Growth Rate of a Lion

in short: i want to know your experiences with a volitian lion. i know that these guys can get to be over a foot eventually but i have no clue how fast they can get there.

in long: I have a 50, all drilled up with an internal overflow that i got out of a frag deal. i can't have it just sitting there! so i figured head to CR and find a cheapo 48" t8 light and a skimmer, build a little stand and canopy and slap my 30g sump under there with some macro, rock and a growlight, bob's your uncle and i have an aggressive tank. I would like to put a small (3-4 inch) Lion in there with MAYBE a comparably sized spotted or valentini puffer. i hate to be the guy that says he will upgrade his tank before the fish gets too big so i was wondering how long, if at all, will this guy get too big for this tank?

the dimensions are approx 12Wx 48L x 20D

 

Volitan Lionfish will grow fast, but they grow even faster the more you feed them. They will gorge themselves until they have a distended belly. If you want them to grow at a slower rate, you can try to limit the quantity of food.

 

i'm a pretty light feeder in practice. due to water quality control i can't imagine myself going nuts feeding this guy. as far as "fast" or "slow" i guess i'm interested in quantitative measurements, like "this guy could clear a foot within a year".

in my mind, they are relatively inactive/slow and don't cruise the tank like other fish, but a 12inch long fish in a 50g tank might seem cramped to me

 

after doing a bit of reading i think that a Volitan might be pushing it. all's well, the antennata lion is at least 3 inches smaller and looks totally rad. any lionfish lovers out there with an opinion?

 

if you want a lion and dont want to upgrade anytime soon look at a fumanchu their a really cool looking fish and their a dwarf species should be fine in a 50 even at full size, one thing to remember is sometimes their hard to get to move off live fish though as food so may take some luck to get one to eat frozen

 

i have had 4 different lions in 5 yrs....my volitan lion grew from 3 inches to 8 in in length in about 3 years.....but the radius of the fins was massive, about 12 in ....feed him on huge meal once a week....about 2o live feeder shrimp or 12 silversides....not to much not to little and it will be in perfect health and totally satisfied. mine was never starved; he was my prize till he finally reached about 11 in long 17 in radius and abit bossy with all of my maintenance fish