Fish Survey: Volitans Lionfish

[Seafan]

If you currently keep this fish, please select the options starting with "current owner"; if you kept this fish in the past and no longer keep the same fish, please select options starting with "past owner".

If you have had a full-grown adult Volitans Lionfish, please let us know its size, pectoral fin span, and how fast it grew to that size.

If you could take some time and share your experience with this fish, please take the following survey. I will then put together a web page of this fish like THIS ONE

Thanks!

Jason

p.s. correction - the first option for both current and past owners in the poll should be 1-5 months

[Seafan]

The following is is a list of questions/topics about this fish species. If you would like to include them in your reply, click on the last icon of this post (Reply with Quote), and remove the [ QUOTE ] [ B ] tag in the beginning and the [/QUOTE][/B] at the end.

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where?
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get?
Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species?
Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish?

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?
Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen?
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank?
Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school?
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank?
What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you?
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)?

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first?
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?
What’s the diet?
How much and how often do you feed?
How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc)

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)?
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish?
If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take?
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause?
What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment?

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy?
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates?
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?
How does this fish sleep?
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often?
How does this fish interact with human?
Any other interesting observation of this fish?

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?
Any information of spawning in captivity?

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?
1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry
Would you recommend this fish to beginners?
Any other recommendations/comments?

If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us!

[Seafan]

^^ bump

[billsreef]

I've only maintained them short term in stores. Waiting till my daughter has outgrown just reaching in or bumping into me while working on the tank before I bring one home for myself

To help you with your quest for info I'll make this a sticky for a bit

[VL]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where? No, No, and not sure. The first Lion I ordered died, and then I found one at the LFS that was awesome looking. one of the few fish that I think should be hand picked.

Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get? Make sure he eats. And the smaller the better is my opinion. I like to see them grow up.

Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species? Yes, coloration varies greatly. This is the reason i think they should be hand picked by the person looking to aquire one of these awesome fish.

Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish? Not sure.

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish? Nothing outside of the normal procedures.

Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen? A larger tank will be needed sooner than you think. They grow as fast as you feed them. I currently have mine in a 75 Gallon setup.

Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank? I don't think it really matters.

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? FO system with some tube feather dusters, star fish, and anemones.

Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school? No

Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank? No

What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you? None

Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)? No

Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)? No

Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? No


FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? Was eating when purchased.

If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food? Took to frozen food immediatly. Trick was to wave it around in front of him/her to simulate a live fish.

What’s the diet? Frozen Silver Sides, Frozen Krill, Live Rosies

How much and how often do you feed? I spoil my fish and he eats every other day. Aprox 4-5 large Silver sides and 3-4 full Krill

How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc) Attack mode.

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? 3 Inches when purchased, Currently 8 Inches, and it grew to that size in 6 months. (See spoiling the fish above)

What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? Currently lives in a 75 Gallon bow front. Min I would think should be a 55.

If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take? N/A

How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? 6 months and running

What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported? Not known

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment? Disease free.


BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances? Not generally.

How active is this fish? Is this fish shy? Not shy at all. Very curious and interested when you approach the tank. (Mostly looking for more food)

How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates? Ignores all other tank mates (Unless they happen to be too small and can fit inside it's mouth)

Did this fish ever jump out of the tank? No

How does this fish sleep? Generally in a vertical type position after eating, and perhaps the same during lights out.

Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often? Not that I have seen.

How does this fish interact with human? Very curoius

Any other interesting observation of this fish? None

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up? N/A

Any information of spawning in captivity? N/A

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5? 2

1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry

Would you recommend this fish to beginners? No

Any other recommendations/comments? Awesome fish, just be ready to get a lasrger tank if you start them out in something less than a 55.


If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us! [/B][/QUOTE]

[Seafan]

Originally posted by billsreef
To help you with your quest for info I'll make this a sticky for a bit

Thanks Bill. What do you think about such a poll/survey? I'm always interested in the lifespan of the fish in home aquariums, I hope a poll like this could tell us the survival rate of them on one hand, and the longevity of these fish on the other hand, so people don't think it's natural for a fish to live for a few weeks or a few months.

