Lionfish Set Up ( I'm a complete n00bie :( )

[cunkish]

Hello all and thanks if any of you can help. I'm just starting this hobby and I was wondering about this set up im thinking of.
I read alot about lionfishes and iIdecided I wanted to get one. This is the set up I had in mind, please tell me if these fishes/ inverttabrates will not get along orr will be eaten by the lion or any other fish. I read that the fuzzy dwarf lionfish is a community type fish so I decided to go with that one.
Stonefish
Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish
Horse Shoe Crab (3)
Feather Duster
Red Sponge
Turbo/Astrea Snail (10)
I don't really think the Stone fish and the Lion will get along, but I know thelionfish cant eat it because its bigger than him. What about the rest of these creatures. What kind of filtration system do I need? I plan on getting the following.
55 Gallon Tank (Comes with Wet/Dry Filtration?
Live Sand
What else do I need? Can someone please help me in starting this hobbie. If those fishes/invertabrates don't get along, which ones will get along? I did alot of research, And i Understand i need biological, machinical and Chemical filtration in order for my speciments to survive. Can someone please fill me in on the basics of what I need? Do I need to increase the tank size, it said that lionfishes only need 30 gallons, But with the other fish n stuff I decided to boost it to 55 /50ish. What about lighting, what brand do you recommend. Any help is greatly appreciated, I just want a users opinion on all tis stuff so I can get things that will last and wont break or wont cause me troubles. Thanks to all who can help.

 

[lions n nd]

your first caution is this
If your stone fish is bigger he WILL eat your lion
this is fact
lots of live rock
and a very large skimmer
powercompact lightingor metal halide
this is opinion
good luck

 

[moraym]

Dwarf lions like a lot of liverock. When they're first introduced, they want to hide behind the rock or in crevices for a day or two, helps them to acclimate better, less stress than being out in the open. Also, dwarfs enjoy resting on the stacks of liverock, mine used to sit in a little U-shaped pile of rocks and sleep.

 

[xenomorph]

Originally posted by Lions n ND
your first caution is this
If your stone fish is bigger he WILL eat your lion
this is fact
lots of live rock
and a very large skimmer
powercompact lightingor metal halide
this is opinion
good luck
So why the MH? Unless I missed something, nothing he listed needs that much light. The PC is good for output to usage, but even a triple 40w flo would work.
As for the tank size, I would say go with a 75 if you can afford the space/cost. The dwarf wouldnt really need the space but it would give you more room to expand, and with the few thing you have planned, would be more stable. I couldnt beleive I was getting a 29 when I got it, now my 75 is WAY to small.

 

[harlequin]

That looks like a fish only with LR, why does he need expensive lighting? He can get along well with NOs with some 10k bulbs which will be much cheaper. I agree with the above, if one of the carnivores get bigger than the other then one wil get eaten. I am a firm believer of bigger tanks. With a bigger tank you could get one of the easier lions to keep although an antenetta will fit in your tank. I want to upgrade to a 125 sometime in the future so bad it isnt funny. But a 55 will do. You need a good skimmer since you have two messy eaters, try a Euro-reef or one of its clones. Yeah they are made for bigger tanks but it serves two functions being big. You have it when you get a bigger tank and they will make up for the messier eaters in the tank, besides, you dont have corals so disolved organics in the water are not helping anything. Lots of LR will benefit you for many reasons and I am not going to go into them as they are everywhere on this forum. Try a good wet-dry for filtration. Good luck though, dwarves are a pain to get eating frozen food and remember DO NOT feed them freshwater goldfish or guppies.