What fish can you keep with a Lion?

[Redhaze]

A friend of mine wants to start a fowlr tank built around a Russell's Lionfish. Tank size still undecided but no smaller than 55g and no larger than 140. He basically wants to know what else you can keep with a Lion?....

Myself have a 55g reef but no nothing about aggresive tanks or lions in general but have read the artical on here about lions which I/he found very informative. I did recommend though for a fish this size the bigger tank the better! My first thinking on tank mates for a lion were Groupers, Large Angles, Hogfish, Batfish, boxfish etc. & after checking out some compatability charts seem's about right. But being as he's a total newbie are there some more common type of fish/Inverts he could possibly keep with it? Flame Hawks, Tangs, Boxer Shrimp maybe?

Any info would be very much appreciated?

Thanks

 

[slowECUdiver]

ideas...

ideas...

well, any fish that won't fit in a Lionfish's mouth is a good choice. i personally have a Fuzzy Dwarf and he/she was the first fish in the tank, as they can be tough to get to eat frozen foods. now that he's eating, i have added a lawnmower blenny, and there has not been any aggression shown by the lion.

so long as the Lion has adaquate hiding spaces and a few areas of "low flow" it will go good with just about any other fish, IMO.

PS. i'm running a 75 gal FOWLR with 100# LR and 100#LS, and approx. 15 gal sump with skimmer.

PSS. i would steer clear of any puffer fish with a lion...could stress/hurt the lion's fins.

 

[Redhaze]

Cheers EUCdiver,

thats good to hear. Im thinking of a fuzzy dwarf myself?! My mate has obviously seen my tank with corals/small colourfull communal fish and appreciates it but once he saw the russel lion in the lfs he was blown away. Said he just wants a system that supports the lion with a few other small fish around it. Like you said as long as he cant fit it in its mouth it should be fine.

What about inverts (snails, crabs etc) as he nreally likes the boxer and blood shrimp???

 

[FMarini]

lions will pretty much eat anything that fits into their mouths. All other fish will be ignored.
As for moving inverts, shrimps, andsmall crabs=food. However, hermit crabs, cukes, starfish are pretty much ignored. As for cleaner shrimp its a 50/50 chance

you might want to print this article out for your friend to read.
lionfish info sheet
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2...ature/index.php

 

[The steven liu]

I think you can keep whatever not fit through their mouth.

 

[slowECUdiver]

like FMarini said, hermit crabs are generally ignored. i have a couple small ones, and the lion doesnt bother them. same with the snails; they have a greater chance of meeting their maker at the hands of the crabs. i don't have any shrimp, so i can't say for sure on how well one will do with them.

 

[Petstorejunkie]

As others have said, nothing that they don't *THINK* they can fit in their mouth. Avoid canthigaster genus puffers although less nippy Arothron spp. are okay. Avoid triggers as they can be hell on the fins. You will need to aquascape a couple of ledges with low flow for the lion... All the LR/LS in the world is useless if the lion doesn't have a place or two he feels comfortable.

 

[sage1970]

I have a 75 with a lion and a wolf eel....they seem to get along pretty well.

I haven't seen them mess with the hermits or snails in their tank.

 

[Redhaze]

Thanks guys for all the replys its much appreciated!

I did wonder myself about inverts so good to hear they are ok with lions. my mate got no interest in eel's and have myself put him off of keeping trigers & a puffer also. Fmarini - great link will pass on. After a bit more reseach its seems shrimps as fine as well (pending the lion cant fit in its mouth) so maybe a bannded boxer should be ok?!

Any recommendations on percific possible tank mates apart from ells, pufffers & triggers???

All this reaserch research about lions makes me want to keep one meself?!!

Thanks again

 

[rehctelf69]

I have a 185g predator tank, my lionfish is about 13 inches, and I have a panther grouper with him the grouper is about 14 inches the only problem I have with them two is trying to feed them, they both eat so dang much but as tank mates they are fine, oh yeah also I have a blue tang with them as well he is about 6 inches and has no problem with the other 2 killers in the tank.

 

[Patchy]

IMO lions are one of the most gentle predators there is. the only agressions (outside of dinnertime) i have seen one take part in is 2 male lions

 

[whatcaneyedo]

I keep my Volitan Lion with a snowflake eel, tomatoe clown and an engineer goby. The lion 7" trys to eat the clown 3" sometimes but the clown is always able to dart back into my large sebae anemone. Something to also consider would be to add the lion last. I once tried to add a copperbanded butterfly 5" and my lion tried to eat it on more than one occation.