Which Lionfish?

[dragonmoray447]

I have set up a 55 gallon tank. Its cycling right now. I have plans for putting a lionfish in there. Here are my options:

Black Volitan Lionfish
Red Volitan Lionfish

 

[E.D.E]

I'd do a dwarf fuzzy, that's the only one for a beginner I'd put in there. Volitans get huuuuuuuge!

 

[jarrod13]

E.d.e. Is right, volitans will get way too big for a 55. I also agree with the recommendation of getting a fuzzy first, they're awesome fish and very easy to care for

 

[namxas]

If you want something a bit larger, altho fuzzies are one of the best all around lions for sure, IMHO, you could go with one of the mid-bodied Pterois species (P. mombassae, P. radiata, P. antennata). P. mombassae is probably the hardiest of the three I mentioned, but will suffer from declining water quality.

FWIW, "red volitans" is often a mis-ID for P. russelii (Russel's lionfish), which are a tad smaller (10" or so) than P. volitans.