lionfish reef safe?
- Thread starter Cichlids
- Start date
Slim_jim989
New member
All corals ok with lionfish its the shrimp and fish that you sometimes have to worry about. but as long as you keep it feed youll b fine.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
that's a pretty broad statement, TOO broad, IMHO. however, i will agree that sometimes one hears of a lion that indeed bites off more than it can chew, but you hear the same of many ambush preds.
to date, none of our 6 lions or scorps have ever eaten something they aren't supposed to, but we're careful about size differential.
JME/JMO
sacremon
New member
Some lions also like to perch on things. They are ambush predators, after all, and that often means sitting in one spot, trying to look invisible, then attacking something that swims by. A coral can get hurt if a lion decides that its favorite ambush spot is to sit on that coral. You might need to move a coral so that the lion is perched on something less sensitive.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
the trouble with P. radiata is finding a good specimen, as they are poor shippers, so look it over well if you find one. P. antenatta is a bit better, but can be a bit tuffer to wean. P. antenatta is often confused with D. zebra and especially P. mombassae, so make sure you get the right fish.
as for the SFE...i had one for 15 years, it got VERY aggressive once it hit about 2 feet (i was bitten twice, and it killed several other fish until i finally had to put it in its own tank). i liked it, but in the end, i couldn't even GIVE it away, so make sure you really want an eel for a long time.
as for the SFE...i had one for 15 years, it got VERY aggressive once it hit about 2 feet (i was bitten twice, and it killed several other fish until i finally had to put it in its own tank). i liked it, but in the end, i couldn't even GIVE it away, so make sure you really want an eel for a long time.
Wolverine
Premium Member
I meant just smaller than the lionfish.
I agree with thor that dwarf lions can often be more difficult to get to feed.
Slim_jim989
New member
Man i had a snowflake eel, and when he was about 10 inches long he would bite me thinking i was food. and as for my lionfish he always would be in his cave and upside down like a bat till night time.
Well, having a lionfish is rolling the dice with other fish in the tank. Like Wolverine said above, only smaller fish should be at risk. While that is a broad statement, in my opinion, it is a fact. While lionfish are not fast, in a confined space they don't have to be. While it is not a certainty there is a finite, nontrivial probability that smaller fish are at risk.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
you changed the statement from "ANY fish" to "smaller fish", which is what we're all agreeing upon.
we have 6 lions ATM, including a full-grown volitans, and we're VERY selective in terms of tankmates when it comes to size and other compatibility issues. we err on the side of caution, just as we recommend others do.
Well, Greg, in the wild I have seen them try to eat a fish that is their own size, always at night. I don't know if they would try that in an aquarium. In any case, our perception of what is smaller, and their perception may not coincide. I have no interest in a war of words, simply trying to keep the original poster from making a potential mistake.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
it depends on size of the crab and the size of the fish. lions love crabs and shrimp, but they can eat items that are too large for them and die from it. i'd think a larger volitans would be more of a gorilla crab eater, based on the size of our gorilla crab "sump monkey" (we have 6 lions and the only one i could see eating it is the full-grown volitans, which is a easily a cubic foot of fish).
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