Lionfish

[pieman]

Does anyone on here own one?

I hear they are extremely hard to look after due all the venom they have

 

[RoyalGrammaPrincessHannah]

Does anyone on here own one?

I hear they are extremely hard to look after due all the venom they have

From what I have heard, they are hardy, but aggressive and need lots of space. And obviously, you can't touch them, but why would that matter anyway.

 

[k.o.d]

We keep an antennata lionfish and a fuzzy dwarf lionfish, they are very hardy, not particularly difficult to look after but they are difficult to get to change over to prepared dead foods ( as they will be used to live foods when they are imported ) They are not particularly aggressive ( compared to Triggers or damsels ) as they are an ambush predator, lying in wait motionless for ages then sucking prey into their HUGE mouths.
They are venemous, the dorsal spines are hypodermic injectors, but they will not normally attack you, so they best way to deal with it is always know where it is in the tank when you have your hands in there and ensure there is always a good space between the two.
They are beautiful, relatively undemanding fish, but the Volitans lionfish grows massive, the dwarf species look just as good and grow very chunky.

Steve

 

[pieman]

Thanks for the reply

I wouldn't be able to have anything like a lionfish or pirranha, i wouldn't be able to clean the tank knowning that there is a possibly deadly fish waiting down below

 

[k.o.d]

Thanks for the reply

I wouldn't be able to have anything like a lionfish or pirranha, i wouldn't be able to clean the tank knowning that there is a possibly deadly fish waiting down below

There is a deadly thing in your tropical tank most of the time, its called the heater, statistically you are more likely to damage yourself from a smashed heater than be 'stung' by a lionfish.
It is a case of, make sure you know the potential, make sure you know what precautions to take and finally make sure you know what to do if the worst does happen, that way you minimise the risks associated with keeping such lovely animals.

 

[fish_keeper2]

im just a little currious. if you do get stung by a lionfish what do you do?

 

[k.o.d]

Lionfish venom is a protein based venom and produces very acute pain radiating from the affected site, also causes palpitations and heart problems, respiratory problems along with other sysmptoms.

Immediate treatment is the same for stingray stings, run the affected area under water ( as hot as you can stand but definitely above 45 deg C ) this is said to break down the toxicity of the venom.

Evidently there are 40 - 50 thousand Lionfish stings every year, beaten only in number by stingray envenomations!!!!

In our tanks we have coral catfish too, they have poisonous spines to trap the unwary.

If you are stung, treat with hot water as above, then get off to hospital ( dont drive yourself for obvious reasons ) and make sure you, or your driver tells the medic that you were stung by a Lionfish/stingray, that way the most appropriate treatment can be given quicker

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, the heat works because its a protein based toxin. The extra heat denatures the protein which basically it breaks down the protein's molecular bonds and causes it to stop functioning as a toxin. Even if you do heat the area though you still need to get to the hospital for treatment.

 

[Aquascaper]

I'd personally be more worried about the corals in my tank than a fish, see the pinned thread about zoo's......it'll make your hair stand on end

 

[SkiFletch]

I'd personally be more worried about the corals in my tank than a fish, see the pinned thread about zoo's......it'll make your hair stand on end

Amen to that