# lionfish



## bobo (Sep 20, 2007)

I have a question regarding lionfish. My friend recently (yesterday) bought a small lionfish for his 200 gallon wall tank. Its currently the only fish in the tank and is only 1 inch long, ITS TINY!! Emergency called however, and he had to go abroad, leaving me to take care of his lion fish. The person at the petshop has it eating feeder shrimp and gulpies. How do i get it to go on frozen food etc?

Any ideas appreciated. thanks in advance.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

At that size the best way to try it is through diligence and patience. Stop offering the live feeder fish for a day or 2. Once the fish is good and hungry, try things like raw frozen shrimp, raw frozen squid, krill and formula 1 frozen cubes. Break the food into bite size pieces, and drop 1 piece in front of the fish. If he doesn't eat it within 2 - 3 minutes, use a net and pull it out, set the rest of the food to the side for about 10 minutes, and then try again. Do not offer him feeder fish. Eventually the lion will take the food out of hunger, and provided you stick to frozen foods that are healthy (and meaty) there should be no problem.
It may take a few days of trying, so be patient.
Good Luck!


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## bobo (Sep 20, 2007)

erm, i was just wondering. are the spines really venomous at such a small size too? i`m not planning to manhandle it, just curious  

are they the type which as it grows they get worse?


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

bobo said:


> erm, i was just wondering. are the spines really venomous at such a small size too? i`m not planning to manhandle it, just curious
> 
> are they the type which as it grows they get worse?


Lionfish are rather peaceful for predators. They do have venomous spines so handling must be done carefully.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

Lupin, not sure what lions you are referring to, but most lions are voracious when it comes to their predatory habits. When you work in the tank they will hunt you down, chase you around, which can make them very dangerous to keep.
Young lions are actually more toxic than an adult. They are in need of more protection from predators, so their bodies produce a stronger toxin until they mature. 
Please be very careful not to come in contact with any spines or fins of lionfish at any size. I have seen the effects first hand. One of my coworkers got nailed by a 6 inch lion, and was in severe pain for about 3 wks. She got extremely sick, said it burned non stop, ached, and got very stiff. She also swelled up pretty bad. 

All lions are dangerous if you come into contact, at any size. 

Also, with lionfish and feeding them... you have to control their feeding schedule. Lions are one of a number of species of fish that will eat until they literally explode. They are never "full". Overfeeding them can kill them just as quickly as water quality issues or anything else that might go wrong. Watch the belly of the fish when it eats. When you see a noticable lump in the belly, stop feeding. Don't feed again until that lump in the belly begins to go down, which may take a day or 2.


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## Lupin (Aug 2, 2006)

bettababy said:


> Lupin, not sure what lions you are referring to, but most lions are voracious when it comes to their predatory habits.


I was referring to the _Pterois volitans_ I've kept before, Dawn but I guess it may not be the same to other species.


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## dallops_of_polyps (Feb 19, 2008)

sort of off topic but i was bitten by a rattle snake in kindergarten at school by a baby diamondback its venom was three times as potent as an adult becuase its more concentrated. now my right ring finger is all messed up almost had to amputate my hand/arm. great experience for my mommy.


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## bobo (Sep 20, 2007)

i found it to be a volitans lionfish witha simple google search. But it seems so peaceful now and so social. Its always out in the open. Heck i just want to take this guy home to my 32 gallon  but he will grow 

So i guess i cant "pet the fish" haha 

I`m still trying to convert him to frozen food.


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

GETTING STUNG BY A LION HURTS VERY BAD! I know, I have been hit 4 times. If you do get stung immedialtly run your hand (assuming that's where it stung you) under hot water, as hot as you can tolerate. The heat nutralizes the concentrated proteins in the venom. I will say that the process of running your hand under the water will be excrutiating, but take it from me, it helps. Contact emergency services if you feel dizzy or experience blurred vision. Lions are curious predators, but not necessarily aggressive towards anything they cannot eat. It is very easy to avoid them when working in a tank so long as you take note of where the fish is at. 3 of the 4 times I have been stung were b/c I was unaware that there was a lion in the tank I was working in, and the 4th was just a stupid error on my own part where i slipped a spine into my finger while removing a dead lion from a tank......

Random thought, I still have to spine from my first lion sting.....it's framed in storage somewhere, but it's pretty neat to show people : )


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

lol, after posting I realized that my avator probably contradicts what i've said above, do as I say, not as I do : )


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## dallops_of_polyps (Feb 19, 2008)

i would take a lion over a diamond back, i love morphine its the stuff!


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

same here, lionfish hurts but the hemotoxic venom of a rattlesnake will destroy tissue and cause alot more damage. knock on wood i have not been bitten by a venomous snake yet : )


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## bobo (Sep 20, 2007)

4 times? thats insane! i`m sure you were like : OH no, not again!  (the second time) 

but by like the third did the pain cut down ?


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

still hurts, but there's no more surprises, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger ; )


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## bobo (Sep 20, 2007)

another silly question, this lions spikes usually look soggy, except when it feels threateened it opens them up like a shield. can you actually avoid getting stung? in the way that the actual fish decides when to sting and when not?


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

it is very possibly to avoid getting stung, i interact with, hand-feed, and even pet lions on a daily basis and like i mentioned above, have never been stung when I was aware that a lion was in the tank. I'll warn you though, i've gotten lucky a few times and i have been "poked" without actually getting stung before, so it is risky. a cat only has 9 lives : )


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