[Wisdom16]

Photo Courtesy of E_Americanus aka Solomon

Scientific Name: Pterois volitans

Common Name: Volitan Lionfish

Habitat: Reef areas of the Indo-Pacific. Loves to hide in shelters and in caves. Has been spotted on the East Coast of the United States.

Max Size: ~15-18 inches

Minimal Tank Size: 125 Gallon Tank

Ph: 8.0-8.3

Temp: 77-82 degrees Farenheit

Diet: Eats shrimp, crabs, and small fish. Note: Never feed Goldfish!
Guide to weaning them off live foods: First, feed the Lionfish one last time. Then do not feed the fish for 2 days. Get something like a feeding prod (Solomon suggested a hard piece of rigid airline tubing) and move the frozen foods in a life-like motion. Usually the lionfish will not take the food right off, but keep trying. If your lionfish doesn't eat after the 5th day, feed him some ghost shrimp (gutloaded first) and keep trying. Eventually the fish should take the frozen foods.

Aggression: Usually peaceful fish. WILL eat anything it can fit in its mouth.

Reproduction: The lionfish has been bred in the captive enviroment. The babies haven't been succesfully raised in captivity yet.

Notes: Never feed goldfish. This cannot be stressed enough. Goldfish cause diseases in the liver that will kill your lionfish, plus goldfish have no nutritional value what so ever for a lionfish.
Lionfish have venomous spines running along their back, behind their caudal fins, and there are approximately 3 spines in the anal fin. If you are stung by a lionfish, run hot water over the wound. Seek medical attention immediately because you could have an allergic reaction to the sting.

Tips: If you are cycling your future lionfish tank, you can add mollies to the tank. Just acclimate them and let them go. The mollies will eat the marine algae that grows. After being in a saltwater tank for a few months, they are a better meal for your saltwater preds than anything else because of the marine algae and the prepared foods in their gut. When they have babies you get another batch of food for your small preds.

This post has been edited by ProSeWV: 30 July 2004 - 03:41 PM