what other fish could i get?

They are less expensive than a Mystery Wrasse, and you still get the colors

 

i was told tominis and koles would be fine for a 4 foot tank? they stay small. 6-7 inches.

 

Eels.

 

the lunar wrasse seems to be really agressive though. it would have to go last and i wanted something before the lionfish.

 

They can be...but they should be fine with a Lion IMO

 

even if the wrasse is added first? most of the dwarf lions ive seen are not very aggressive

 

fish that can be kept with a lion are any type of puffer (blue spotted is pretty cool), grouper (only one that can be kept in a 55, that i found, is the golden stripe soapfish but is extremely aggressive), angler (pretty much all can be kept in your size tank), boxfish (start out tiny but would eventually need a 125 gallon), foxface/rabbit (a little bit big for the size of your tank), tangs/surgeons (all of which are not really the right size for your tank and range from just a little bit too big and not well suited for your tank to extremely not well suited due to size needs), or eel (several types of eel are compatible in a 55 gallon, but be sure to check which ones because a zebra, garden eel, and chain eel are not). These are all the fish that would be A OK with a lionfish, but there are several others that can be kept with caution. It depends on the risk you want to take. It has gone both ways for me in the past almost like a 50/50 but if you have fish that are suitable for your tank setup (sizewise) then you have a better chance of them getting along.

Fish that can be kept with caution with a lionfish are dwarf angels (pretty much all are the right size but some have aggression problems) , anthias (a few can be kept in a 55), batfish (get far too big), butterflyfish (some are very well suited for your tank size), filefish (most but not all are the right size for a 55), grunts/sweetlips (too big), parrotfish (far too big), sharks/rays (far too big), squirrelfish
(little bit too big), triggerfish (a few like the undulate are suitable for a 55), wrasse (many are size suitable but not all), and hogfish (a few can be kept in a 55).

Overall, I would say if you want a fish that you know will be fine get a puffer, angler, or eel. This is taking the size of your tank into account. If you are okay with getting a fish that can be kept with caution in a lionfish tank then you could get a dwarf angel, an anthias, a butterflyfish (the auriga is very pretty), a filefish, a triggerfish (undulate more specifically), a wrasse (very pretty fish), or a hogfish. Definitely check to see the most suitable size for the specific type of fish you are interested in.

I hope this has helped you and this is just the information that I found so it is possible that the sizes can vary a little but i tried to take that into account as well. I think the fish I have suggested are the most suitable for your tank and are still some pretty awesome fish. Like i said though these are just suggestions, but some very good ones

 

what type of puffer? my lfs had a porcupine puffer (i think they get too big though?)
and a spiny box puffer that looked cool (they get 10 inches)

i checked LA and the porcupine gets FAR too big
the box puffer is a maybe. they get 10 inches though. what do you think i should do?

 

I used to have a predator tank that have a Dwarf Lion, Niger Trigger, and some kind of eel...don't remember what kind, it was 10 years ago. The Niger was on the small side so it wasn't a problem( I know several people who keep a Niger or Bursa in a 55 with no problems.) An eel or Trigger may compete for food with the lion but if you use a feeding stick then you should avoid most problems. I like the idea of keeping another predator...but that's just me.

 

ok thats cool. the niger and box puffer get the same length. so i could do a dwarf lion, box puffer, and possibly eel? idk bout the eel though..