lion fish compatability

[reeftofishonly]

So a LFS near me has a 7 to 8 inch "peacock" lion fish for safe for 129. It is eating pellets and frozen squid, clams, and silversides. I am guessing and hoping it is the volitans, not the resells, but will check out tonight.

I want to hear your input on compatability, with what I have

4 inch miniatus grouper
6 inch clown tang
4 inch sohal tang
6 inch rainbow wrasse
4 inch Koran angel
4 inch Picasso trigger (one im questioning the most)
3 inch sebae clownfish
3 inch spiney box

The two im worried about are the Picasso trigger, and clownfish. I may relocate the clown back to LFS store to protect him from getting eaten. I was hoping that having him for 8 years in fish tank, and the fact the lion fish is eating frozen, it could work out.

The Picasso has been pretty placid so far, in fact the most dominant fish in the tank is the sohal, giving chase to the wrasse all the time.

Who would have thought (knock on wood) that the 6 inch clown tang was the most docile and easy going fish in the tank, paying no mind to fish, just his seaweed.

Could it work, or is the Picasso going to shred the lion fish

 

[reeftofishonly]

bump

 

[Marshall O]

Hopefully someone else chimes in, but I believe in general, mixing Triggers & Lions is a no-no as the Triggers will pick at their spines. Otherwise, what may help others is listing the size of your tank/system. That is quite the list you have going!

 

[reeftofishonly]

Hopefully someone else chimes in, but I believe in general, mixing Triggers & Lions is a no-no as the Triggers will pick at their spines. Otherwise, what may help others is listing the size of your tank/system. That is quite the list you have going!

You are right. It is a 155 gallon, 6 x2x2

I sometimes leave size off to avoid lectures. I know if I had a 12,000 gallon tank, someone is going to say I need at least 12,001 gallons in order to keep the fish.

 

[Dmorty217]

Lion fish are lazy eaters, so in a tank with more aggressive feeders it will be a struggle. Besides that any fish the lion "thinks" it can get in it's mouth, it will try and eat. I have seen Lions that are near the size you speak of that have eaten fish half their size with only a head hanging out of the mouth

 

[jarrod13]

I wouldn't do it. The tangs and wrasse could stress the lion into not swimming because of how fast they move around. The trigger will most likely pick on the lion, and a possibility the puffer will too. The clown could easily be eaten. And lastly I just don't think there's enough room in your tank (not lecturing you just saying...)

 

[reeftofishonly]

I wouldn't do it. The tangs and wrasse could stress the lion into not swimming because of how fast they move around. The trigger will most likely pick on the lion, and a possibility the puffer will too. The clown could easily be eaten. And lastly I just don't think there's enough room in your tank (not lecturing you just saying...)

Thank you Jarrod. That was totally not a lecture, at the same time, you let me know your opinion which would help me, not giving me a moral debate, again thank you.

The clown is coming out of the tank tomorrow. I have decided, my opinon, he is not happy in this 155 fish only tank. He has hid in one corner of tank for years, I simply think it is too big, with not enough corals, rock work to appreciate. In my old reef tank, he was moving from hammer coral to hammer coral, but I feel now he is overwhelmed. Plus I just redid my basement, carpeted, sheetrock etc, and want to get a 20 or 30 gallon rimless tank maybe. I want to put the clown, who is a small 2 inches, along with some gobies and other small sand dwelling creatures. Also considering a kuda sea horse, which my lfs has in a 30, and has been keeping them successfully for years. He said I could do that with a regular hang on filter, as long as I do water changes often, and being I do 30 gallons a week on my big tank, a few extra gallons is simple.

Secondly, the trigger I will monitor and if he nips he goes. I got him for thirty bucks, and he is far from my favorite fish.

The tangs I understand stress a lot, but almost every fish tank I have seen with a lion fish, has had open swimmers including tangs. As far as feeding goes, no one in my tank other than the wrasse eats krill or clams, as they usually end up in over flow box for me later to pick out by hand. I really do not feel feeding would be an issue.

