Fish Survey: Volitans Lionfish

[APBonds]

I had 2 voltins for about 4 or 5 years. My tank is 125g with a 20g sump. I have a filter sock, skimmer, 9w uv filter, and phos reactor on it. Lighting is 4 96w power compacts with led moon lights.
I learned to feed train them by offering live food to get them going them skip a silver side into the tank right at them. They will hit it before they think about it.
One lion grew to 15 inches the other was 12. I fed them krill, silver sides, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, live ghost shrimp, and they would even eat dry pellet fish food.
My smaller lion became very fat and then started releasing eggs in the tank
(I even got some out and a looked closely at them and they were eggs), at that time my larger lion stopped eating. The smaller lion was always rubbing and prodding the larger one, after a month it died. The smaller one lived for a few more years but never laid eggs again. It died when I was out of town for a week and the breaker went bad on my A/C unit. The house and tank temp was 96f when I got back. The worst part is I use to fix hvac and it took me 5 mins to fix it.

 

[A Reef Scene]

I found this about ick take a look http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_diseases/marine_ich.html

 

[duoc9119]

This thread is great! I know every one of us have walked into the LFS and spotted the fish and stood there watching for a bit. I would like to have one of these in a 40 breeder so I can house a Rhino but Volitians are too big for my tank..

Would Fuzzys and Rhinos do well together?

 

[srf11]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? I did not
Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where? Unknown to me
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get? He was a gift and was about 4 inches - now about 8-9"
Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species? Believe there's some coloring diffs.
Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish? No idea

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish? He went in right away with no problem.
Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen? Had to start out with live feed, but he quickly started eating everything.
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank? Just shouldnt be in with any other fish he can swallow

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? 4 tangs (unicorn, naso, purple and orange shoulder) a maroon and gold clown, a bluejaw trigger and a zebra eel
Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school? Just the one
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank? No
What's the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you? He's the newest edition except for the ee
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)? No
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)? None in this tank
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? None in this tank

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? live red rosies
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food? he just started eating what all the others were after
What's the diet? brine shrimp, a minnow once in awhile, silversides and a rosie once in a blue moon
How much and how often do you feed? Every other day, but he would eat every day if possible
How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc) Gulper

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? Has more than doubled in a few months - prob should get up to 8+ inches IMO
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? 225 gallon - prob smallest tankwould be 100 or so
If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take? N/A
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? Had him for about 5 months now
What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported? No idea

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment? None

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances? no
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy? will always come to tank side when I'm around
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates? He's quite mellow
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank? no
How does this fish sleep? Believe he wedges into rock
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often? No
How does this fish interact with human? Excellent
Any other interesting observation of this fish? Always watching outside of the tank

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up? n/a
Any information of spawning in captivity? n/a

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?
Have to say a 2
Would you recommend this fish to beginners? yes
Any other recommendations/comments?

If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us!

 

[hkarmy25]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where? No, No, and yes, very common fish

Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? Its pretty obvious. Intact fins, swimming and eating fine
What do you think is the ideal size to get? 6-8 inches. Not too small, but a lot of room to grow

Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species? The colors on mine seemed to get slightly darker with age

Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish? Not unless you cut them open

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish? No, same as usual

Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen? Semi-difficult to get it to switch to frozen foods

Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank? As long as none of the fish can fit in its mouth, you should be good. If its somewhat questionable, introduce last

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? Another lion, panther grouper, marine betta, foxface, coral beauty angel, coral and banded catshark, and a picasso trigger

Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? yes and no

Do they school? No. Occasionally follow each other around but not enough to be classified as a "schooling" fish

Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank? Yes. Ive had a black and red volitan share a tank and a fuzzy dwarf and fu-man chu share a tank

What's the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you? none specific

Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)? Stung my banded cat by accident(went for the same piece of food) and ate a damsel i had but that was expected. Stung me as well, but that was my fault.

Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)? no

Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? Didnt have any, but it will.

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? immediately responded to live food(ghost shrimp)

If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food? I would feed them ghost shrimp and krill at the same time. Looked similar, so it fooled them. Slowly reduced the amount of ghost shrimp in each feeding and upped the krill amount and, well, you get the rest.

What's the diet? krill, mysis, squid(very fickle) and occasional live feeders

How much and how often do you feed? They eat A LOT. I fed every other day and until their little bellies were nice and fat

How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc) just sucks it all in.

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? My black volitan was purchased at 6in and grew to 10in. Ive had two red volitans. One was 6in and grew to 12. The other was 6in and grew to about 8in

What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? My biggest one, the red volitan, grew to 12in in my 120g, which is wayyyy too small, so i sold it to a local doctor who has a 1000 gallon tank. I would never recommend keeping an adult specimen in anything smaller than 300g

If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take? They dont. Get slightly darker i guess.

How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? a year was the longest ive kept this fish. Once they get too big i sell them locally to people who have the space, go to the lfs and buy another one

What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported? I'm not sure about age, but they commonly get about 15 inches. I believe, however, i remember reading about one caught at 18in. So, who knows?

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment? Never had any disease problems. Its a relatively hardy fish.

