Baby Lionfish

[pipatic]

this little guy about 2.4-3in
http/static.flickr.com/94/243759257_f38de08aa8.jpg?v=0

 

[Mr Miagi]

Nice pipatic. What you got him feeding on?

 

[pipatic]

lance fish heads,
that sort of size muscles bits almost anything
as he also eats the mix i put in for the tangs aswell

 

[topthrill]

arn't those poisonus?

 

[andywg]

arn't those poisonus?

Not poisonous, poisonous refers to the toxin being in the body and making an organism taste bad/make the predator ill (think puffer). Lion fish are venomous as they have a facility to inject the venom into you without being eaten.

I am assuming pipatic has the lion seperate to the reef tank I recall seeing as a volitans' diet will start on shrimp and hermits and then move to fish that fit in their trapdoor like mouth.

 

[pipatic]

he wont be staying ,as he only here to get feeding,which hes doing very well , but i'd love to keep him

 

[andywg]

I love lions, but I prefer the slightly smaller Pterois spp to the P. volitans. P. radiata is a particular favourite of mine that I will get one day. Probably get a couple and try a P. antennata with them in a venom themed tank.

 

[chibi]

That's a beautiful photo and an even more beautiful fish!

 

[topthrill]

arn't those poisonus?

Not poisonous, poisonous refers to the toxin being in the body and making an organism taste bad/make the predator ill (think puffer). Lion fish are venomous as they have a facility to inject the venom into you without being eaten.

I am assuming pipatic has the lion seperate to the reef tank I recall seeing as a volitans' diet will start on shrimp and hermits and then move to fish that fit in their trapdoor like mouth.

oh, well im realy new to tropical fish so i wouldent know that. but at least i know it now . i learn new stuff from this site every day!

so basicly if a fish comes near one of those strands hanging off its body it will be leathaly injected and die? can you keep other fish with it?

 

[demonmagus]

The 'strands' will kill other fish I think, or it may just harm, not sure at all

they an be kept with other fish ones that are too big for them to eat, as the tankmates usually avoid them I think

 

[andywg]

The long dorsal spines on the lionfish's body contain venom (those on the pectorals tend not to), but are more used as an anti-preadtion device. Rather than kill the predator, the aim is to make the lion awful to eat so it is left, as ar any later lions the pred comes across.

This obviously doesn't always work as frogfish are reknowned for consuming lionfish tankmates, often those considered too big, let alone too venomous, to consume. The frogfish seem to suffer no ill effects from consuming the venomous lionfish.