Thanks again for your input, I highly value it, and will act accordingly with the clownfish coming out, and trigger.

I actually went and saw the lion fish tonight. It is def a volitans with black spots on tail and stripes on chin. They have had it for 3 months, and I couldn't believe it but, the guy went to tank, tapped on top glass, the lion fish came to top, and he dropped a clam and krill in, and they were gone, he says 90 percent of time when u tap on top, the lionfish will rise to it. pretty neat

 

[jarrod13]

Your welcome :thumbsup:

I think that's a wise idea to move the clown so it doesn't get eaten and rehome the trigger since he would be the most likely to harass him. Just keep in mind the angel and puffer might harass him as well, I would just have a plan in case you have to remove one of them or the lion itself. As far as the tangs stressing him, I guess I really meant that we've noticed lions tend to swim MORE when there are not fast moving fish around them, they might perch more in the presence of such fish.

That's awesome he's already eating out of the water column! Some lions are much more picky and need to be stick fed every time. My zebra lion eats from the water column also and it makes feeding him so much easier.

Post some pictures if you do get him.

 

[RayL]

I am not telling you what to do, but you might want to consider the fact that you already have five fish in your tank that individually are recommended for a larger tank than your current one. With your current stock list, I think you are really pushing the limits with out the lion, ultimately it's your choice but you may start to experience a lot of aggression from several of your fish.

 

[reeftofishonly]

Your welcome :thumbsup:

I think that's a wise idea to move the clown so it doesn't get eaten and rehome the trigger since he would be the most likely to harass him. Just keep in mind the angel and puffer might harass him as well, I would just have a plan in case you have to remove one of them or the lion itself. As far as the tangs stressing him, I guess I really meant that we've noticed lions tend to swim MORE when there are not fast moving fish around them, they might perch more in the presence of such fish.

That's awesome he's already eating out of the water column! Some lions are much more picky and need to be stick fed every time. My zebra lion eats from the water column also and it makes feeding him so much easier.

Post some pictures if you do get him.

Will post pictures for sure. The clown coming out is not a selfish reason for wanting the lion, but I feel he is too small for that tank with no coral and little live rock. Even when he was in there along for years, he would cling to the overflow, hardly ever moving from it. Plus I have always admired the tanks which have the sand sifting gobies, seahorses, jawfish etc. I feel that would be really neat to have. The clown isn't an aggressive feeder, so I think the competition with the smaller slower fish would be ok.

The trigger will be closely monitored, I work from home, so I do a lot of watching. When I see an issue, the net comes out. I am a firm believer in using common sense, but that will only get you so far. A lot of these fish are no brainers not to put together, ie stone fish with small fish, sohal and powder blue etc. But there are definitely scenarios where the only way you will know is to experiment.

My trigger hides a lot, waits for food, and is often chased by wrasse and sohal. Maybe he is one of the exceptions, knock on wood.

 

[reeftofishonly]

I am not telling you what to do, but you might want to consider the fact that you already have five fish in your tank that individually are recommended for a larger tank than your current one. With your current stock list, I think you are really pushing the limits with out the lion, ultimately it's your choice but you may start to experience a lot of aggression from several of your fish.

Totally understood, and I am not afraid to make changes if necessary. As my lfs told me, who I've known for years even before getting into the hobby, unless the fish could talk, how do we know exactly what size they need. We can only go by common sense, and what we see (feeding, stressed coloration, water quality) If all my fish are eating, not afraid to come out and explore, and my water parameters are good thanks to filtration and water changes) that I believe coexisting can happen.

