what can i include with a lionfish

[spacenyc]

setting up a 120 gallon vertical acrylic tank. want to build the contents around lionfish. tank is too high to have any coral. what is a good type of lion to have in this tank. what are some good tankmates .was hopeing to have trigger or some tangs but afraid they might be too aggresive. also intrested in clown sweetlips but hear they are very delicate, so, open to advice on what to have

 

[Dre]

What about a lionfish only tank?The volitans are available in different colors .It may take a while to find rare ones like the black,white and red.These have little or no stripes on them.If you decide to go that route add them all at once.You may need a holding tank.You won't be disappointed.

 

[huffnpuffer]

in the past i had a volitan lion and a sail fin tang and they worked great together. just make sure that any fish u put in with the lion is not to small. their mouths open real big and swallow the little ones whole. i also heard that groupers go well with lions. they come in beautiful colors to. good luck keep us posted

 

[dubs]

when i had fish only i had puffer and trigger with lions fish and no problem i put them at the same time tho so they grew together i tried adding new fish after few months no luck the trigger once they get used to there tank they get very aggressive with new tank mate

 

[greggnyce]

If it is a vertical tank, tangs are probably not a good option. They need more space to swim. Lions and puffers could be cool or an eel.

 

[Awibrandy]

You need to be aware of the fact that triggers, groupers, and puffers will more then likely nip at the lion's fins.

As well as that lion fish eat other lion fish if they are small enough to fit in their mouths.

Another thing is that lion fish grow very large very fast. With that being said I would advice you to add your smaller fish (obviously all smaller fish should grow to at least 6") 4" fish may work as well, but you must keep a close eye on them if you go the 4" route.
Best wishes on what ever you decide.....

I will be taking the chance with dwarf angels in my fowlr along with a black peacock volitan lion. I plan to introduce the angels first, wait until they are fully grown, and then add the lion.

 

[dacaptain78]

+1 for what Awibrandy said. I pressed my luck and added a Humu Humu trigger to my FOWLF. The first thing the Humu Humu did was nip at my lionfish. Needless to say that trigger was out of my tank in under 3 minutes.

My lionfish has lived peacefully with wrasses, maroon clowns, tangs, angels, eels and butterflies. Keep in mind that some tangs and angels can become extremely territorial. Such fish should be added last, or at least after the lionfish is introduced.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[jrobbins]

Have you read the article in the magazine yet on keeping lions? Might be a good place to start.

 

[spacenyc]

fin nipping

keep on reading about the fin nipping as the biggest problem

 

[Awibrandy]

keep on reading about the fin nipping as the biggest problem

Yes, that is the biggest problem! Don't minimize the fin nipping as this will stress the Lion Fish out, and bring on disease.. Eventually death.................

 

[prattreef]

This article form the current issue of MR's own Reefs Magazine might be of interest:

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/reefs-magazine/62445-into-lions-den.html

 

[spacenyc]

thanks for the link

will read today