One of the most striking fish that you can find in a salt water aquarium is undoubtedly the lionfish. These venomous beauties may seem a bit intimidating at first, but can actually become relatively docile after a time in an aquarium. The salt water aquarium featured on this blog does house a lionfish of the zebra variety. I shall call him Abasi (an African name meaning: stern).
While Abasi doesn’t really do much more than leisurely swim about the tank, in their natural environments lionfish are actually fierce predators. These fish capture their food by cornering them with their long, flowing fins and then eating them in one quick bite. What a way to die! Lionfish live in both the Indo-Pacific region, but large groups of this species have recently been sighting off of Long Island, NY. These fish were no doubt artificially introduced to the area. Speaking of different areas, a lionfish isn’t a lionfish to everyone. In different regions of the world this species is known as a turkey fish, dragon fish, or scorpion fish.
After reading this many may wonder whether keeping a lion fish in a private aquarium is safe. Though keeping these fish isn’t recommended for novices, experienced aquarium keepers often keep them in their tanks. Though there is a long list of symptoms should you come in contact with lionfish venom (these symptoms include: severe pain and swelling, nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hypotension, and headache) generally these symptoms can be eradicated quickly. A lionfish houses venom that is made up of thermolabile proteins, which means that the proteins will break down, or denature, quickly if introduced to heat. So, if you happen to be stung by a lionfish, insert the affected area into hot water and soak until your symptoms fade away. The lionfish’s venom comes from long spines that are all over the fish.
Anyway, back to keeping a lionfish in a salt water aquarium. Most experts recommend that this type of fish be housed in a larger tank, 75 gallons or more. If you don’t have an aquarium that large, then there is a dwarf breed of lionfish that doens’t grow as large as its full sized cousins. When keeping a lionfish in an aquarium it is also important to remember that these fish like to “hide” during the day. This just means that it would be beneficial to have some rock cover to keep your lionfish comfortable.
Do you own a lionfish or have any advice for those who are looking to put one in their salt water aquarium? Well, if so, post a comment and help each other out!