Clowns & Lions - Can They Co-exist?

ReachTheSky

ReachTheSky

Member
Sounds like the safest bet, but a bit boring if you know what I mean. My dream is to have a tank blooming with corals and varieties of colorful fish. My father's dream is to have a Lion. A bit straining but I'm doing my best to find a way to make both work.

So far I've found out that Lions don't harm the corals themselves which is a huge relief. The inhabitants I'm currently planning on are as follows:
- Volitan Lionfish
- Blue Tang
- Yellow Tang
- Maroon/Clarkii Clownfish
- One or two additional reef-safe Angel and/or Butterfly

You have a beautiful tank by the way. Nice aquascaping.
 
GrendelPrime

GrendelPrime

Well-Known Member
i see some trouble with ur stocking plan, mixing tangs with any fish even almost shapped like it can cause some nasty aggression and trying to keep multiple tangs in a smaller tank can cause some bad times for 1 of the tangs, so u have to be real careful if u have tangs and want to add butterflys or angels
 
ReachTheSky

ReachTheSky

Member
It's going to be a 90 gallon tank - 48 x 18 x 25. I'm planning on having 150-200 pounds of live rock with a TON of big and small cave-like structures. Think it'll be an issue?
 
GrendelPrime

GrendelPrime

Well-Known Member
the more rock u have the less room fish have to roam, stocking a tank is a whole other aspect to the hobby with its own set of rules we need to respect, and if u dont mind i think a nice group of fish would be 1 yellow tang, 1 dwarf lion, 1 flame angel, and let me do some research and i will find a nice butterfly for u, usualy the rule of thumb is 1in of fish for every 5gal of water so with no rock in the tank ur looking at about 18in of fish, now with the rock ur eating up available swimming room so what i like to do if figure out the 1 fish u "need" to have then research the fish and find out what fish are compatible with it
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
Also figure that the Lionfish is such a messy eater that I'd figure it to be easily 3x it's body size. That's why they aren't "normally" found in a reef tank because they literally POLLUTE the water through existence. It's not impossible but it's far from a walk in the park too. You'll have to be on TOP of your game and one skip or hiccup you'll go from REEF tank to FOWLR (if you're lucky).
 
ReachTheSky

ReachTheSky

Member
Oh, I don't mind. Throw some suggestions out here. And thanks a lot for all the help.

I love the Flame Angel but if at all possible, I really want to get a slightly larger Angelfish, like the Annularis or Tibicen. They are frickin' amazing. Bioload seems to be reaching it's peak however.

EDIT: @BigAl07.... That is insane! So he'll pretty much have to be in there alone then?
 
BigAl07

BigAl07

Administrator
RS STAFF
I wouldn't say it like that but you'll want to factor a "Messy Eater" into your Bio-Load. I put Lionfish in the same category as Moray Eels and the like. They don't eat often but when they eat they eat a LOT by GULPING it down. Unfortunately they aren't overly efficient so their WASTE is large too. It's a LOT all at once instead of small amounts here and there. They're simply messy animals in that respect.

Trust me one of my DREAM fish is a beautiful Lionfish but I just am not willing to make all the other sacrifices to have one. I LOVE MY CORAL!!

As far as what the Lionfish will eat.. It will eat anything that moves (motion catches their eye) and that they think will fit into their mouth. That includes anything crawling, walking, swimming, dangling etc in the water or on the sand/rock. They are timid for the most part but when they are in "Predator" mode they are big time GULPERS!
 
L

LoyaltyNECO

Member
Just to throw my two cents in.....You can see my tank info in my sig. I've had no problems with my Fuzzy Dwarf in my reef. He's eating frozen ghost shrimp now and slowly starting to convert to krill. I've also seen very little impact on my water parameters as well.

On a side note, "reef safe" angels and butterflies are very few. Most butterflies don't make it long (usually starvation/not eating) and your stuck with mostly (if not only) a few dwarf angels to choose from. If I had it to do over again I would go FOWLR all the way.
 
8

89Foxbody

Member
Keep in mind that a Volitan can reach what, 9 to 12"? Its mouth will be huge at that size if it reaches it. I've kept plenty of dwarves in with other fish and have had no problems though.
 
ReachTheSky

ReachTheSky

Member
If I absolutely will be keeping a Lion, I'm rooting for the Fuzzy Dwarf at this point. Plus I've been reading about their flamboyant personalities and it sounds fun. Thanks a whole lot for all the great information guys.

I've seen Volitans in local fish shops that are easily over 12" by the way.
 
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