Lion fish without live rock?

[lalaland]

Hi,

Can I convert my fresh water tank to a marine one for a lion fish?

I want a fish only setup and only want a lion fish, but I don't want to spend loads on live rock if possible.

One person I spoke to said I should be ok without it, but I want to confirm if this is true before I go ahead.

My tank is 160 litres and currently empty.

Anyone know?

Thanks

 

[fraservet]

I don't use live rock in my fish only tanks.
As long as you have a lot of filtration - probably a big external canister in a tank that size - the filter medium does pretty much the same job as the live rock.
You will have to do regular water changes.
I personally think live rock is overpriced and overrated - although most people will probably disagree.

As for keeping a lionfish, what type did you have in mind?

The most commonly seen (Volitans) would be too big for your tank as would most of the others. Perhaps one of the dwarf species would be ok.

 

[Navarre]

Lionfish need good filters. As has been mentioned, a LARGE external canister is needed and very regualr water changes. (I would advise this even with Liverock)

Lions grow large... VERY LARGE and i would not house one in less than 100 gallons and even then it would be on its own. However dwarf lions may well be ok for a tank this size.. however.. if you have a dwarf lionfish, they live naturally around liverock cav entrances etc so what are you going to provide to make it feel at home and in its naturral environments if liverock wont be used?

 

[Def]

Heh, was talking about this yesterday. Have to disagree with Navarre's tank sizes, I did some research on these because I want one too. Pterios volitans is the one everyone thinks of when they say "lionfish", it grows to 15" + and needs 50gallons. Pterios mombasae is the dwarf lionfish and looks very similar to volitans, but it only grows to 6" and needs 30gallons - so it's far more suitable. Remember they are carnivores so need live food etc and will apparently eat anything they can get near. They're pretty lazy though...

 

[Navarre]

Its not the swimming space they need, its the waste they produce. these fish produce anormous amounts of ammonia by just breathing!

15" is the size of hte fish from head to base of tail. this doesnt include ira tail or its fins. 15" of fish like this means another 8 inches at least of tail .. add together add together and it makes 23" a 24x24x24 tank is 50 gallons.

 

[fraservet]

Navarre said HE wouldn't keep a volitans in anything less than 100 gallons - from his previous posts, he seems to be the kind of person who prefers to give fish as good an environment as possible, not the minimum required.

The mombasa lionfish is A dwarf lionfish which as you said looks quite like the volitans (make sure you get the right one). There are various other dwarf lionfish available.

As mentioned, this could be kept in a 160l tank - but would require good filtration.

As for natural environment - my fish have a rather nice selection of non-live rock which forms caves and shelters. This rock soon gets a nice covering of algae, making it look pretty good.

 

[Fishy411]

Fuzzy dwarf, Zebra dwarf, fu manchu, and antennata can all be kept in a 30 gallon. Radiata and Russells can be kept in a 55 if they are the only fish and Volitan ( big one ) needs at leas 75 preferably more.

If i were u i would go for the Antennata as thjey are the biggest and would probly feel better without a place to hide. Look on Liveaquaria and they have all the fidderent kinds of lionfish that are commonly available.

 

[lalaland]

Thanks for the replies, it seems like the lion may not be suitable for my tank then.

Any other suggestions of what I could have for fish only?

Thanks

 

[Navarre]

A smaller lion would be ok. Or perhaps one of the smaller triggers? Pink tail or Bluethroat? Dragon wrasse is a stunning fish and lot of character too.

 

[lalaland]

I suppose I am looking for something interesting (hence the Lion), possibley something to eat live foods, not quite sure.... (no I am not blood thisrty, otherwise I'd have piranhas)

If it's going to be a single fish then plenty of character and interesting behaviour would be important. If not (can I have a few in that tank??) then I am not sure what I would have in number. I like the multicoloured fish in the shops, but not sure about them.

 

[Navarre]

If you have ever been near an Undulate trigger then you will know the meaning of the word nasty! Lions are ok but by no means the predators that an undulate is. Watching an undulate stalk behind liverock then rush out to crush an unsuspecting crab is quite alarming.

A bluthroat and small loin could go togehter... perhaps even the dragon wrasse could. These fish will re-arrange your rockwork for you though

 

[Fishy411]

no if u r a beginner than a Trigger and lion is NOT for u. Bluethroats are actually one of the more docile species but almost all triggers nip lions fins. Dragon Wrasses can grow up to one foot. triggers need at least 75 gallons. I think the most interesting fish for yur tank is a Lemonpeel angel. They are pretty small so small bioload and are interesting.

 

[Navarre]

Having owned a bluethroat i have never yet seen it nip any fins. It was actually so nervous it was territified of its own reflection.
True, a dragon wrasse does grow large over time but i dont consider lions a fish for experienced owners. As long as thet are treated with respect then they can be kept fairly easily. Their poison and their waste products need to be watche dof course.

 

[lalaland]

I have quite a lot of experience with tropical fish, so I am not 100% new to fish keeping, although I admit I know very little of marine stuff...

I have read that the Lion fish is quite hardy and should be ok for someone like me.

 

[Def]

Those dragons are amazing, saw one for the first time a few days ago. Only problem is, it was still a juvenile (less than 5") and it was chucking sand and small bits of rock all over the tank. Definately not reef safe, especially when they grow to over a foot long...