Volitan Lionfish

[urchin315]

Hey everyone, I have a 125 gallon tank with a 75 gallon sump. It's been up and running good for almost a year and half now. I have a clown, damsel, angel, wrasse, urchins, and etc. I really want to go aggressive and get a Volitan Lionfish. I've done quite a bit of reading on them and know they get very large. Is a 125 big enough? They say 120 is good, but I want him to be happy. I was also wondering if you guys have lions and how enjoyable they are. Should I take out my fish or just let them get eaten over time? Just looking for some input, thanks!

 

[geridoc]

You could do a Volitans in a 125, or consider one of the slightly smaller lionfish. Do be aware that your stock list will get much shorter (say goodbye to the clown, the damsel, and any crabs and shrimp you might have around). They make great pets - as with most aggressive carnivores they learn who feeds them, and will put on an affectionate display whenever they see you. I used to keep feeder fish in a tank under my display, and my lion would smack his head against the side of the tank to get attention, then float head down pointing to the tank below. Pretty clear communication!

 

[urchin315]

Thanks! I wouldn't mind the fish stock declining, it's time for change anyways. Is their a good place to purchase the lion from and is a bad idea to get one shipped?

 

[jay0705]

Dwarf lions are very unique looking, just an idea. I prefer to see the fish I buy. But many people order online and love it.

 

[saxman]

IMHO/IME, a standard 125 gal is a bit tight for P. volitans. I much prefer the 48" 100/120 gal setups for larger lionfishes, as the 24" front-to-back depth gives then a lot more room to stretch out and actually swim (most lionfishes are undertanked, and thus, don't do much swimming). Let's face it...and 18" wide tank, once aquascaped doesn't leave much room for a fish that ends up being a 12" - 15" cube of fish (finnage included).

If you want to stick with a large bodied lionfish, look into P. russelii (Russel's Lionfish), as they only end up being about a 10" cube, and are very close to the volitans in both appearance and habits (be sure the fish is correctly ID'd).

That being said, the medium bodied lions are better suited for an 18" wide tank, as they tend to stay in the 8" - 10" range, and there are some very pretty species in this "class" of lions. P. mombassae is a fave of ours, as is P. radiata.

Check out this article for descriptions and photos of most of the available species:

http://www.lionfishlair.com/careguides/lionfish.shtml

Most lions ship very well, altho P. radiata tends to be a little "iffy" if it isn't healthy. To be honest, I'd look into a source that gets the fishes eating and treated for any parasites prior to shipping them, as lately a lot of the lionfishes I've seen have needed treatment (mostly for flukes).

HTH

 

[zoidberg01]

A volitan lionfish are bad fish they eat anything they can, here in Puerto Rico we have a huge problem with them