If enough people participate, maybe we could do more polls on other fish?

[M.Dandaneau]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish?
No..I've never needed to mail order fish while living in Florida, and prefer to see fish first hand when possible.
Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where?
Unknown
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS?
I look for clear eyes and fins, non-swollen normal gills, and an inquisitive attitude when possible.
What do you think is the ideal size to get?
Unimportant, dependant on aquarium size as they seem hardy at all sizes commonly seen.
[b]Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species?
Juveniles have thinner bodies with MUCH longer fins in proportion, and adults display several common color variations ranging from black/white, red/white, and with varying degrees of striation.
[b]Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish?
Unknown

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?
None
Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen?
use care with fin nipping tankmates.
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?Irellevant to the fish

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank?Wrasses, Morey eels, a wolf eel, a foxface and several large damselfish.
Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school?Unknown so far...plan to include more.
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank?
Have kept them with dwarf lions and scorpaenids with no problems.
What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you?
Unimportant.
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?
Mine have never damaged any fish not intentionally introduced as feeders.
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?
No.
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)?
Small shrimp and crabs may be devoured, particularly by young specimens.

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first?
Introduced live marine feeders.
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?
N/A...I prefer live feeders by choice, but most seem to accept dead feeders just as readily with little or no effort.
What’s the diet?
My current adult eats live or frozen/dead feeder fish, while my previous specimen also readily accepted frozen or live shrimp.
How much and how often do you feed?
Once or twice daily.
How does this fish eat?
(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc)
Stalks moving prey then engulfs same with one quick lunge.

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)?
Currently about 7" and growing slowly. The previous specimen grew from 2" to 7" in about 9 months then slowed in growth.
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish?
My current specimen resides in a 300 gal. tank. The previous fish leaped out of a 125 gal. tank after 2 years.
If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take?
Usually assume adult proportions at about 6 months.
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause?
Two years before jumping out, the current fish about 6 months.
What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?
Unknown, although I've seen them reported as reaching 18".

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment?
Subject to eye clouding with prolonged exposure to high nitrates/phosphates. Cleared up after a weak peroxide dip.

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?
Yes...both show(ed) often dramatic intensifying of the red coloration dependent on mood and awake or asleep.
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy?
Fairly sedentary except when feeding, but definitely not shy.
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates?
Both specimens I've kept for any length of time show antagonism towards damsels and clownfish, actively chasing them away if they approach too closely.
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?
Yes. I suspect this occurred while shedding its cuticle.
How does this fish sleep?
Usually head downwards.
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often?
Not observed.
How does this fish interact with human?
Very friendly and inquisitive (both) and will move away from the hand in the tank as long as slow non-threatening gestures are used.
Any other interesting observation of this fish?
Use caution when feeding as fins are errected at that time and may project 2"-3" above the water's surface in aquaria.

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?
N/A
Any information of spawning in captivity?
Unknown

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?

1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3
- not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes...my experience is that many to most scorpanaeds are sensitive to high nitrates/phosphates which can result in cloudy eyes and more frequent cuticle shedding.
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry
Would you recommend this fish to beginners?
Only to those wise enough to be aware of its stinging potential and treat it accordingly...sometimes the fish are MUCH smarter than the owners.
Any other recommendations/comments?
Best results in established aquaria, 6 months or more.

If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us!

[billsreef]

Jason,

I think such surveys and polls, as your inclined to, can provide some usefull information. The only gray area is the relative skill of the individual aquarists involved. Some can keep anything alive for long periods, and sadly some kill everything in short order and even accept it as the norm

[mattsilvester]

Oh dear - too many specific questions......

The fish that I got was tiny when I got him..... maybe 2" body.

I introduced him to my 100 gal tank in the normal 30 min acclimatisation way.

He settled well and took about a week or two to feed on anything that was dropped in.

initially, food was put in his face using chopsticks - bits of shrimp

after that he would gulp down anything, and competed for food well against a large tang and large trigger and small mac angel.

I had him for about 5 or 6 months.

