Lionfish?

imclownfish

Member
hey, i was wondering about lionfish. i always wanted to get a lionfish but im not quite sure about their behaviour. i was wondering what fish would be compatible with a lion and how i should feed it. I know they are venemous but was wondering about any kinds that are less venemous and good for me to start off with. thx
 

fmarini

Member
Allow me to suggest you read up on the various types of lionfish available, their husbandry and nutrition. If i may- start by inputing these two words into a google search engine (marini and lionfish) and the first item up is the lionfish info sheet. Read it.
Also the size of your tank will frequently dictate what type of lion (dwarf, midsized or large) is recommended.
Next you are aware that lionfish are piscavores and need to be kept w/ fish bigger than them, else they will eat their tankmates
Lastly, as far as venom goes- they all pack a good punch,
 

imclownfish

Member
hey, thx for the site, it was great, one question though, if you have a lionfish, than how would you handle the tank?(maintenance) just wondering your strategy and anybody elses so i can be preapred before i purchase one
 

cranberry

Active Member
They are not aggressive. More often than not, a puncture is a result of a negligent hobbyist who wasn't keeping on eye the where-abouts of the lion. Clean the tank with him in view. Use a spotter to tell you if he's getting close if you can't keep him within your sight or he's acting particularly frisky. The only time he may "rush" you is he's excited about food. Pay him the respect he deserves and watch his posture. If he starts putting his head down and thrusting his spines forward, his getting tired of you and you need to "leave".
 

salty_sam

New Member
there are many options for potential tankmates for lions, it will differ for diffrent species, the most common dwarf at the pet store i work at is the fuzzy dwarf, you can add some cool fish with them, they get to be about 4-5 inches, many eels can be housed with them in a large enugh tank (at least 55 gal" certen hawk fish like the long nose hawk, coarl cats are a good idea (toxic) along with many others. as far as normal size lions like the volitan you can keep them with anglers, rhinopius, frog fish, foxfaces, tangs, hawk fish leaf fish, basicly anything that isnt to small or super aggressive. as far as tank care, as long as you respect the fish you have and are aware of where they are you should be fine, if a lion is to sting neutralize with hot water! just be aware and use caution, dont be careless!
 
J

jstdv8

Guest
For feeding, Lionfish like to eat things that are alive and kicking so you need to break them of this habit. The way i did mine was give him some ghost shrimp live and he will suck up 10 in a quick hurry then let him go for 2 days next give him the ghost shrimp in a pair of feeding tongs live and make him eat them off the tongs (he will trust me)
wait 2 days then feed him dead ghost shrimp off the tongs.
these things have a huge appitite so when you feed him a small meal and let him go for 2 days he is ravenous and will do your bidding once you open the lid. beware he may go after your fingers in between feedings.
anyways, once he has eaten from the tongs once or twice now you can get him to take silversides out of the tongs. You will probably have to wiggle the silversides to make it look like its moving. If he's hungry enough he wont care, he'll eat anything at that point. Now i throw him ghost shrimp for a snack and feed2 silversides every other day. my lion is 9-10"
feeder goldfish have no nutritional value to the lion at all. fun to watch but all it does it make poop that you will have to deal with if you don't have a superior cleaner crew.
The lions are very beautifull but they really limit what you can put in the tank with them because they eat anything smaller than they are.
no shrimp of any kind unless its lunch, anything with a large shell around it should be ok. turbo snails, hermit crabs ect. large eels are good, good sized urchins, large starfish, and most fish that are larger than he is and will not nip at his dangly stuff :)
Good luck
The key to getting them to do what you want is to make them really hungry, once they do it once or twice they will see that that is how they get thier food
 

imclownfish

Member
alright, thanks for the tips guys. i think i might start off with a fuzzy dwarf and see how it goes. ill let you know when i get it and how its going. thanks again
 

imclownfish

Member
ok so i really want to get this lionfish now but my parents arent letting me get it. i need t convince them and i was wondering if you guys had any ideas an how i could do that. if you have one, how many of you have got stung? what were the effects? i really neeed to convince them and im trying everything. help is appreciated. thanks
 

louti

Member
I have not been stung personally, but have met at least 3-4 people who have. All have said it hurt badly, but was a little worse than a bee sting. I have been stung by a foxface. Not sure how comparable the venoms are, but it just stung/throbbed for a little bit, bees hurt worse.
 

burch2006

Member
I have a radiatta. awesome fish Ive had it for a long time and Ive never been stung. Just dont be careless when in the tank. I usually just trap him in a corner by blocking him with a net. He just sits there until I finish. Such an awesome fish. He'd eat out of my hand if i'd allow it lol.
 

cranberry

Active Member
Can't really compare it to a beesting. The vemon and the body's reaction is completely different. The pain involved is completely individual to the incident and person and can be dependant on things like how much venom was injected and what your pain tolerance is.
What is it your parents are looking to hear? That you won't get stung or that you more than likely won't die if you do?
 

crypt keeper

Active Member
If these fish were that dangerous you would need a permit. You can die from a ant bite in parts of the world. Is it gonna hurt. Sure. Bt dont be stupid and stick your arms in the tank.
 

imclownfish

Member
What is it your parents are looking to hear? That you won't get stung or that you more than likely won't die if you do?
that i dont die. thanks for the help guys. i appreciate it. im gonna try again to convince them
 
Top