Dwarf lion in a reef tank?

[Turbo snail]

Hey everyone,

I'm currently setting up a 150 gal. tank that I got for my birthday and have been looking at stocking for what I want to be an awesome mixed reef in the coming months. Hopefully this question hasn't been asked and beaten into the ground too badly, but what is the general consensus over keeping a dwarf lion (currently deciding between a Fu-manchu and a fuzzy) in a reef tank. I realize that most shrimps and crabs would be out of the question as would any small damsels or other assorted fish. However, first of all would a clownfish pair be safe provided they had an anemone they were already established and hosting in? and if not does anybody have suggestions for possible reef-safe tankmates who wouldn't get eaten?

Thanks a bunch everyone!!

 

[Jcohen9999]

I had a dwarf lions in my tank for a while and it was fine in general but they will eat anything that fits in its mouth. I just made sure to trade them in as they got to the size that I felt my male clown was in jeopardy.

HTH

Jeff

 

[Turbo snail]

thanks for the quick reply! how big was he when you started to worry and how long did it take him to grow? I don't want to get the fish if I won't be able to keep him more than a few months

 

[snorvich]

Generally, a rough rule is lionfish can consume whatever is 3/4 of their length. Their mouth is much larger than it looks.

 

[Wolverine]

Generally, a rough rule is lionfish can consume whatever is 3/4 of their length. Their mouth is much larger than it looks.

Even longer is it's a long, thin fish.

Another way to think of it is to imagine what you think the lionfish can fit in its mouth, then double that, and you should be safe.

 

[Charley Diesing]

Also from my experience. If its close to what they can swallow they will try to swallow it no matter what. Sometimes killing themselfs.

 

[namxas]

Lions do very well in reef setups, altho as mentioned, care must be taken that their tankmates aren't bite-sized, and generally speaking, ornamental crustaceans will pretty much always be consumed.

The dwarf fuzzy is about the best "first" lion you can get. They come in various color morphs (brown, red, yellow, and any combo of these), and will quickly learn who the "food god" is and will always be there to greet you.

The fu manchu has the smallest mouth of the dwarf lions, and are super great fish, but this species is also the tuffest to wean. Fu's also spend little time, if any, in the water column, preferring caves and overhangs by day.

As for your clownfish...an established pair may actually harass a new lionfish (or any newcomer), altho smaller specimens will likely be eaten.

If you haven't read Lions, and Turkeys, and Devils, Oh My! Lionfish in the Home Aquarium, it's a good place to start getting acquainted with lionfish.

Also, Frank Marini has an excellent Lionfish Info Sheet, as well as a super book entitled Lionfishes and Other Scorpionfishes

 

[Turbo snail]

Thanks for the links, very interesting stuff. I'll have to seriously think about whether or not I want to get one of these guys, I love them but anthias and mandarins gobies are pretty as well. Oh well, I've got another month or so of cycling ahead of me still, I'm sure I'll make my mind up on a stocking list before then

 

[namxas]

FWIW, we have had a trio of O. borbonius in our small lion species/small scorp/waspfish setup for a number of years with no problems (the anthiases even learned to eat from a feeding stick!).

 

[Turbo snail]

hmm, interesting... Is size the only factor in not getting eaten, or would a strong swimming fish (ex. female lyretails) be able to stay safe just because they could outswim the potential predator?

 

[namxas]

To be honest, unless you end up with a large WC specimen, I can't see fuzzy eating a grown P. squamapinnis. Now, some of the more torpedo-shaped species such as P. flavoguttatus might be tempting.

 

[Turbo snail]

alright, so I shouldn't have any problems you can see with the normal dwarf angels, tangs, butterflies, and wrasses as long as I make sure to buy adults?

 

[namxas]

I know large species angels and lionfish don't do well together, but I haven't heard of too many issues involving dwarf angels. Some wrasses such as Thalassoma sp. will bully lions (and other tankmates), so it depends on the species of wrasse. BF's should be no trouble at all.