He grew well - more than doubling in size in this time period.

the tank got ich - i was suprised the lion was infected too- but responded well to copper along with the rest.

only thing he bothered was the angel - not trying to eat it, was far too big, but chasing it away from its proximity

the only thing that bothered it was a regal tang, nipped off two if its long side fins.

would i recommend it to a begginer - NO, based on specialised feeding and poor compatability with other fish, and overall size and expertise required to manage system required for large volitans lion.

does it change body shape - proportionally, the body gets larger and the fins smaller.

sensitivity to water - about 2

recommendations - think about it before you buy one. these are really specialist fish, and are often subject to other fish tormenting it. there are loads of reasons why you might return yours to the LFS, and you haven't thought of most of them!!! Think about it - how many people woul be interested in buying your 12" volitans when you don't want it anymore - not many.
If you look at the survey so far, a qurater of people keep this fish for less than 6 months - so please do not recommend it to beginers or "just try one" unless you are sure you want it. Mine was returned because my tank broke, and I cannot provide suitable accomodation - thankfully he was only 4".

Regards,
Matt

[M.Dandaneau]

Good points Matt, but there's always the other side of the same argument.
We are currently switching the 300 over to an ambush predator tank..........when you combine the whole scorpaenid group, there is more than enough color there to satisfy all but the flashiest hobbyist, very little interspecies aggression on the whole, and a laid back "mellow" tank that you'll not find anywhere else, to us the ultimate in a slow motion peaceful surrealistic effect, particularly when you consider that at any given moment some of the LR is likely to move to another location.**grin**
As to size and hardiness, here's a group as a whole that are likely to be with you for years, so the biggest drawback is probably for the easily bored who has to have constant change.

[ottbucks]

About 14 years ago, i kept a Volitan in a 20g tank. The tank was using an undergravel filter. There were no other live species in the tank. Water changes were performed every few months. No special lighting was needed. Elkhart, IN city water was used.
The Lion was small when i bought him from my LFS. His diet started with small guppies, until he became big enought to eat gold fish. I always kept him on live food. When he was broght home, his size was about 2" pectoral. Appx 4 years later, when he died, i would estimate his size at 6".
I was really green when i got him. Looking back, i now realize how lucky i was to keep him that long.

Jeff

[J Crew]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where? No

Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get? The lion was give to me

Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species? N/A

Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish? Not that I'm aware of... but I don't know how to sex fish either.

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish? I used the adding one ounce of tank water to the bag every 5 minutes. Once it was pretty full, i dumped half the water from the container and added one ounce per 5 minutes again. Once it was pretty full again, i added the fish.

Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen? Got him as an adult

Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank? Not sure, he was given to me with two eels and they were all added in my tank at the same time.

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? The tank he is in, is and 85 gallon hex FOWLR

Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school? No

Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank? No

What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you? N/A

Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)? Yes, my yellow tail damsel

Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)? Yes, mushrooms

Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? No

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? Dropped in some scallops and he tore into them.

If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food? N/A

What’s the diet? Enriched frozen brine and scallops

How much and how often do you feed? Once every other day

How does this fish eat?sedentary predator

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? In about 7 months it grown about an inch. It is currently about 10 inches

What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? 75 gallons is the minimum.

If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take? N/A.

How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? About 7 months, but my friend had him for about a year before me.

What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported? N/A

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment? None

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy?
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates?
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?
How does this fish sleep?
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often?
How does this fish interact with human?
Any other interesting observation of this fish?

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up? N/A

Any information of spawning in captivity? No

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5? 1

1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry
Would you recommend this fish to beginners? Yes

Any other recommendations/comments? It's a great fish that's not really active until feeding time.

[Paladin]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where?
No--purchased at LFS.
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get?
I just made sure he was swimming without problems.
Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species?
Juveniles seems thinner.
Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish?
I haven't done enough research to know this.

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?
Nothing special, just the typical acclimation methods of introducing some tank water gradually to the bag.
Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen?
Just be prepared for its growth. I've had it for over 2 years in a 29g, and it's too big for that. I am in the process of setting up a 125g and will be moving it very soon!
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?
I believe it should be one of the first fish if you're planning to get others that are considered aggressive. If you put the lion in to a tank that already contains aggressive fish, then the lion may be fending itself from its attackers.

