# Fuzzy Dwarf Lionfish Compatability



## fishfreak2009

I am wondering if I can put a fuzzy dwarf lionfish in with my percula clowns. The fuzzy dwarfs are about 1 inch at the store, and my percula clowns are 1.25 and 1.5 inches long. They would all be in a 187 gallon with larger than bite sized fish. The only fish I am wondering about are the 2 percula clowns. Will they be compatible?


----------



## bettababy

Nope. The lions would seek out the clowns because they would be a good meal, and those lions can move pretty quick when they want to. It might take a little while to happen in that size of a tank if the clowns can find enough good hiding, because the lions tend to be more an ambush predator than a chase it down and grab it type. 

At full grown, even a fuzzy dwarf lion would be large enough to eat an adult male percula. If the clowns go in as a pair you are assured you will get 1 male and 1 female, as clown fish are dimorphic. If you put in a group of clowns you will still always have at least 1 male in the group. They have the ability to change their sex according to how many are in their group, this is one of their survival techniques. A male percula isn't going to get much beyond 3 inches, which is still lion food eventually.

Its never a good thing to mix predator with prey in limited space.


----------



## cerianthus

I see the corcern but I have kept them togehter in numbers (many clowns and many DL) in smaller tank than yours for long time and even in a larger tank w/o mishap. I was always on top of feeding though.
Although DL can achieved good size but never have found them larger than 5" which took some time to reach. Clowns will also grow but females will grow much larger than the male. I have kept them w and w/o host anemones.

The way I see it is if it does not happened w/in few days of adding to tank, most likely the clowns should be able to learn/know to avoid being sucked up by DL.

Of course, this is from my experiences. Key is to keep DL well fed but not overfed, IMO.


----------



## Pasfur

I have to side with Betta on this. I have seen far to many situations over the years where a Predator fish has decided to make a snack out of a tankmate, even after years of living together. You just can't repress thousands of years of instinct.


----------

