Tell me why I can't have a dwarf lionfish?

[DracoKat]

A while ago I said "I can't have dwarf lionfish".. and for the life of me I cannot remember why or what stopped me.

This is my present setup, can someone tell me why I can't have a dwarf lionfish or two? I've been itching to get one.

75g with 40g sump
Mostly soft corals
No shrimps or inverts except snails
Foxface
Pair of clowns
Flame hawkfish
2 filefish (2 different genus)
full-size engineer goby
2 PJ Cardinals
Red Coris Wrasse
Bristletooth tang

I know they're messy, would a dwarf make it too much for the tank?

 

[ohuru-reefer]

Good question here for the response.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Because you said so??

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

The problem that I foresee is the lion eating the clownfish and cardinals. Anything under 3 inches is fair game for a dwarf fuzzy.

 

[lion king]

An answer: do you understand their feeding challenges and are you willing to commit to feeding them live food if you can't get them to accept the appropriate nutritionally diverse dead foods required for long term success. Honestly in a community tank with your stocking it will be a rare thing if they survive long.

 

[DracoKat]

The problem that I foresee is the lion eating the clownfish and cardinals. Anything under 3 inches is fair game for a dwarf fuzzy.

Even for a dwarf? the clowns are bigger than the cardinals, but yea, I can see the risks

An answer: do you understand their feeding challenges and are you willing to commit to feeding them live food if you can't get them to accept the appropriate nutritionally diverse dead foods required for long term success. Honestly in a community tank with your stocking it will be a rare thing if they survive long.

I understand they can be tough to wean to frozen foods. I'd have to find LFS that readily carries ghost shrimps for them. It'll be a challenge for sure. I've committed to feeding live food to my dwarf seahorses with daily hatching, I can do the same for the dwarf lions if needed.

But yea, in general I agree the present stocking wouldn't be a good fit. I've had my fish for far too long just to watch them get eaten by lions. This is why I come here to ask questions and get feedback to remind me why I said no lol. APpreciate it guys!

 

[bnord]

If I was going to have a dwarf lion Fish, or a stone or scorpion fish, and I have thought seriously about it, I would probably do it in a dedicated tano to show them off. Sized appropriately so that feeding is not such a challenge. I don’t think I would put them in a community tank just for the angst it would cause for what’s in there and the limitations for what I could put in behind it

 

[DracoKat]

If I was going to have a dwarf lion Fish, or a stone or scorpion fish, and I have thought seriously about it, I would probably do it in a dedicated tano to show them off. Sized appropriately so that feeding is not such a challenge. I don’t think I would put them in a community tank just for the angst it would cause for what’s in there and the limitations for what I could put in behind it

You are right. a species dedicated tank would be best for them. Maybe one day!

 

[bnord]

You are right. a species dedicated tank would be best for them. Maybe one day!

Yup
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - Gandalf

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

Even the dwarf lionfish gets 5-7 inches long, and their mouths can expand to the diameter of its body. Anything that can fit in its mouth eventually will.

 

[lion king]

Since you would be willing to offer live food I'll give you my concerns. It will be very difficult maneuvering live food to them them in a crowded busy tank, not impossible, but challenging. You would have to establish them into a strong eating habit before introducing them into the dt, regardless of what you are feeding. Trying to establish their eating routine in a busy community tank rarely succeeds. They also come in with internal parasites so often that this is another reason to start them in observation, in case you need to treat. If you were to start them in observation to assure their health and establish a feeding routine, in a tank as busy as yours, it's still going to be slim for long term success. Dwarf lions just usually don't succeed under these circumstances, people rarely get them enough food, and the lions will go off feeding because of stress from the activity of the other fish. These are the concerns.