39 replies to this topic

[NicholasC]

Moved from another section:

What about dwarf lionfish, would they be small enough to fit in that tank???

I'd love to get a SW tank, but don't have the space or money at the moment to do the job properly, so just holding my horses...

and yeah at Pisces in Willetton they have a bunch of the lionfish and a shark (which i think they have sold)... But while waiting, i'm making sure to do plenty of reading first so don't make costly mistakes... seems the lionfish like to eat invertebates, and seeing i will probably want a few shrimp and crabs (and a single shrimp can cost over $100!!!!) have to decide early exactly what combination of fishes, invertebrates and corals etc i would like to keep....

but still will probably keep a few fresh water tanks as well... doesn't have to be one or the other...

Well i like the volitans and the dwarf just arnt my kind of lionfish, i will buy it small and i am checking with someone on a 4 foot tank might be a bit better for him.

I only want the lionfish and some liverock, i am not that fond of inverts.

Also many people get stone fish and lions mixed with each other in the poison range, the Lion fishes poison is eradicated if submersed in water 35 degress + but you still need a trip to a doctor to xray and see if any barbs are left in, also it is only fatal in very rare cases where the person has a weak heart or is allergic to stuff like bee venom etc.

[Casanova]

well i would still want to know where it is everytime i put my hand in the tank, even if as i have read somewhere the pain might be a bit more than that of a beesting or so for some types of lion fish...

As i said i would like one, but in the end i will probably opt for different fish, as i'm sure even then i will have more wants than i have room in the tank to properly house them all.... i mean eels and all sorts of things would be nice, but you have to place limits on yourself....

and the shrimp and stuff look quite nice, but the prices can be a bit steep for something that could drop off the twig pretty easily by the looks of them, but if they and the crabs and snails help in cleaning up the tank and keeping things tidy, and don't cost much, these seem like a reasonable investment to me...

but everyone is different and looking for different things...

[NicholasC]

I love coral but the steep prices they put on them like $65 for something the size of a tennis ball coin its a big error if you kill it, i will take all the precautions though like not putting my hand in there ill magnetically clean it and doing all the inside of the tank when he is in a bucket or not in it.

[Casanova]

yeah, only a few of the fish are advertised as captive bred, often clowns and a few others... so your right craig, best to start slow so the tank isn't overstressed when you start off and build up over time as your experience increases... you can find lists of fish suggested for newbies and i don't think the lionfish is one of them actually, but anyway i have no clue of anyones experiece, that thought just came to me....

and yes SW tanks are supposed to be more difficult, but the colours of the fish and corals and stuff is just incredible... that's why starting with a decent size tank will be the way i go, rather than just starting off small to "see if SW tanks are for me"... if after a year or two your still interested, its probably not a passing fancy, and bigger tanks don't cost all that much more than setting up small SW tanks (that you find you can only keep 3-4 fish in), and you can fit more fish in without stressing the parameters if you don't want to push the water change routines, and the environment is more easily kept stable....

but yeah, have to make sure your ready as it is a big step... and everyone in the hobby seems to say read and ask as many questions as possible first...

[NicholasC]

We have the money and time to put into keeping them alive, mabey not the coral but we are getting everything we need for it.

I have looked into the decision and i know whats involved, i have never made a decision without looking into it first, I have done all the research and i know what size the lionfish are capable of, and i have been monitoring a live one at the LFS for some time watching its growth in a store 3 footer 8O but he still lives and is quite healthy.

I might have too look into that dwarf lionfish as well but i have my mind set on the lionfish even if i have to ump my tanks up to 5 foot+, we have a sump been built, heaters for the 25 degrees the lionfish need, Protein skimmer is been built and we can get alot more if needed. A LFS sells salt water for 15c a liter so we have some big water drums we can fill up and then cycle it as needed.

I know what i am doing and i know what it takes.

[Casanova]

i'm sure you do, and probably got more input than you were bargaining on....

[NicholasC]

Lion fish are quite hardy fish, as long as you feed them non live fish so they don't die when you cannot supply them. A Google search on marine starter fish said that the following are good lionfish starter fish:

Volitan Pterois volitans
Antennata Pterois antennata
Radiata Pterois radiata
Dwarf Lionfish Dendrochirus brachypterus

These are the only Lionfish species we recommend for starting a marine aquarium. The Radiata Lionfish is questionable, but we have had success with them as a starter fish. All Lionfish have poisonous, sharp dorsal fin rays. Great care should be taken not to get stung when you are cleaning the aquarium

[NicholasC]

Well the dwarf lionfish doesn't require a 6 footer and i said if i must i will get a 5 or 6 footer, I never said i was going to put it into a 3 footer!

A 4 footer with only 2-3cm of substrate and small amount of coral will be more than adequate for one dwarf lionfish.

[Iamsam]

if it was me i would get the 6ft cos than it will house it more comfortable (tthe bigger the better ) but than you can also add more liverock and corals and set it up to look nicer. just my opinion

[dazzabozza]

Also check out the Foo man choo it's similiar to the lionfish.

[NicholasC]

I understand where your coming from, and i know i have seen many people at the LFS's with me who buy a FW or even SW tank and plan to set it up over the weekend and be back on monday for fish! :roll:

I am first buying the salt water about 120liters to fill the 4 foot and then buying some live rock and coral sand, after about a week the cloudiness goes and it becomes clear. About 1-2 months later you need to look for a starter fish and why not get a dwarf lionfish, all SW fish cost alot and why not have something that is want i wanted, i don't want the damsel to be stung and die once i put in the lionfish or even be eaten! 8O

[NicholasC]

I guess you have a point there just i wanted to start out no small but i guess medium, the dwarf when ever i see them in the shops would get lost in a 6 footer but if i am going to all that trouble to make a sump i guess a 5 or 6 would be the best way to go :roll:

[NicholasC]

Also between you and me the barramundi we have is beating up the black bream and even KILLED one last night!!! They are currentley in a 6 footer with a sump and everything, right in our dining room.

Ill try to see what my brother wants to do with it but lets just say i could get a volitans lionfish if i had that tank

[Casanova]

yep, like the others bigger is better is the way to go, allows for all your future expansion possibilities without having to start up a whole new tank... or break down the old one and transfer everything over blah, blah, blah....

as to whether lionfish is a good starter fish, was reading somewhere on the web (do you think i can find it!!) that lionfish and some other species weren't recommended, but then i'm sure other sites will say different, and others will have varying opinions... i imagine the fact it can eat other fishes plus its poison were a couple of the things counting against it... but if thats what you want, and you know what your planning, why not...

although talking about all marine fish being expensive, the volitans i saw were up around the $50-60 mark, while some of the other types, green chromis i think etc, can be down around the $10 mark if i recall correctly, and some of those damsel fish can be quite reasonable....

but you seem to know what you want... the 6ft tank is the best suggestion so far though...

[dazzabozza]

If u want starters for cycling u can introduce black mollies to SW.