Dwarf lionfish

[Moonstream]

Okay, I have always been in love with lionfish, and found out that they are hardy not long ago.javascript:smilie(':eek1:')
eek1 I am interested by the dwarf or shortfin lion, Dendrochirus brachypterus, I would like to know if one could live in my tank, alone would be fine, but preferably with tankmates.javascript:smilie('')
big grin Also am I right to think they are reef safe? Would they eat hermits, snails, or shrimp?javascript:smilie('')
confused Are their spines just as toxic as their larger cousins? How would I go about not getting stung?
Would they eat ghost shrimp? What about feeder goldfish? would they eat frozen foods? Also I would do weekly water cahnges on the tank. If they wouldn't work, how long could a 6" or so volitans lion live in this tank? javascript:smilie(':rollface:')
rollface

 

[Moonstream]

hmmmmmmmmmm, not quite gotten the hang of those smile yet.

 

[zma21]

Don't quote me on this, but i'm pretty sure dwarf lionfish need just a tad bit more room than a 29..

 

[Moonstream]

Okay, thanks. anyone else? By the way, cool avatar

 

[pmartin727]

I dont know for 100%

But I asked this question a few months ago, sorry I can not find the thread. I wanted one too. I have a 30G

And I was told not to do it , the tank was too small



Good luck

 

[Tahlequah]

the smaller lionfish only get to be between 6 and 8 inches long. depending on setup I dont see why a 30g wouldnt be big enough. Cramped yes, but since lionfish are not super active I dont see a reason that one would not be happy if well cared for in a 30g.

 

[Moonstream]

Is a 29 gallon close enough to 30? I saw that was the min. on anouther site

 

[kevin2000]

Liveaquaria.com and marinedepotlive.com are two good sites which give basic information on potential fish for your tank.

In general I would suggest new SW aquarist stay away from lionfish and other preditor fish .. ofen difficult to feed and will degrade water quality. In short .. harder to keep and will make a significant contribution to algae issues. Nice fish but maybe not the right time?

 

[kathainbowen]

Smaller or dwarf species of lionfish are going to need at least a 55G tank or larger. Why, because, as you say, it seems more than sufficient? Because lionfish are stalking hunters that often herd their prey into a dead end. Although you might think a 30 is enough space although cramped, I couldn't in good consciousness recommend it based off of their hunting. Lionfish are often easily excited and can often bang themselves up in too small or tight of a tank while hunting, cornering prey, and striking.

Think of things in regard to biomass as well. A 5-6" predatory fish is a much larger strain on the filtration and bacteria colony of a tank, exporting much more pollutants that say 6 - 1" neon gobies. A fully grown dwarf lion is going to quickly foul that tank and make it hard for you to keep it clean and in good condition. All around, it's just not a good idea to keep a lionfish in that small of a tank.

And don't get me started on feeding goldfish to lionfish. NEVER FEED GOLDFISH TO GROUPERS OR LIONS!!!! It = huge pet peeve of mine and not safe for your fish.

 

[Pea-brain]

The reason to not feed FW feeder fish to your SW animals is that they are high in bad fats and can cause fatty liver disease long term. One thing that has been suggested is plumbing the tank with a small sump an putting 3 or more saltwater acclimated saltwater guppies or mollies. They will breed and in theory babies raised in SW fed SW algaes and such should be a healthy sub. But this has no reasearch to back it up so its a bit controversial...

Dan

 

[kathainbowen]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10151244#post10151244 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Pea-brain
The reason to not feed FW feeder fish to your SW animals is that they are high in bad fats and can cause fatty liver disease long term. One thing that has been suggested is plumbing the tank with a small sump an putting 3 or more saltwater acclimated saltwater guppies or mollies. They will breed and in theory babies raised in SW fed SW algaes and such should be a healthy sub. But this has no reasearch to back it up so its a bit controversial...

Dan

.... no, I'm not talking about that. Notice how I indicated never feeding goldfish to groupers or lionfish. Despite the ideas of the natural occuring fatty acids and lack of nutritional value, I pointed out lionfish and groupers for a specific reason, ignoring other saltwater predators such as triggerfish. Triggerfish tear and grind their prey, pretty much breaking everything up, while lionfish and groupers swallow their prey whole. It has started to come more and more to attention the fact that lionfish and groupers can have troubles digesting and passing the skulls of goldfish, which can lead to intestinal blocking and/or death in very extreme cases.

It's a troubling phenomena that seems to occur mostly with keepers who feed either only feed goldfish or just feed goldfish highly consistently. Regardly of your concern for nutritional value, it really is just a bad habit with a potentially destructive outcome on a lionfish or grouper's digestive tract that's best steered clear of in favor of a variety diet of meaty foods.

 

[kathainbowen]

Also, I was speaking directly of feeding goldfish to saltwater fish, not about feeding ANY freshwater fish or animal to a saltwater predator. Just goldfish seem to have this issue, while other live freshwater fish (such as mollies, guppies, silversides, etc.) do not seem to pose this potential issue for gulping predators.

 

[Moonstream]

Okay, well there goes the lionfish idea. I guess I'll just have to wait until I have a larger tank.