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank?
I have a FOWLR, with a zebra eel and a few hermit crabs. When I first got the lion, I had a green chromis and a gobie that were only slightly smaller than the lion. Eventually, the 2 mysteriously disappeared--at different times. And coincidentally, the lion appeared a bit larger during those times!
Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school?
n/a
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank?
n/a
What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you?
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?
It didn't hurt the fish, just ate 'em.
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?
no
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)?
no

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first?
It immediately took to frozen brine. When it was younger, it would wait for the frozen brine to melt away from the cube, then eat a few at a time. Now, it just swallows the whole cube.
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?
n/a
What’s the diet?
I feed it frozen brine, frozen krill (it loves that!), and on very rare occasions, live feeders (just to keep its hunting skills up).
How much and how often do you feed?
Once a day or every other day.
How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc)
Swallows food whole.

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)?
Initial size was approximately 4 in. In 2 years, it's grown to about 7 in.
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish?
I've had it for over 2 years in the same 29g. I'm about to move it to a 125g. I would say the minimum for an adult is 100g.
If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take?
I wasn't paying too close attention to pattern changes.
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause?
I've had it now for over 2 years.
What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?
Don't know.

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment?
No diseases.

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?
It seems to get a bit darker with water changes.
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy?
Very active, and not shy at all.
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates?
Not aggressive.
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?
no
How does this fish sleep?
It usually hangs out near the bottom of the tank.
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often?
n/a
How does this fish interact with human?
It seems to know when I'm about to feed it. When I go to get the pack of frozen brine and then pop one open, it immediately goes to the tank wall to where I'm approaching the tank. Other times when I approach the tank but not about to feed it, it doesn't do anything special.
Any other interesting observation of this fish?
Sometimes I observe it just staring to the surface, appearing to be waiting for any signs of food.

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?
no
Any information of spawning in captivity?
n/a

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?
1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry
At least a 2, maybe even a 1. Very hardy fish

Would you recommend this fish to beginners?
I would recommend only if the beginner is aware of the possibility of being "stung". Just be careful when placing hands into the tank. Otherwise, very hardy fish.
Any other recommendations/comments?
Very pretty fish to look at and observe.

[Jane]

Originally posted by Seafan
The following is is a list of questions/topics about this fish species. If you would like to include them in your reply, click on the last icon of this post (Reply with Quote), and remove the [ QUOTE ] [ B ] tag in the beginning and the

at the end.

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where? Bought at LPS
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get? N/A It was the only one to puick from but his colors were beautiful
Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species? Don't know
Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish? I don't know but from reading up on iy I understand you can not tell the difference

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?Same as any other
Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimens? They do not like bright light
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank? N/A

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? Hermits, conchs, BTA, LTA, cucumber. Reef
Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school? No
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank? No
What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you? n/a
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)? I tried to keep a hippo tang with it but the lion would push the hippo into hiding ...defending territory I think
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)? No
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? Not sure. Missing a mithrix crab and a serpent star but not sure if the lion is at fault.

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? wiggling Krill on a feeding stick
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food? wiggling krill on a clear acrylic feeding stick and making sure that the krill had "eyes" intact for the lion to see
What’s the diet? Krill, scallops, squid
How much and how often do you feed? Every 3 days
How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc) Very active ! Gets very excited when I walk to the tank and if it sees the feeding stick it goes crazy

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? 7" to 8" now 5" when purchased
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? 72 gal bow. This is the minimum that I would keep this fish in. I feel they belong in a 180 + at full size
If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take? No change
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? 2 years and still with me
What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?I am not sure of the age but I have read they can reach 18"

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment? Shortly after I got this fish he had ich. I soaked krill in freshly crushed garlic and that cured it. I continued this type of feeding for months because the lion wouldn't eat the krill with out the garlic. I had to slowly wean it off

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances? Gets extremely dark if disturbed too much
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy? Not shy at all. Very curious.
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates? No other tank mates because it seemed territorial when I tried to keep others.
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank? No
How does this fish sleep? In a verticle position
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often? no
How does this fish interact with human? Very curious..right in your face as you look into the tank
Any other interesting observation of this fish? Not sure why it does this but every night when the lights go to just actinic it will go to the far corner of the tank and spit water out. Just one spit each night but enough so I hear it. I had to sit and watch this everynight for awhile ...still can't figure out why it does it

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?n/a
Any information of spawning in captivity? n/a

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?

2- quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3- not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes

Would you recommend this fish to beginners? Not really. First because of the caution that need to be taken as not to get poked by it's spines, Mostly because I think too many feed the fish fresh water live foods which is not it's natural diet. (which is what most LPS will tell you to do which is wrong)
Any other recommendations/comments?

If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us!

[ChasingPuck]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where? LFS purchase (traded for a pair of pesky percula). No, I haven't ever seen CB lions locally.
Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get? I think the smaller sized animals acclimate more readily to an aquarium. Ours was about 2 inches (nose to tail fin).
Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species? The horns--some fish seem to lose them, while others don't. Not sure why that is--I've never noticed any reliable correlations between keeping them and losing them.
Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish? Don't know.

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?
Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen? Smaller specimens will try to eat foods much larger than they can take. Smaller foods are better.
Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank? Ours was introduced last to the reef, was there for about 1 year, and has been in the FO for about 1.5 years, where it was introduced after a trigger, before the eel, and mandarin goby.

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank? Smaller fish are a no-no, but small fish that don't occupy the water column, like the mandarin goby, lawn mower blenny and such are ignored. As above, this guy was in the reef until he was big enough to threaten it's smaller denizens.
Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school? NA
Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank? NA
What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you? As above.
Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)? As Above.
Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)? No, nor did it blunder into them and get stung.
Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)? No, but I wouldn't trust him if hungry.

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first? Was eating prepared frozen foods at time of purchase.
If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?
What’s the diet? Currently, a mix of frozen fish/shrimp/squid/mussel, as well as Formula One prepared frozen food.
How much and how often do you feed? Every other day, enough that everyone gets 2-3 small pieces, (small being the size of an average fingernail).
How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc) Gulper--sucks down water and extracts the food bits. Guess it would be a sedentary predator.

GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)? 2 inches, now about 8 inches. Grew much faster once moved to the FO tank (higher protien intake). He was about 4 inches when we moved him, so has doubled in the last 18 months.
What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish? Currently in a 65. I think that a bigger tank is always better, but the important thing to provide is rock work--these guys like to hang out under shelf work. Being able to turn around without banging into things is important as well, so the dimensions of the tank should be considered first.
If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take?
How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause? 2.5 years.
What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?

DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment?

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?
How active is this fish? Is this fish shy? Not shy, but not really active. He swims in the water column about half the time (more active as feeding time approaches).
How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates? Very bold. Doesn't get pushed around, but is not aggressive, and doesn't attack others.
Did this fish ever jump out of the tank? Not out of the tank, but it will jump to get food, or if threatened.
How does this fish sleep? Hanging upside down in some rock work.
Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often?
How does this fish interact with human? Yes, but not on the same level as a puffer.
Any other interesting observation of this fish?

REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?
Any information of spawning in captivity?

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5? NA
1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry
Would you recommend this fish to beginners? Only if they will make sure it takes prepared foods, and not give in to the temptation to overfeed. The biggest problem with lions is angering them during cleaning/tank maintenance.
Any other recommendations/comments?

If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us! [/B][/QUOTE]

[luvtolean]

I was given a 45 gallon tank with a Volitans, large domino damsel(toughest meanest fish I've ever seen) and a large tomato clown. I was completely new to salt water, and these 3 fish luckily were very hardy.

I'd say no real special procedures for introducing/moving them, but make sure you don't get poked. Those spines are poisonous, and they can poke through bags. Also don't use a net, they'll get tangled up.

Mine grew to be about 12" long with his fin. I had him for 3 years, and I've never had a fish that interacted more with humans and other fish. Like it was mentioned, mine was very bold, but not at all aggressive (as long as the fish were big enough to not be dinner). In fact he almost acted as peacekeeper, chasing other fish when they fought.

