"Reef safe" predatory fish ?

[CC_N]

I am wondering can i add a dwarf lionfish(fuzzy, etc) and a leaf fish for my reef tank ?
my smallest fish currently are a splendid dottyback which is about 1.5inch and i'd like to hear if this will work out

 

[davidcalgary29]

I am wondering can i add a dwarf lionfish(fuzzy, etc) and a leaf fish for my reef tank ?
my smallest fish currently are a splendid dottyback which is about 1.5inch and i'd like to hear if this will work out

It certainly will...for the lionfish. If a fish can fit in the lionfish's mouth (and they have big mouths), it's potentially a meal.

 

[AydenLincoln]

No! A predatory fish is in the name and not reef-safe for a reason! If it fits in their mouths or is an invert then it’s a yummy snack. Predatory and non-reef safe fish includes lionfish, puffers, triggers, many wrasses, and most angelfish. Think of it like a dog or wolf with a high-prey drive and hunting instinct!

 

[littlefoxx]

I am wondering can i add a dwarf lionfish(fuzzy, etc) and a leaf fish for my reef tank ?
my smallest fish currently are a splendid dottyback which is about 1.5inch and i'd like to hear if this will work out

I wondered the same thing when I started, l love lionfish!! But doing research they wont work with small inverts or fish they can eat. Lions wont touch corals, your dottyback may be eaten if the lion can catch it or it messes with the lion as dottybacks tend to do. You may want to look at a marine betta (comet grouper). Beautiful fish, and while technically a predator its less apt to eat fish and inverts if well fed. It prefers to hide and stick its bum out (which happens to look like a morey eel). I dont have one but when I upgrade my tank to a larger tank thats first on the list for me. With Most of the research Ive done this fish is very peaceful and wont bother tank mates or inverts (may mess with shrimps Ive seen) if they are well fed. Will not mess with corals either.

 

[CC_N]

thank you. this seems like a really good candidate

 

[littlefoxx]

thank you. this seems like a really good candidate

Yeah they are awesome. They do get big but are not very active, l think everything Ive seen says a minimum of 65 gallons for them

 

[CC_N]

i think i have found my best bet
they are local here but not by any mean popular at all.
plesiops oxycephalus

hes at my friends house and wild collected. beautiful fish

 

[cooltowncorals]

I’ve had a dwarf for a short time be careful where you source from if put in copper can kill them months later from liver or kidney.

go read lion kings threads in here first, dwarfs are particularly hard to keep

Was insanely cool when I had one perching from spot to spot waiting to eat but decided not to go with a second after I had my last one died.

the bigger ones I believe are ok on frozen only but the dwarves need live.

as far as reef safe didn’t mess with corals or clams or snails or hermits. Didn’t have anything smaller than a leopard wrasse in tank though and she was 4 inches.