How Venomous is a lion

ninjamini

Active Member
How Venomous is a Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish. And no I don't want to touch him to find out, but I do want to be prepared. Also which part is Venomous? Where should I not touch?
 

ruaround

Active Member
uh oh... seem as though someone bought a fish with out research... TANG POLICE!!! er uh... LION POLICE!!! i keed i keed...

seriously though... there are spines on the lions back... most of the time when a person is "stung" they have to deal with emense pain for hours... the sting will cause inflamation, swelling and intense pain in the affected area... respitory or cardiac problems could occur too (from what i have read this is rare)... if you are stung run the affected area under the HOTTEST water you can handle and call your local poison center... they can still sting after they are dead too...
they are sneaky so keep your eyes on it when you hand is in the tank... i often put a large net in the middle of the tank and work on the opposite side of the tank that the lion is on... when i want to do anything on the side its curently on i kind of "shoo it" to the other side... the net may be a false sense of security but i havent ever been stung... (knocking on wood)
 

xdave

Active Member
I dont know about those drarfs, but a Volitan got one of our guys at the warehouse right in the back of the hand. Have you ever seen a 6'2" 210# fireman cry like a baby? How bout a hand easily mistaken for a red balloon? Those aren't nearly as funny as the look on the emergency room personels' faces when you ask for Lionfish antidote.
They do get weaker with age in captivity if
they have no reason to have venom, (lack of threats, etc.) however, weaker is a relative term. It's basically like the difference between being stung by 500 wasps simultaneously, or 250.
IMHO, Since this is a deffensive device I would venture to guess that the young ones pack as good a wallop as the mature.
 

anoepheli

New Member
We had a Volitan the size of a beach ball at one point in our store. He developed a grudge against most of the employees, and he'd actively try to stick people who got near his tank. He got one of my coworkers, who claims it wasn't all that bad.
Most small lionfish though are incredibly passive. They ignore anything bigger than them, and since only their dorsal spines are venemous, you can even nudge them around a little. They'll avoid you for the most part unless you're dangling food.
 

ninjamini

Active Member
Originally Posted by ruaround
uh oh... seem as though someone bought a fish with out research... TANG POLICE!!! er uh... LION POLICE!!! i keed i keed...

Thanx all. After making this post I found a great web site ***Website deleted by poster before posting***. It talked about there effect.
Your right ruaround I never planned on owning a lion. I thought they were ugly and I don't want anything that can sting or bites. But then I bought a 55 complete set up with :happyfish and there ya go the new owner of a lion. I would never have bought him from a store. In fact I plan to trade him away although I am getting to like him. Especially now that he is taking frozen foods. Finding ghost shrimp was a chore.
But I will probably still trade him away.
 

chutneyjh

Member
Originally Posted by ninjamini
Thanx all. After making this post I found a great web site ***Website deleted by poster before posting***. It talked about there effect.
.
nice.
 

quil

Member
The dwarf fuzzies are awesome...mine is my favorite fish in the tank. I just have my wife or whoever is around keep an eye on him while I'm cleaning or whatever in the tank.
 
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