One thing I will never understand is quarantine. I understand the premise of it, and it makes sense, but the practicality of it seems like hypocrisy. If all fish have ich in them, and strong eating and high immunity helps ward it off, that's why the bigger tanks the better for space and less stress. But unless your quarantine tank is equally as big as your display, how much stress are you really cutting. Not to mention, I imagine most quarantine tanks are pretty bland, little décor or rock, and don't have the filtration a display tank has. To me it seems, the fish is caught in ocean=stress, then it is sent to sub stations=stress, on through customs and airplanes=stress, finally a wholesaler gets them and places in small tanks=stress,to your local lfs and reacclimated = stress, finally to you, which you quarantine in smaller space then desirable, with sub par filtration=stress, finally into your tank. I always thought its best to mimimize the stops, and get it to the final destination, ie the best display tank you can put together. That's just my .02 formulated by different sides, theories, and my own judgement.

 

[Marshall O]

One thing I will never understand is quarantine. I understand the premise of it, and it makes sense, but the practicality of it seems like hypocrisy. If all fish have ich in them, and strong eating and high immunity helps ward it off, that's why the bigger tanks the better for space and less stress. But unless your quarantine tank is equally as big as your display, how much stress are you really cutting. Not to mention, I imagine most quarantine tanks are pretty bland, little décor or rock, and don't have the filtration a display tank has. To me it seems, the fish is caught in ocean=stress, then it is sent to sub stations=stress, on through customs and airplanes=stress, finally a wholesaler gets them and places in small tanks=stress,to your local lfs and reacclimated = stress, finally to you, which you quarantine in smaller space then desirable, with sub par filtration=stress, finally into your tank. I always thought its best to mimimize the stops, and get it to the final destination, ie the best display tank you can put together. That's just my .02 formulated by different sides, theories, and my own judgement.

For this reason, I have had a 46BF setup for almost 2 years used as a QT. It has ~70 lbs of live rock, 1" sandbed, HOB 'fuge, relatively large skimmer, 36W UV, (4) powerheads on a wavemaker, and carbon reactor. I have used this to QT almost all of my fish and has worked out great IMO. Very natural environment, stress free since there is no competition (although lately I have been keeping a pair of Clowns in there which seems to help new fish acclimate). It allows grazers to do what they do vs. in a barebottom tank with no LR so when it took a week or two to get a fish eating, I was never concerned.

I also have a 10 gal HT for when treatment is needed, and also just used a 55 as a HT to treat my Powder Brown Tang (after he spent a month in the 46).

Just some food for thought.

 

[reeftofishonly]

For this reason, I have had a 46BF setup for almost 2 years used as a QT. It has ~70 lbs of live rock, 1" sandbed, HOB 'fuge, relatively large skimmer, 36W UV, (4) powerheads on a wavemaker, and carbon reactor. I have used this to QT almost all of my fish and has worked out great IMO. Very natural environment, stress free since there is no competition (although lately I have been keeping a pair of Clowns in there which seems to help new fish acclimate). It allows grazers to do what they do vs. in a barebottom tank with no LR so when it took a week or two to get a fish eating, I was never concerned.

I also have a 10 gal HT for when treatment is needed, and also just used a 55 as a HT to treat my Powder Brown Tang (after he spent a month in the 46).

Just some food for thought.

Applause. I would bet your set-up is leaps and bounds better than 90 percent of what most people have. Not just size, but also in terms of equipment and rock. That to me sounds safe, but I a almost positive that is not the case for nearly anyone else. To me, smaller set ups with just a power filter running and thermometer, and little else, sound like a prison cell to me

 

[Marshall O]

Applause. I would bet your set-up is leaps and bounds better than 90 percent of what most people have. Not just size, but also in terms of equipment and rock. That to me sounds safe, but I a almost positive that is not the case for nearly anyone else. To me, smaller set ups with just a power filter running and thermometer, and little else, sound like a prison cell to me

Thanks. To be fair, there are plenty of fish that will do just fine in a 10 gal, barebottom, power filter QT/HT. I used such a tank to QT most of my smaller fish (Neon Gobies, most of my smaller Fairy/Flasher Wrasses, Firefish, Assessor, etc). But my 46 setup was perfect to QT any of my grazers, sand sifters, etc (such as Flame Angel, Foxface, two Tangs, Tiger Wardi Goby, etc).

So really, I think it comes down to the fish you are QT'ing to make sure the tank itself is setup properly.