What is your opinion on Lionfish?

I am really bored right now and am just trying to pass the time. I have been into the saltwater aquariums for about 3-4 years now and have been the proud owner of several different types of lionfish. I have two different dwarf fuzzy's (One normal, one African), a Black Volitans, a Red Volitans, and a Radiata. By far, the Radiata was the most beautiful, but it unfortunately didn't survive the move to my current house. After that we got the Red Volitans and it survived the longest on got to be rather large.

Do any of you have lionfish? Or anyone else out there like these beautiful fish?

 

You will want to check out Incognito's thread. She is the go to person when it comes to lions and cool unusual fish. Here is one of her threads

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-off-your-fish-tanks/210g-things-stings-tank-93047-7.html

Very cool fish, but I personally have not kept one in years.

 

IMO, these are easily one of, if not the, coolest fish we can get as hobbyists. when they get large and stay healthy you can't beat the look of those fins swimming through your tank.

really the only downside is their compatibility with other fish/inverts/corals/etc.

if you can get one (re: tank size, compatibility, etc.), I'd do it.

 

*waves*

Our goal is to have all the species of lionfish, which will be separated out into 4 tanks: small, medium, large and cold. The tanks will be like a 65g, 210 and a 300+ and a cold water one is about 30g.

The sphex and the bellus will be the hardest to get, followed by a true andover.

Our mombassae is the prettiest, but we especially like the black foot. They are hard to keep alive and we just clicked over to 8 months last week.

What we have now is:

volitans
male/female fuzzy (D. brachypterus)
Green dwarf (D. barberi)
Fu manchu (D. biocellatus)
Mombassae

When we get the new tank set up we will be getting the more common ones. I need that project to be completed so I can concerntrate on the weaning/conditioning/QTing aspect of it. We hope to just go to the wholesalers and get them all in one shot.... the more common ones that is.

 

You mean Incognito and Corailline are females. I am sooooooooooo shamed.

 

I had a 55 gal FOWLR tank a few years ago. I had a small/medium sized Lion with Yellow Tangs, Clowns, a Harlequin Tusk Wrasse, and some others. They all played nicely and I never really had a problem out of the Lion. I fed him live guppies about every other day and he was happy. My wife swears he was demented, because the recliner was right next to the tank and when she would look over at the tank, he would be right next to the glass staring at her. LOL

 

I love the lionfish. I had a Fu Manchu and he was my favorite.

 

Yuppers!

 

I hav kept a few of the dwarf speciae and have a volitan currently that is quite large. Its bordering outgrowing my sons 92 corner tank. I like them and they are very neat looking but they dont do much only see it swimming when its time to eat.

 

Mine are constant beggers. It's always time to eat in their heads, so they are always swimming. I wondering if it's going to be a problem, actually, with them soom being moved to a common area verses a less traffic area. When I enter the room they are like glass decals.