Dwarf Lion Fish

[STUandJO]

Hello all

At the moment i have a pair of clowns and 2 devil damsels in a reef set up. The tank is 350L.

Is a dwarf lion fish suitable for my tank?

How big do they grow to and how do you tell the differance between the normal and the dwarf?

Cheers

Stu

 

[hammy7387]

Yes i would say a dwarf would be great in your tank i had one in my last tank.

Im sure they dont grow over 3 inches.

Dont think theres much difference between normal and dwarf they look great and mine was hand fed on prawns they have a huge mouth.

 

[Lynden]

Dwarf... include the entire Dendrochirus genus and a few Pterois... P. sphex, P. antennata, etcetera.

Not a single dwarf stays under 3'' but they all stay under about 8'' if I remember correctly.

 

[andywg]

Dwarf will usually only refer to the genus Dendrochirus with the largest normally available (Dendrochirus zebra) getting to a max wild size of 7.1", but expect 1-1.5" less than that in the aquarium. The way to spot this genus from Pterois) is that the pectoral fin rays have a membrane which comes to very near the tip of the rays, rather than the protruding rays of Pterois spp

The most commonly seen will be Dendrochirus brachypterus or Fuzzy dwarf lionfish. This has a max size of 6.7" but will rarely break the 5" barrier. There is the potential for consumption of the clowns if they are a smaller breed and do not get much past the 2" mark.