Lion fish vs. stingray
- Thread starter fowlr13
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sweatervest13
Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by FOWLR13 http:///t/396186/lion-fish-vs-stingray#post_3529313
I was wondering about these two species for a while.They're both venomous.And I want to know if you were to get a tank and you had to pick one,which one would you choose a lion fish or a stingray.
Lion all the way. They tank requirements are a lot easier to obtain. You need a huge tank for a ray.
You would still need a big setup for a Lion, but not as large as you would need for a ray. And Lion Fish come in different sizes (Fuzzy Dwarf Lion). Saxman is our resident Lion fish (all things with stings) expert. Maybe send him a PM. He has a website. Lionfishlair dot com. It is very informative.
Originally Posted by FOWLR13 http:///t/396186/lion-fish-vs-stingray#post_3529313
I was wondering about these two species for a while.They're both venomous.And I want to know if you were to get a tank and you had to pick one,which one would you choose a lion fish or a stingray.
Lion all the way. They tank requirements are a lot easier to obtain. You need a huge tank for a ray.
You would still need a big setup for a Lion, but not as large as you would need for a ray. And Lion Fish come in different sizes (Fuzzy Dwarf Lion). Saxman is our resident Lion fish (all things with stings) expert. Maybe send him a PM. He has a website. Lionfishlair dot com. It is very informative.
S
saxman
Guest
SaxWHO?
Sweatervest has it right. Rays can be tuff to house correctly, as they require large tanks with lots of open surface area, which most folks can't provide easily.
Also, as mentioned, lionfishes come in several "flavors"...dwarf species, medium-bodied species, and large-bodies species. There are actually even coldwater species, both are dwarves, altho they're rather rare in the hobby.
Here's a good primer on lionfishes:
http://www.lionfishlair.com/careguides/lionfish.shtml
Altho I don't consider us "experts", my wife (Cranberry here on SWF) and I are kinda nuts for "things with stings", and we keep, or have kept several different species of Scorpaeniformes, so feel free to ask any questions.
Thanks for the ind words, SV!
Sweatervest has it right. Rays can be tuff to house correctly, as they require large tanks with lots of open surface area, which most folks can't provide easily.
Also, as mentioned, lionfishes come in several "flavors"...dwarf species, medium-bodied species, and large-bodies species. There are actually even coldwater species, both are dwarves, altho they're rather rare in the hobby.
Here's a good primer on lionfishes:
http://www.lionfishlair.com/careguides/lionfish.shtml
Altho I don't consider us "experts", my wife (Cranberry here on SWF) and I are kinda nuts for "things with stings", and we keep, or have kept several different species of Scorpaeniformes, so feel free to ask any questions.
Thanks for the ind words, SV!
S
saxman
Guest
There's lots of inaccurate info about lionfishes out there. In terms of feeding, some species, such as Pterois volitans require very little coaxing, while others such as the fu manchu can be a bit stubborn. Sometimes it all depends on the individual fish. We currently don't have any fishes on live food. We got a bearded ghoul in last week, but it's already eating frozen ghosties and guppies, so the next step is to get it onto the same diet as the rest of our fishes. The real key is getting the fish to recognize what you're offering it as food. Patience, the right food, and the right equipment make weaning a lot easier. Renee and I actually designed a feeding stick (called a "stealth stick") that makes the job of feeding your fishes much easier. We have an article on weaning predatory fishes as well:
http://www.lionfishlair.com/feedingtechniques/toolsofthetrade.shtml
FWIW, rays can be more difficult to feed, and are actually harder on water quality. As for tank size, 180 gals is about the bare minimum for even the smallest ray species, and that species is a temperate water fish, so a chiller is a must. Most require larger setups. For instance, the blue-spotted ray (Taeniura lymma), which seems to catch the eyes of many, requires something more on the order of 300 gals minimum. Is there a particular ray you're considering?
Take a peek at the lionfish article...it has good quality photos of all of the species you're likely to encounter in the hobby, and all of them except the D. zebra photo were taken of our own personal fishes.
http://www.lionfishlair.com/feedingtechniques/toolsofthetrade.shtml
FWIW, rays can be more difficult to feed, and are actually harder on water quality. As for tank size, 180 gals is about the bare minimum for even the smallest ray species, and that species is a temperate water fish, so a chiller is a must. Most require larger setups. For instance, the blue-spotted ray (Taeniura lymma), which seems to catch the eyes of many, requires something more on the order of 300 gals minimum. Is there a particular ray you're considering?
Take a peek at the lionfish article...it has good quality photos of all of the species you're likely to encounter in the hobby, and all of them except the D. zebra photo were taken of our own personal fishes.
S
saxman
Guest
That's the temperate species I was referring to. It won't do well at tropical temps, and is best kept in the mid-low 60's.
Temperate tanx can be fun tho. In fact, the bluefin lionfish in my avatar is a temperate species.
Temperate tanx can be fun tho. In fact, the bluefin lionfish in my avatar is a temperate species.