Lionfish?

[sango]

Im thinking about getting a Lionfish for my first fish. Would this be a good or bad idea? As for the other fish I would like to get but is not a must would be a clown, firefish, angel, tang, and maybe grouper... I have a 90 gal btw. TIA.

 

[Fluff]

Lionfish are great fish. Just gotta be careful when working in your tank. Depending on what type of lion your considering, some of the fish you have listed will probably end up being lunch. (clown, firefish)

 

[Fluff]

Oh, and just a little FYI. If you do decide on a grouper, a 90gal might be a bit small. Most groupers are said to require no less than 100gal. Then with an adult lion and an adult angel(even some adult angels get to large for a 90), might get a little tight in there.

 

[JamesR]

i loved my lion. it was a volitan and we got him pretty small. He grew REALLY fast.
oddly enough, he never bothered our clownfish. don't know why, just luckly or maybe he was too small when we added him and the clown was already in the tank. Got along with the naso well and was fun to watch eat.

Good luck,
Jim

 

[sango]

The lionfish Im looking at is about 2-3 in so I was thinking that he might not bother the smaller fish when i put them in there...Thanks for the info guys.

 

[afilter]

Lions are very cool, but they do limit future tank mates. Rule of thumb is if it will fit in its mouth it will eat it. Also, they are messy eaters so keep this in mind when it comes to tank maintenance. Just because it is 2-3" now it will grow fast provided the right conditions exist. A type of dwarf lion might be an idea as well.

 

[specialk]

But even dwarf lions get 5 - 7 inches so any thing that will fit in there mouth will be eaten. There will be no guarantees with this fish, if you house smaller fish with a lion the chances are good it will be eaten. I have a 90 also and a lion grows fast but you can also house just so many larger fish in a 90 to go with the lion.
My lions are in my 300 but I start them in my 90g Reef, I want to make sure they are eating before going into my other tank.
I keep a Kole & a FileFish in my 90 reef and nothing else but I would not put chromis, cardinals, wrasses and so on in it.

Kaye

 

[X the Outsider]

A dwarf species are cool. They aren't really messy eaters. Lions will for the most eat a fish whole. I've watched them eat many times, but waste is another thing.

Tankmates are another consideration. Clowns, damsels, gobies, and anything that stays small is out of the question.

 

[sango]

I decided to get a dwarf lion. I thought it was a good deal for $24. He really did not do much untill the lights went out.Thats when he started moving around and checking things out. I still think i might be able to put a dwarf angel in there with him.

 

[Fluff]

I agree a dwarf angel would be ok with a dwarf lion. The clown and the firefish would be risky though. Congrats on your new purchase. I have a dwarf zebra and he's awesome.

 

[sango]

This lion looks like a shortfin lionfish..It has brown and white stripes. He seems to like to hang out just below the surface of the water

 

[Fluff]

Yeah. Mine would eat out of my hand if I let him. He tries to take the food when I'm feeding the eel. Here are pics of my lions. I no longer have the fuzzy dwarf but the zebra is growing and full of himself.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5188&sort=1&cat=all&page=2

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=5189&sort=1&cat=all&page=2

 

[sango]

Great pics fluff.. This fisrt pic looks like the one I have. So maybe its a puffy. So how big will he get. Mine is about 4 inchs now. Also what type of food should I try to feed him and how often.. TIA

 

[Fluff]

The fuzzy can get up to 7 inches. I feed mine raw shrimp and fish pieces as well as dried krill. They also get an occassional guppy.(although I'm not suggesting you use this as a food source. It's not a natural food for them. I only feed out my baby guppies if they are born with bent spines or something) But not often. It's a great little lion. When I had my fuzzy, he took out a 2 inch blue damsel that was the same size as him. He didn't live long after that. They will eat every time you feed them but try not to over feed. And because they are gulpers, they will attempt to eat anything they think they can fit in their mouths. Have fun with him.