin. Secretive and nocturnal, it clings upside down inside caves and comes out only in dim light to hunt.

Good to know

Dendrochirus biocellatus stays around 13 cm, making it one of the smaller lionfish, and carries the same venomous spines as its larger relatives. The two ocelli on the soft dorsal fin, the source of the name biocellatus, may act as false eyes to confuse predators. It is notoriously shy and often refuses to feed in a busy community tank.

Did you know

The Fu Manchu is so shy and nocturnal that owners often go days without seeing it, catching only a glimpse of its moustache-like chin whiskers poking out of a cave at night.

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