Voliton in a reef

[BCT182]

My wife is always so excited to see the lionfish at the shops and I always tell her no.

I have seen tiny volitans several times over the years. Sometimes 2" or smaller.

If I were to buy a voliton that size, house him in a 29 gallon tank with three larger chromis and only feed frozen, could he be trained?

I have a 29 gallon tank plumbed into my system. First it was a fuge, but before I take it down I was thinking I might try it. I would try to keep him in there a month eating frozen before he's moved into the reef.

Any chance this will work?

 

[LynnMT]

Have you thought about the dwarf lion fish

 

[CT12]

My dad had a 29 gallon SW tank back in the day that housed a lion fish. This was before live rock or skimmers were the filtration method of choice and he used an under-gravel filter. We fed it live goldfish but it got to the point that it would eat previously frozen pieces of fish from his fingertips. I'm pretty sure that we didn't keep anything else in the tank with it. He had an octopus that we brought back from Mexico in the tank (probably a no-no but that was like 20 years ago) but I think that was shortly after the lion fish died. I seem to remember that the lion just stopped eating after choking on a piece of fish that was too big for it. I don't think we had it around for more than a year or two.

As a general rule, lion fish will eat anything that will fit into their mouths. They can grow to be around a foot long and they have the reputation of being pretty messy fish. 29 gallons is probably on the small side for a Volitan and the Chromis would most likely be in danger as the lion grows larger. Even after teaching the lion to eat frozen foods, it would still go after goldfish placed in the tank.

***I see...the 29 gallon is just for training to eat frozen food and you probably already knew all the other stuff I posted...we did have success teaching a lion fish to take frozen foods.

 

[seattle989]

It could work. imo Volitan will get quite large in the reef tank and will eat many of your ornamental shrimp. I would opt for a fuzzy drawf or antenna lionfish, or a fu man chu . It took me the longest time to ween my little guy to frozen food but keep at it.

 

[mfinn]

I have a 29 gallon tank plumbed into my system. First it was a fuge, but before I take it down I was thinking I might try it. I would try to keep him in there a month eating frozen before he's moved into the reef.

Any chance this will work?

A would think a small one would work out, ONLY for a month or so. Not as a permanent tank.
How big is the reef tank?

I had a Volitan ( little 2" guy) that I started out in a 60 gallon cube, but after a year, I had to move him into my 135. After a couple years inthat tank, he was 12" to 13" nose to tail and had a wing span of amost 18".
They are not a fish for anything but the biggest tanks.

There are some ultra cool dwarf lion fish that might work better.

 

[BCT182]

It would go into the 210 after a month or so..

 

[mfinn]

It would go into the 210 after a month or so..

A small one would be fine, for a couple years, but they do get big.

 

[seagem]

I have a fuzzy dwarf lionfish and she's been taking frozen mysis and spirulina brine shrimp. She recently just had my hermit crab for dinner (can you say escargot?) but she otherwise leaves the other inhabitants alone. Lots of personality though - she likes to spit at me whenever I open the lid on the tank for feeding. I do like having a lionfish.