Dwarf Lionfish

[Audfish]

My husband wants to get a tank with a dwarf lionfish. What other fish can he be with. The tank is going to be a 20 gallon, so I know we can't put too many other fish with him. Does anyone have any experience with dwarf lionfish? I'd love to know what an owner thinks of having one and what do you feed your fish?

 

[@ombomb]

what can you put in with a dwarf lion...?

FOOD

 

[shibby]

the only lionfish i no off that could fit in a 20gal is a fu manchu. as for potential tankmates anything it wont be able to fit in its mouth but in a 20gal that may be hard, also be careful when doing there tanks had to clean out the lionfishes tanks at work today and they dont half sneak up on you if your not paying attention!

 

[norite]

Another lionfish?

 

[Audfish]

Mu husband just ordered the tank, it's going to be a 30 gal, so that will give him some more room. Are there any perhaps size limits you can give me? EX: nothing under 4 in...

Another lionfish?

Won't they like battle to the death?

 

[andywg]

Some lionfish (notably Dendrochirus zebra will fight a lot, others (such as the far too large Pterois volitans) are known to hunt in shoals, or "prides".

a 30 gallon (according to Scott Michael) opens up a whole world of choices. He states that all the Dendrochirus spp can be kept in a 30 gallon, as well as Pterois antennata. I would be loathe to put P. antennata in such a tank (but then they are unklikely to get much larger than 6-7").

Essentially you don't want any slim fish less than 2/3 thse size of the lionfish. In the case of the ubiquitous fuzzy dwarf lionfish (Dendrichirus brachypterus) you will probably be looking for fish that get to at least 3, and preferably 4" and have a bit of bulk on them.

 

[sophos9]

A Frogfish

 

[andywg]

A Frogfish

That would not be wise. The frogfish would eat the dwarf lion.

 

[sophos9]

That would not be wise. The frogfish would eat the dwarf lion.

Yea I know, was only joking.... I found the perceived images kinda amusing

 

[andywg]

That would not be wise. The frogfish would eat the dwarf lion.

Yea I know, was only joking.... I found the perceived images kinda amusing

In which case, try and find some images Scott Michael took a while ago. He tried keeping a frogfish (forget the species)with a Pteoris radiata and got photos of the frogfish taking in the lion that is larger than the frog. Pretty impressive pics. It seems that frogs have a particular taste for scorpionfish, being apparently unaffected by the venom.

 

[MEL07]

in my opinion i dont think that there is anything you could put in a 30 gallon tank that wouldnt soon become food for the lion.

 

[sophos9]

In which case, try and find some images Scott Michael took a while ago. He tried keeping a frogfish (forget the species)with a Pteoris radiata and got photos of the frogfish taking in the lion that is larger than the frog. Pretty impressive pics. It seems that frogs have a particular taste for scorpionfish, being apparently unaffected by the venom.

Apprently they have the fastest biting action of all fish! Will have a search around. You could keep a Frogfish and breed mollys....

 

[andywg]

in my opinion i dont think that there is anything you could put in a 30 gallon tank that wouldnt soon become food for the lion.

In a 30 there is plenty. Any fish that will grow to a good 4" or so should be fine. 3" should be ok with most fumanchu lions as these almost never get past 5" and are rarely seen at much over 4" in aquaria.

Also, if you make it a pred FOWLR with decent skimming, you can stock heavier than one would with a reef.

There;s quite a few dwarf eels that could be tried in such a tank. Or else there are a number of benthic scorpionfish such as the Rhinopias spp.

Apprently they have the fastest biting action of all fish! Will have a search around. You could keep a Frogfish and breed mollys....

The strike speed of a frogfish is somewhat amazing and considered to be possibly the fastest in all vertebrates. It has been measured as 0.006 (or 6 thousandths) of a second from commencing to engulfing the prey. I have witnessed it and it is truly amazing to see, and one of the most endearing traits of frogfish to me.

 

[n3ont3tra]

The strike speed of a frogfish is somewhat amazing and considered to be possibly the fastest in all vertebrates. It has been measured as 0.006 (or 6 thousandths) of a second from commencing to engulfing the prey. I have witnessed it and it is truly amazing to see, and one of the most endearing traits of frogfish to me.

You can see it? I thought it would be too fast to actually watch... *goes to look at types of frogfish*

 

[Audfish]

So, can either of you recommend some fish species to go in with him that you perhaps particularly like. My husband wants a blue fish.