It would follow me around the room, and if I looked into the tank, it would look back at me.

After a year or so, tomato clown and damsel got into a terminal battle I didn't really understand at the time. The damsel was too stressed and succumbed to parasites. The clown, who was very territorial, was found dead on the bottom, with a spine sticking out of the side. The lionfish was in the clown's "bed" and pouted. He wouldn't eat for days. I've never seen anything like it, it seemed like he had accidentally killed the clown and was sad.

His brown lines would turn almost red when he was ****ed, like when I'd do a water change, or had a net in the tank for something. He'd yawn when he woke up in the morning. I've never seen such an animated fish before or since.

He was amazingly quick when hunting. At his largest size, I'd feed him 5 goldfish at a time. He could eat 2 or 3 in one bite.

I moved to a place I couldn't keep the tank, and gave it to my brother who killed it. I'm still ****ed about it.

[BlAcK VoLiTaN ';.;']

I haven't had my lionfish but I have heard that they can live up to 20-25 years

[Seafan]

based on the posts to this thread, I've put together a web page on the volitans lionfish here:

FAQs of volitans lionfish

welcome any comments or suggestions, and I'll keep checking back for new info if more people post to this thread.

Thank you for your participation to the poll!

Jason

[cwschoon]

Will a Black V. maintain its color throughout its lifespan? Does diet play a role?

[Fish-o-holic]

Just lost my 1 month 4" violitan this morning...

[M.Dandaneau]

Very nice website Seafan, acutally much better than I expected.....it's nice to be pleasantly surprised.
Keep up the very good work.

[dave_b]

bit late i know.. just logged onto the forums after many many months away.. no reef/fish tank for me ne more. so just a pic
http://www.david-bentley.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/lion1.jpg

[RadiataDude]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish? Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where?

I ordered the fish (both a Volitan and Radiata) from the LFS. I have never seen any captive/bred specimens offered, and I'm not even sure if they can breed in captivity.

Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS? What do you think is the ideal size to get?

My experience with lionfish has been to chose a lionfish that is medium-sized. I normally try to avoid small Volitans because I've traditionally had a harder time trying to get them to feed than larger ones. I wouldn't get a Volitan over 5 inches, though, due to their nature of growing very fast.

Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species?

Yes, the juvenile Volatin's fins are thinner and are not as thickly defined as the adults. Also, as the lionfish age, some lose their horns at the front of their head (all of mine have). The juveniles, in my opinion, are more attractive (but you kinda get attached).

Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish?

Never tried. Can't tell ya.


ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?

Volitans, in my opinion, are one of the easiest fish to accimilate to the tank environment. I would recommend introducing the volatin with any other lionfish at the same time. Volatins will shy for a few hours, but after that they'll be a show fish.

Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen?

None that I can see. Bright light should be avoided for the first few days.

Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?

Volatins, if that's all you're adding, can be added whenever.

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?Is it a reef or FO tank?

I have a FO tank with the Volitan and a large-sized Radiata lionfish.

Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank? If so, is there a certain male/female ratio or group number worked for you (to have a harem or pecking order)? Do they school?

Yes, for about 2 months and I noticed nothing special.

Have you had other species of the same genus/family in the same tank?

N/A

What’s the stocking order (considering the above factors) that worked for you?

N/A

Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?

Yes, they've eated a few damsels (the ones I used to cycle the tank with).

Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?

N/A

Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)?

No, the Volitan hasn't bothered the few hermit crabs I've had in the tank.


FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first?

The first feeding consisted of live ghost shrimp that were eaten rather quickly.

If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?

The Volitan, at least in my experience, was extremely quick on learning to eat prepared food such as frozen silversides and shrimp. To wean them over, I would use a feeding stick (basically a long clear plastic skewer). I merely would place the silversides on the end of the stick and wave the food in front of them as if the silverside was resurected. The Volitans would eventually catch on to this before the 4th or so try and from then on would eat the prepared food. Now, all I have to do is merely drop the shrimp in the tank and they'll eat it without the feeding stick.

What's the diet?

