Lionfish in a 20 gallon till upgrade?

[Ramiro Casal]

I have a 20 gallon tank with plenty of live rock, 2 clown fish and fire fish and I really want to have a dwarf lion fish. I know they need a way larger tank than 20 gallons but I was wondering if I could house a very small dwarf fuzzy lion fish or a dwarf zebra lion fish in the 20 gallon for around 6 months till I upgrade to a larger tank. And if I can which one should it be?
Thank you

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I would wait until you have the larger tank, then buy the fish. What happens if you cannot afford the larger tank upgrade due to something coming up? What if you change your mind and no longer want a large tank? Always tank first, then fish IMO...

 

[Ramiro Casal]

I would wait until you have the larger tank, then buy the fish. What happens if you cannot afford the larger tank upgrade due to something coming up? What if you change your mind and no longer want a large tank? Always tank first, then fish IMO...

The thing is that I am 100% sure that I will be able to upgrade, the only reason that I don't have a larger tank is because I am in college and the max tank size for my dorm is 20 gallons...

 

[SashimiTurtle]

I'd still wait until you graduate or move out of dorm. There are plenty of fish that will be happy in a 20g. That lion will try and eat anything that fits in its mouth too, fire fish and clown included.

 

[meir]

Honestly man, ik I'm gonna get hate for this, but go for it, I have 20+ fish in my 40b and due to the good husbandry, it's doing amazing. IMO if you think you can handle the lion then go for it.....word of caution, they eat fish so be careful and keep an eye on yours!!

 

[Ramiro Casal]

I'd still wait until you graduate or move out of dorm. There are plenty of fish that will be happy in a 20g. That lion will try and eat anything that fits in its mouth too, fire fish and clown included.

I am not too worried about the fish getting eaten, the lions at my LFS were tiny and I don't know how fast they grow but I dont think that in 6 months it can grow enough to eat the other fish. Its more about the well-being of the lion. The reason I really want the lion fish is because this might sound dumb but I want the tank to have like an alpha fish that is always swimming around with a good personality that is very eye catching.

 

[Forsaken77]

I am not too worried about the fish getting eaten, the lions at my LFS were tiny and I don't know how fast they grow but I dont think that in 6 months it can grow enough to eat the other fish. The reason I really want the lion fish is because this might sound dumb but I want the tank to have like an alpha fish that is always swimming around with a good personality that is very eye catching.

I lionfish, even the dwarfs, can easily eat a firefish and small clown fish at just a few inches. Their mouths are huge and it'll eat the fish and have its tail hanging out of its mouth if it's hungry. They also grow fast and eat a LOT!

 

[Ramiro Casal]

I lionfish, even the dwarfs, can easily eat a firefish and small clown fish at just a few inches. Their mouths are huge and it'll eat the fish and have its tail hanging out of its mouth if it's hungry. They also grow fast and eat a LOT!

Damm, I guess I will have to wait then.
Thanks for the info