Black Volitan Lionfish

[armison89]

how big of a tank do i need for 1 black volitan lionfish? he will be the only fish in the tank.

[FMarini]

an adult volitans is the size of an american football. (15-17") they also have a wide pectoral fin "wingspan", so if you want them to be comfortable turning around, the tanks should be a minimum of 18" wide.
I've stated in the lionfish info sheet (http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/) and in my book (see avatar), that at an absolute minimum a 85 gal, but more like 100 gal is best.(bigger is better here)

Remember that P Volitans is one of the fastest growing fish- i had ever seen, they reach adult size in 1 yr to 1.5yrs. So this limits your thoughts about starting them in a little tank and then you upgrading, since the fish will likely be 8-10" in 6-8 months.

[armison89]

thanks. how big should my qtin tank be for an 8" lion? how much is an 8" lion normally?

[armison89]

will a tank thats 48x17x18 work?

[namxas]

Yes, that will be fine as a QT.

As for tank size, I agree with Frank...the bigger the better. One thing about keeping lions in "proper" tanks is that if they have the room, they will indeed perch less and will swim around much more than if they feel cramped (or intimidated by aggressive or fast-moving tankmates.

FWIW, we got our P. volitans as a tiny juvie and it has outgrown three setups (6 gal, 24 gal, 60 gal) and is in its fourth, which is a 48" x 24" x 20" 100 gal.

[michael_cb_125]

They get pretty big....

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/michael_cb_125/IMG_2319.jpg

~Michael

[armison89]

how long can/should i keep him in the 60 gallon qtin tank?

im thinking of getting a 120 if i can find one cheap if not then my 90 will be his home.

can i keep any swimming fish with the lion in a 90 or 120 gallon? (eel,puffer,butterfly,foxface,wrasse)

im planning on having around 2 scorpians in the tank. i really want a goblin if i can find one.

[namxas]

No on the puffer, but the others are fine.

As for "how long"...figure that the lion will end up being at least a 12" cube of fish (counting fins). Now look at the tank and imagine a 12" cube trying to maneuver around your QT for an extended period. How quickly a lion grows depends on how much (and what) it's fed and how much room it has, as they are indeed subject to a certain amount of "tank stunting".

You just need to truthfully ask yourself whether you're REALLY going to upgrade or whether it will always be "Man, I'd sure like to upgrade".

If the answer is the latter, look into one of the medium-bodied lionfish species.

[armison89]

christmas time is when i going to spend on my tanks. i was thinking of starting my 135 and doing a trigger tank but now im thinking about the lion tank after i saw him yesterday. so if i get him i would have the upgrade up and running around new years.

[armison89]

Zebra Moray Eel (Gymnomuraena zebra)
Snowflake Eel (Echidna nebulosa)
Saddleback Butterflyfish (Chaetodon ephippium)
Foxface Lo (Siganus vulpinus)
Harlequin Tusk (Choerodon fasciatus)
Goldbar Wrasse (Thalassoma hebraicum)
goblin
Black Volitan Lionfish

what would be the best combo for a 90 or 120?

[jarrod13]

If it were me I would stick with the eels or the goblin (goblin being my first choice obviously) because the others are fast swimmers and could cause the lion to stay perched more often than swimming. At the most I would do the butterfly with the lion

[MrTuskfish]

They get pretty big....

http://i158.photobucket.com/albums/t118/michael_cb_125/IMG_2319.jpg

~Michael

I've never owned a cooler that was any where big enough to hold the day's fish catch and the day's beer.