Prepared shrimp from the grocery store, silversides (frozen in the package), ghost shrimp, and sometimes a freshwater (NOT GOLDFISH) treat from the pet-store.

How much and how often do you feed?

I feed mine maybe two times a week. I feed them generously and you can watch their stomachs go down. Some people feed theirs every other day, but the more you feed them, the faster they'll grow.

How does this fish eat?(grazers, active or sedentary predators, sand sifters, etc)

Regular sedentary predator procedure.


GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)?

I bought the Volitan I currently own at about 4 inches... it's about 5 inches. (about 8-9 months to get there).

What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)? What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish?

The fish resides in a 25 gallon tank (FO). The minimum tank size is 20-25 gallons due to the high protein diet required. Bigger>better, but I'm in a college dorm that is limited.

If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete? How long did it take?

Not sure on the time it takes, because I bought mine into adulthood.

How long have you kept this fish? If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause?

I've kept this one for about 8-9 months. I've had another one that lived for about 1.5 years until I had to give him to a friend because I couldn't get a larger tank (college situation).

What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?

Dunno. Google for it.


DISEASE AND TREATMENT
What disease has this fish had? How did you treat it, for how long? What's the effect of the treatment?

The fish came with a parasite that affected all of the fish in the tank. I performed a copper treatment (remember this is a FO tank), and I performed some freshwater dips on all the specimens in the tank. It worked fine, and the parasite was killed.


BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?

Not that I've noticed.

How active is this fish? Is this fish shy?

The Volitan is pretty active and is always greeting people that come into the room.

How territorial or aggressive is this fish? How does this fish interact with tankmates?

Since it is with another lionfish, they act as if the other does not exist. It's a pretty laid back species.

Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?

Thank god, no.

How does this fish sleep?

In the rock/fake coral formations of the tank... just lounges around either upside down or whatnot.

Does this fish allow cleaners to clean? If so which cleaner and how often?

N/A

How does this fish interact with human?

Mine is very social and will come to the edge of the tank when you're looking at it. He only reacts to certain people, myself and one of my roommates... most likely because I'm the one that feeds him...

He also can feel the vibration of music in the water and will swim vertically up and down during Aerosmith songs... (Coincidence? )

Any other interesting observation of this fish?

Above.


REPRODUCTION
If you have a mated pair, how did you get them to pair up?
Any information of spawning in captivity?

N/A


SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?
1 - very tolerant, may survive a cycle in a new tank
2 - quite tolerant, may survive accidental ammonia or nitrite spike
3 - not terribly sensitive to reasonable pH, salinity or temperature changes
4 - sensitive to any significant water chemistry changes, and may show stress during such changes
5 - very sensitive to water quality, may easily get stressed and get sick with any change in water chemistry

The Volitan, in my experience is very hardy and said to survive the cycle (wouldn't try it). However, I'd have to give it a 2.

Would you recommend this fish to beginners?

No, only because of the venemous spines on these guys. Otherwise they'd be great beginner fish.

Any other recommendations/comments?

Don't get stuck with one of these guys... the pain is tremendous and might require medical assistance... If you get stung... put your hand under scalding hot water.

If you have any picture(s) of this fish you took, please post it here and share with us! [/B][/QUOTE]

[RadiataDude]

Woops.. I forgot the picture.

[Trekkie]

SELECTION
Did you mail order this fish and would you recommend mail order this fish?

No, There is an excellent LFS in Wichita, KS where I lived at the time that I got him from. (Don't know for sure it was a him)

Are there captive-raised/bred specimen available and where?

Don't Know.

Any tips on how you picked a healthy specimen of this species from LFS?

I trusted the LFS, they had an excellent setup and let you check it out and had a 400+ Gallon display tank full of various angels.

What do you think is the ideal size to get?

I thought it was nice to get a small one and watch him grow

Are there any noticeable differences in body shape, pattern or color among the same species or between juvenile and adult of this species?

Not that I could tell

Is there a way to tell the sex of this fish?

No Clue

ACCLIMATION AND INTRODUCTION
Any special tips about the acclimation and introduction of this fish?

