considering a volitans lionfish for my tank setup

[tetraTim]

I've dabbled in brackish with my G tiles morays and toadfish, but never ventured into full-blown marine. My current 150gallon tank (60x30x24) is home to tropicals and has a large external filter keeping things clean.

Lionfish have always caught my eye, especially the volitans - I'd love to have a tank dedicated to them. Got a few questions, lol.

Would my tank be big enough for multiple lionfish? I'm not keen on just having one, to be honest. If it's doable, how many could I realistically keep, and would they get along for the long haul?

Also, could I keep a moray in the same tank, or would it be better to stick with the ones I already have? And what about a puffer - is that a possibility?

I'm guessing a protein skimmer would be a must, but would that be enough, or would I need to make more significant changes to the setup?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated - I'm really excited about the possibility of setting up a lionfish tank now, lol.

[reefcast]

When keeping lionfish together, they can be pretty chill with each other, but you gotta keep an eye out for aggression. If things start to get hairy, you'll need to remove the troublemaker to keep the peace.

Lionfish are best in fish-only tanks, so you can reuse some of the gear from your tropical setup, but you'll definitely need a protein skimmer. The lighting might work, but forget about most corals - mushroom polyps might be okay, though. For the rest, you'll need to get:

A hydrometer, for one.
A powerhead or pump for water movement - aim for 10 tank turnovers per hour, minimum.
Some live rock for biological filtration.
Food, obviously.
An RO unit - not strictly necessary, but a good investment.
An algae scraper.
Some chemical filtration media, like carbon or rowaphos.

[flynix]

I'd say you can definitely keep coflakes with lionfish, the reason they're not considered reef safe is they eat small fish and shrimps, but with lionfish it should be fine. A moray would be okay too, but I'd avoid a puffer if I were you. A nice big skimmer would be really beneficial for the setup.

[reefcast]

I'd say you can definitely keep coflakes with lionfish, the reason they're not considered reef safe is they eat small fish and shrimps, but with lionfish it should be fine. A moray would be okay too, but I'd avoid a puffer if I were you. A nice big skimmer would be really beneficial for the setup.

Soft corals are the way to go, I'm not too sure about SPS or LPS corals. If you do decide to keep them, I'd recommend soft corals, they're generally more compatible with lionfish.

[flynix]

Here's a great resource for lionfish: http/www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/...ature/index.php. They generally get along with most corals, mainly targeting small fish and shrimp. I don't think they'd be able to bother corals too much. Morays and corals can also coexist peacefully.

[fleeton]

Yeah, you're right, lionfish aren't a threat to coflakes. They're more interested in snatching up smaller fish, shrimps, and the odd crab. Just keep in mind, those lionfish can open their mouths ridiculously wide. The moray will be fine, but a lot of other fish would be at risk.

[tetraTim]

Thanks for the advice, guys. So with my tank size, I'm thinking I could maybe get four young lionfish and see how they do as they grow. I'm not too fussed about the coflakes and all that, but I was thinking of getting some big pieces of rock with holes in for the eels, that'd be cool.

If I just stick with my current lighting, do you think the lionfish would actually prefer the lower lighting?

[finnix25]

Four lionfish, I've got to say that's quite an investment. I'm not sure if I'm ready to break the bank just yet, I mean they're around $200 AUD each, right? That's a pretty penny, but I suppose it'd be worth it to see them thrive in a well-set-up tank.

[tetraTim]

Four lionfish, I've got to say that's quite an investment. I'm not sure if I'm ready to break the bank just yet, I mean they're around $200 AUD each, right? That's a pretty penny, but I suppose it'd be worth it to see them thrive in a well-set-up tank.

I'm not sure what that works out to in pounds, but in my local shop, they're around £20-£25. Still a pretty penny, but I think I could sneak that one past the wife, lol.

[finnix25]

Mate, you're a lucky bloke, lionfish are pricey. I think Frontosas cost around that much here, and if I'm right, the exchange rate is roughly three to one, so that's a pretty sweet deal you're getting.