been reading up on some info about various dwarf lion fish and ive read that some are reef compatable and will be fine in a community tank???

If that is true how will they get along with inverts etc??

Heh, as long as the other fish in the community can't fit inside the lion's mouth they'll be fine

Just take into account that their mouths are very very big

Also even the Dwarfs can get quite big

They will probably eat shrimp, even cleaners. However, they can be kept with fish at least half their size (approximately), especially if well fed.

well in the tank atm is 2 clown fsh about 2", a spotted mandarin which is 2" and a watchman goby which is about 2 1/2 - 3" long so i guess none of them will fit into a dwarf lionfish mouth??

What about turbo snails and nassuris snails?? both the nassuris and turbo's are between 10 - 15mm long (shell wideth that is).

The most commonly sold dwarf lionfish is a fuzzy dwarf (Dendrochirus bracypterus), and these can be expected to get past 4" and head to 5" in captivity. At that size they can be expected to take a munch on pretty much any of the fish you have mentioned. You want to ideally be looking at 3.5" and upwards for tank mates to be truly safe.

Snails should not be at risk of predation, but ornamental shrimp are what form the natural diet of dwarf lions, so expect them to be at risk.

See if you can get a Fu Manchu Lionfish (Dendrochirus Biocellatus) they only grow to 10cm

Downside is they can be hard to get feeding

Make sure you see it eating in the shop before you buy it

ill sure have a read up about that type of dwarf lion......think with some of the others gettin to 4 or 5 inches ill give them a miss.

The Fumanchu (D. biocellatus) still has a good chance of getting to 4".

Also to remember is that D. biocellatus is a non-consistent feeder, with many never graduating from live foods. They are cryptic, preferring to hide in amongst the rocks in the tank and ambush food as it goes past.