Baby Volitan Lionfish

K

Kitsune_Gem

New member
So I went in to my LFS today to see if they got any nice looking clowns in.

I was going to get a clown, but instead I came home with a baby Volitan lion fish instead.

And before I get any hate mail for keeping him in an 8 gallon, its just till hes big enough for a bigger tank. As he grows he will get bigger tanks. As you will see hes about the size of my thumb.


Hes already in his new home and chowing down on brine shrimp.

Hes also the only fish in the tank.


IMG_1750.jpg


IMG_1751.jpg
 
What a cute little fella! I love them when they're that small. Have you ever kept a lion before?

Don't take this as "hate mail" but just as a heads up these guys grow VERY quickly so I'd start preparing for a new tank, like a 55 or something, he'll probably outgrow that tank within a matter of months. I like doing the same thing, buying tiny fish and raising them, plus you always end up with empty tanks that you have to fill with something ;-)
 
Ive got several larger tanks that have been running for a long time. The biggest one he could go into is my friends 250, and hes willing to buy the lion off me when it gets to big for my tanks. The biggest one I have personally is a 65 gallon.

Hes my first lion, Ive wanted one for years, but never found the right one for me. I'm the type of person who will wait years to get a fish. It has to be the right one for me or I wont bother getting it.
 
SWEET little fish! Tiny lionfish are the best, albeit a tad more fragile than older specimens.

Don't worry...like your fish will be moving up, our volitans began its life with us in a 6 gal cube, moved to a 24 gal cube, then to a std. 60, and finally into a 48" 100 gal. Its photo now graces the cover of Frank Marini's book Lionfishes and Other Scorpionfishes.
 
rattler_mt said:
re-read his last post, he has several larger tanks already up and running....
Click to expand...

Ive got a total of 4 larger tanks running currently not including the 8 gallong, and I'm friends with the guy who owns the LFS, so for some reason I cant move my little baby to one of my four, he would do a trade in : ) and Im a girl xD
 
fish042099 said:
It's probly 48" x 18" x 25"
Click to expand...

It would be tight, but doable with the proper aquascaping. Since it's just an 18" deep tank, you'll want to 'scape it so the fish has proper "turnaround" room (figure an adult volitans as a 12" cube of fish, counting fins, at the minimum). IME, being in a tight setup will tend to make a lionfish become more sedentary.

A nice P. russelii (Russel's lionfish, often sold as "red volitans") is just a bit smaller (10" or so) and would be a better "fit" for an 18" tank. Or you could go with a medium-bodied Pterois sp., maybe even two different species of "mediums" (P. mombassae, P. antennata, P. radiata, or P. sphex).
 
Update: Little guys doing good, he has a favorite sleeping spot, and a favorite spot to rest his full belly on. Hes really active and curious when the lights are on and I'm around. The day I put him in, he ate so much I thought his tummy was going to pop. He continues to eat every day I fee him.
 
Update: Still pigging out on his food, Hes now moved from where he sleeps under the power head to this little spot on the rocks, it fits him perfectly.
 
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