I'm getting ready to get rid of my damsels adn get a lion fish but have some ????????

[bethany]

I am getting rid of my damsels (anyone want them?). My first fish I would like to get is a lion fish. Eventually the tank will turn to a reef... eventually.... anyway do I need to have any special water conditions? temperature? food for a lion fish? When i buy it, it will be the only fish with ls, lr, 1 pepperment shrimp which i assume will end up food, and a crab of some sort....... need help on any special care for my new fish to be... Thanks a bunch

 

[dburr]

Lion fish live on the reef but in a tank they get big and knock things over. I wouldn't put him in a reef tank. Maybe a dwarf...
They can be trained to take prepared food but you may have to start with live.
Water would be the same as fish only, but you will need strong lights for a reef.
Go to the reef section, their are always lighting topics to read.
Good luck
PS if you can get rid of the damsels i'm sure the lion will tack care of them for you.

 

[slothy]

ya as dburr mentioned the lion will gladly take care of those damsels for you... chomp chomp

 

[ryebread]

Depending on how large of a tank you have, Lions can be fairly hardy fish. I would not put a lion in a small tank because most of them get pretty large. Dwarf Lions stay smaller but, you will have to check on how to take care of them. Lions are great but, they are not for everyone. Make sure you have the right stuff to give the fish what it needes to thrive. You may want to post in the AGGRESSIVE FORUM for better info on Lionfish care.

 

[stacyt]

I have tried the lion in a reef before. I have a volitan, farily small still 4", in an 80 gallon tank. The problem that I had with him is he would like to perch on the rocks, and sometimes on the corals. He especially liked to perch on the fuzzy mushrooms causing them to shrink up. I removed the mushrooms, and then he started to perch in my bubble coral. I finally gave up and removed all the corals.

 

[simm]

How big is your tank?

 

[bethany]

my tank is 45 gallon. It's 3 feet tall and I think it's about the same width. Right now it is only a fo tank. Once I feel a little more knowledgable on fo i will slowly convert it to a reef but not yet. I will also post again in the agressive set up forum. thanks for the help... sounds like i'll be shopping for a dwarf lion this weekend....

 

[ophiura]

YOu may not need to start them on live food, thought dwarfs can be a bit more difficult. Try to find one at an LFS, and ask them to feed it. Try ghost shrimp if you must, but avoid goldfish. These are not a natural diet for lionfish, and carry loads of diseases. Most lions will happily take frozen krill and silversides.
Another problem with a predator in a reef is water quality. It can go down quickly with the quantity of food these guys are often given, and that doesn't help corals at all. I would reconsider that. If you still want to try, a dwarf is your best bet.