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances? Stress

How active is this fish? Is this fish shy? They are a slow swimmer, unless its feeding time . If theyre not slowly swimming over your tank they can be found resting on ricks or in snug corners of the tank. And they are far from shy, my biggest one would swim right up to the tank when i walked in the room. If i tried to get close to look at something in the tank he would swim right up to my face and block my view. If i did any maintenance, he would always swim up to where my hands were at and investigate (thus how i got stung....little bastard)

How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates? Peaceful fish. Like i said before, if it cant fit in its mouth, the lion will show little interest

Did this fish ever jump out of the tank? Once, I had a juv. black volitan. Didnt find it till the next morning.

How does this fish sleep? mine would swim up to the corner of the tank and just rest, perched, facing down, as if it was overwatching my tank.

Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often? Wouldnt know, never tried

How does this fish interact with human? VERY personable fish. Its like owning a dog you cant pet.

Any other interesting observation of this fish? Very curious of new additions to the tank

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up? didnt

Any information of spawning in captivity? No record of them ever breeding in captivity

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5? 1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank

Would you recommend this fish to beginners? Yes, it is a very hardy fish

Any other recommendations/comments? If it gets curious while youre doing work on your tank, dont use your hand to shoo it away. :fun2:

 

[cooterbrown]

The following is is a list of questions/topics about this fish species. If you would like to include them in your reply, click on the last icon of this post (Reply with Quote), and remove the [ QUOTE ] [ B ] tag in the beginning and the

[/B] at the end.

SELECTION
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get? i always make sure they are atleast eating live. and i would recomend getting the largest one available
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?
doesnt matter ive introduced first and last with the tw i have or had and nothing was diferent

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? FOWLR he lives with a fembriated moray, squirrel fish, porc puffer, SS puffer, panther grouper and a remora shark
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank?
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?no
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?no
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? he leaves hermits and snails alone

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? started with rosey reds for about a week then switched to silversides on a piece of fishing line and bounced them around/ my last full grown volitan was blind so i had to bounce the food on his nose.
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food? see above. once they accept dead they are garbage disposals
What's the diet? table shrimp and silversides
How much and how often do you feed? 1-2 shrimp 3-4 times a week
How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc)gulp predator

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? 11" when i got the first one. was 14" when he died. current one was 9" now hes 10"
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? been in a 180g
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? first lion had been with the previous owner for 10 years, i had him for 3. he quit eating and slowly succombed. current lion ive had for 6 months
DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment? ich, treated with cupramine. lead to blindness
first lion had a wingspan of over 12" he was heavy bodied and very large.

 

[marcgrantphoto]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where? - No
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get? - Mine were about 2 inches long. Looked for healthy fins and active, curious specimens. I've never seen a sick lionfish.
Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species? - Slight variations but for the most part, individuals of a set species are all very similar.
Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish? - Unknown to me.

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish? - I acclimated them the same as other species.
Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen? - Lots of room and tank makes that are larger than the lions mouth. If they can get it in their mouth, they will eat it.
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank? - Doesn't matter. They protect their own little corner but aren't bullies.

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? - Large fish. Larger than the lion's mouth. I wouldn't add larger, more delicate species that are easily stressed.
Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? - Yes. Do they school? - I had five of them 2 inches long in a 55 gallon for 6 months at which time they were getting too big. They do not school. Each one staked out it's own little niche in the tank.
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank? - No. All Volitans.
What's the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you? - None
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)? - Lions only
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)? - Fish only
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? - Fish only but if they can get a shrimp or crab in their mouth, they will eat it.

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? - They were ready to eat by the next day.
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food? - It ate both from the beginning.
What's the diet? Frozen brine and lots of guppies/gold fish.
How much and how often do you feed? - They would eat every day if I fed them. Usually every other day.
How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc) - Unknown to me.

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? - 2 inch fish doubled in size over a 6 month period.
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? - 55 gallon. What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? - 125 gallon.
If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take? - Only kept them 6 months.
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? - Got tired of only the lions in the tank.
What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported? - Unknown

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment? - None. They appear to be pretty hardy.

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances? - It seems that I remember them being much paler when first turning the light on in the mornings.
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy? - Very active when I entered the room but after feeding, usually hovers in a head down position at its favorite spot in the tank (filter tube, rock, etc.)
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates? - Very territorial, chasing and nipping fins.
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank? - No
How does this fish sleep? - Yes, in a head down hovering position.
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often? - No cleaners in tank.
How does this fish interact with human? - Think of a big friendly Oscar. Lots of excitement at the surface of the water.
Any other interesting observation of this fish? - When they feed, they corner their prey with their fins flared out so it can't escape and then they "inhale" the entire food/fish in the blink of an eye.

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?
Any information of spawning in captivity? - None

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species - If you have an extra tank that you can dedicate to the species they make a cool pet(s) but they will eat anything smaller than their mouths and they have HUGE mouths.
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5? - 3
1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry
Would you recommend this fish to beginners? - Yes
Any other recommendations/comments? - Keep your hands out of the tank. They aren't deadly but they are quite painful.

If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us!