what kind of lionfish would be best for a reef setup?
- Thread starter Cichlids
- Start date
Matt_Wandell
New member
Hi,
I'm a big fan of scorpionfish in reef setups that are carefully planned ahead of time. I would however not put a P. volitans lionfish in anything but a very very large reef tank. They are truly open water fish and need a ton of swimming space.
The dwarf fuzzy lion (D. brachypterus) is an awesome little fish that will do great in a typical reef setup. Its small size will also allow you to keep most fish with it as long as they aren't terribly small. Small shrimp may get eaten too, but that is about the extent of things these guys will prey on. Snails, stars, corals, etc. will all be safe.
If you intend on forming a small harem the dwarf fuzzy can be sexed easily. There is a ton of info on sexing and breeding here:
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=156
I'm a big fan of scorpionfish in reef setups that are carefully planned ahead of time. I would however not put a P. volitans lionfish in anything but a very very large reef tank. They are truly open water fish and need a ton of swimming space.
The dwarf fuzzy lion (D. brachypterus) is an awesome little fish that will do great in a typical reef setup. Its small size will also allow you to keep most fish with it as long as they aren't terribly small. Small shrimp may get eaten too, but that is about the extent of things these guys will prey on. Snails, stars, corals, etc. will all be safe.
If you intend on forming a small harem the dwarf fuzzy can be sexed easily. There is a ton of info on sexing and breeding here:
http://www.marinebreeder.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=156
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
if your tank is a full-blown reef, it depends on how it's aquascaped. even a small adult volitans is a 12" cube in size, so consider turnaround room. if you go with a volitans, only one will fit in a 100, even if it's not a reef. if you want a very similar fish, look into P. russelii (Russel's Lionfish, usually sold as "red volitans") as they max out at about 10" cubes (just make sure you get a properly ID'd fish).
a pair or trio of fuzzies would be SWEET, you can even look for different color morphs (red, brown, yellow). you just need to make sure you get one male to one or two females. adult male dwarf fuzzy lions have a larger head, longer pectoral fins (the fin tips reach past the caudal peduncle), and have between 6 to 10 dark bands (stripes) on their pectoral fins, while females have only 4 to 6 stripes.
D. zebra isn't sexually dimorphic, so getting a pair or harem is a crapshoot.
you could also look into some of the medium-bodied lions, such as P. antennata, P. radiata, or P. mombassae.
our Mombasa lion is simply gorgeous (we found it mis-ID'd as P. miles):
give Frank Marini's Lionfish Care & Info Article a read if you haven't done so. Frank's new book Lionfishes and Other Scorpionfishes JUST hit the stands, and it's a really great resource as well (BTW, that's our P. volitans on the cover!).
you might consider multiple med/dwarf species as well, as they typically get along fine. here are our sub-adult D. brachypterus and D. barberi sharing their digs:
a pair or trio of fuzzies would be SWEET, you can even look for different color morphs (red, brown, yellow). you just need to make sure you get one male to one or two females. adult male dwarf fuzzy lions have a larger head, longer pectoral fins (the fin tips reach past the caudal peduncle), and have between 6 to 10 dark bands (stripes) on their pectoral fins, while females have only 4 to 6 stripes.
D. zebra isn't sexually dimorphic, so getting a pair or harem is a crapshoot.
you could also look into some of the medium-bodied lions, such as P. antennata, P. radiata, or P. mombassae.
our Mombasa lion is simply gorgeous (we found it mis-ID'd as P. miles):
give Frank Marini's Lionfish Care & Info Article a read if you haven't done so. Frank's new book Lionfishes and Other Scorpionfishes JUST hit the stands, and it's a really great resource as well (BTW, that's our P. volitans on the cover!).
you might consider multiple med/dwarf species as well, as they typically get along fine. here are our sub-adult D. brachypterus and D. barberi sharing their digs:
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