lionfish in a reef tank

[reefman77]

I know lionfish will eat most anything that fits in its mouth. I am wondering if they will bother shrimp and clams. also, how fast do they grow. I am getting one that is small (3"-4") and dosent eat live food. should I wory about my antias and wrasses?

 

[AdidaKev]

Lionfish will not purposely harm clams, but they may cause them to close up if they decide to perch on top of them. Shrimp, anthias, and wrasses would all make lovely meals for a lionfish, even if it is small. I'd think twice about adding one to your tank.

 

[swegyptian]

Lions are like oscars. They grow like madness. I think it is fair to expect a 3" Volitan to be 10" in a year, depending on feeding.

 

[bosborn1]

I have a Russells Lionfish in my reef. So far he hasn't eaten anything. He has been in there for a month. I saw him give chase to the Perc.s but they hide in my torch coral and for some reason the lion steers clear of it. I will say that if you have a Coralbanded or cleaner shrimp they will be eaten right away. They lack the ability to get ou of the way. Also if you must keep a,lion in your reef you need to be prepared to remove him at the first time of trouble and with a large fast growing predeator they question isn't if but when.

Other than that if you are prepared to accept the reponsability go for it. Also its worth noting that Lions don't like high water flow. I have a section away from the flow for my lion to rest. Also be sure that you have plenty of water volume and powerful skimming as these fish have high metabolic rates and create a lot of waste. I feed my lion up to two times per day until satisfied. This is probably why he doesn't eat any of his tankmates. If you get the Lion to get him to eat you will need to stop feeding live food an never feed live food again. Use a feeding stick or a wire and a small silverside (krill works too) manipulate the food item in front of the lions mouth until he takes it. This may take awhile but it gets easier everytime. I don't recommend doing it but my lion takes food from my hand. Word of caution as this has gotten me stung!! Not by the current fish but from a old 14" Volitan's -

I would recommend looking at the agressive fish forum too. Volitanlioness has been a good source of info for me as I conduct my experimant with a lion in a reef. But in my cause this is just experimental and I have the means to move the Lionfish at the drop of a hat.

Scott

 

[bosborn1]

reefman77, Just read your Sig...Please tell me that you dont intend to put a Lionfish in your 55. I wouldn't try a Lion in a reef (unless it was a dwarf) in anything less than a 180. If you try to keep that fish in that tank you are asking for a Nitrate spike from hell. Just wan't to forewarn you about the dangers of a large predeator in a small tank.

Scott

 

[Wolverine]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6787532#post6787532 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bosborn1
reefman77, Just read your Sig...Please tell me that you dont intend to put a Lionfish in your 55. I wouldn't try a Lion in a reef (unless it was a dwarf) in anything less than a 180. If you try to keep that fish in that tank you are asking for a Nitrate spike from hell. Just wan't to forewarn you about the dangers of a large predeator in a small tank.

I completely agree. I would even raise that to say that I wouldn't keep a large lion in a tank under 180g. The old "wisdom" is that lionfish aren't very active, so you can keep them in smaller tanks. IME, if you move them to a big tank with a lot of room, they become much more active.

Dave

 

[Psyire]

I acclimate new additions to my reef in my refugium. My refugium also is home to my fuzzy dwarf lion at the moment. He tries to eat everything I am acclimating (except corals). It's a good thing that there is a plastic bag barrier, lol.

 

[bosborn1]

Wow thats the first time that a mod has given me a virtual high five.!. Thank you for concouring. This is true about the activity level of the Lionfish in a tank enviroment. The fact that the large tank causes them to roam seems to be one of the problem. I notice that my Lion will only stay in the area of the tank were the flow is the least. I record the tank over night in Timelapse IR to be sure of this. It would also seem to me that the lion while a venomis predeator is some what of a recessive fish. I have noticed on many occassions that when the Lionfish starts to explore into the Hippo Tang's area he is met with some strong restance. I am quite suprised thus far at the lack of agression for the lion. If my hypothesis is correct this will change as the lionfish increases in size. It will also be interesting to see how this is affected when I add a Sohal tang into the mix. I am not trying to torture these animals I am just trying to come up with some new mixes of Livestock for the reef.

Scott

 

[stykthyn]

I would keep a lion away from the home reef for the simple fact that they would pollute your tank. You could possibly find fish that wont fit in its mouth, but lions and other predators<groupers, triggers, etc...> excrete huge amounts of waste. Sure doom for any, but the largest of reef tanks.