This is a toughie. The guy big or small has nice pointy poisonous barbs that you need to respect. However we double bagged him (baby, about 1" long) and I had no problem aclimating to my tank. Old Blue (a damsel) lasted a day before he became a meal

Any special needs for this fish or special considerations for young specimen?

Not that I know of

Should this fish be the first or the last to introduce to a tank?

He was my third, after I put in a picasso trigger.

COMPATIBILITY
What tankmates do you have with this fish?

Picasso Trigger
Imperator Angel
Blue Tang

Is it a reef or FO tank?

It was FO, no live rock.

Have you had more than one of this species in the same tank?

No


Did this fish hurt/eat any of other fish (or vice versa)?

If it fit in it's mouth, it was eaten.

Did this fish hurt/eat Cnidaria (corals, mushrooms or anemones)?

Dunno, didn't have any

Did this fish hurt/eat ornamental crustaceans (shrimps, hermits, crabs)?

Dunno, didn't have any

FEEDING
How did you get this fish to eat at first?

He ate a damsel I had in there, so apparently he did fine.


If this fish only accepted live food, how did you wean it over to prepared food?

I didn't, and I regret this. I didn't know that goldfish would cause problems. This is what the folks told me to feed them and I did. he lived for 4 years and then the last few days he kinda bent midway down and there was a dark spot. He died a few days later.

What’s the diet?

Goldfish - but now I'm told Silver Sides are what you should feed them. Have not found much on feeding Lions anymore.

How much and how often do you feed?

When he was big I fed him 4 GF every other day.

How does this fish eat?

GLOMP! Casually swims up and bang it's gone.


GROWTH RATE AND LIFE SPAN
What is the initial size of your fish and maximum size it reached? How fast did it grow (how much growth over a given period of time)?

I didn't actively measure it, but within a few years he was as side fin to fin as my 55 gallon tank and was a site to behold.

What size tank did this fish live in? (or how soon did this fish outgrow what size tank)?

55 Gallon. He probably should have moved to a bigger tank by the time he'd grown, he was probably 12" - 18" wide with his fins splayed out.

What do you think is the minimum tank size required for an adult specimen of this fish?

I would say something wide would be nice, like 75 Gallon or maybe even 90 - 125

If this fish went through body pattern change from juvenile to adult, was the change complete?

No.


How long have you kept this fish?

He lived 4 years

If you no longer have this fish, what was the cause?

He died, I don't know for sure why but there was a dark spot about mid way down his back internally, looked like an organ ruptured and he slowly bled out the next day or two.

What is the longest lifespan and the maximum size of this fish in home aquarium and/or in the wild reported?

Don't know.

DISEASE AND TREATMENT

No Diseases.

BEHAVIOR
Does this fish change body color under any circumstances?

no

How active is this fish?

he was a slow mover, never bothered anyone unless he ate the goldfish.

How territorial or aggressive is this fish?

Not agressive unless it's smaller than his mouth, then he eats it.

How does this fish interact with tankmates?

Eats them if they're smaller or close to the size of his mouth, otherwise he left them all alone.

Did this fish ever jump out of the tank?

No, god that'd been ugly if that happened.

How does this fish sleep?

floating, never noticed anything

Does this fish allow cleaners to clean?

Didn't have any

How does this fish interact with human?

he would stare you down, never swam up at you while you were changing water or anything, rather calm.

Any other interesting observation of this fish?

If you have another meat eater that will go after the live food you potentially could have a problem. After 4 years of keeping him with a Huma Huma Trigger they both went for the same goldfish at the same time and the trigger got swallowed about half-way in. It was a stressful few seconds for all involved including me screaming at the tank going 'spit him out spit him out'.

Unfortunately after that incident the trigger died a day later.

REPRODUCTION

They got pointy fins that poison people? They mate? Seriously though I only had one.

SUMMARY
Your overall assessment of this species -
How sensitive is this fish to poor water quality on a scale of 1-5?

3

Would you recommend this fish to beginners?

Yes.

Any other recommendations/comments?

Feed him something that is saltwater based, not freshwater. You will kill him / her slowly over a few years if you don't.

I wish I'd been able to get a picture of him. he was a beautiful fish and I still miss him.