Lionfish and what?

[MentalTwitch]

I'm sure i'm not the only person but Lionfish are awesome. The elegance is amazing. Anyways, I love clownfish also. Pretty much just looking to do Lionfish...1 or 2 and then 3-4 clown. I know i won't use real anemone due to the lionfish. But what else would be ok? I want to get an Emerald crab and some camel or fire shrimp. Is this possible? I am a noob to salt and still learnign thanks for any help guys.

Sorry about the length. :22:

[unleashed]

I'm sure i'm not the only person but Lionfish are awesome. The elegance is amazing. Anyways, I love clownfish also. Pretty much just looking to do Lionfish...1 or 2 and then 3-4 clown. I know i won't use real anemone due to the lionfish. But what else would be ok? I want to get an Emerald crab and some camel or fire shrimp. Is this possible? I am a noob to salt and still learnign thanks for any help guys.

Sorry about the length. :22:
Lions will need a huge tank to survive as well as heavy filtration. They will also eat the clowns and the camel and fire shrimp.

Lions will only be safe with fish/inverts that they can't fit in their mouth

[2manyfish]

What type of lionfish are you thinking of? ANY lionfish will eat the shrimp, possibly the crab. Clownfish may or may not be lunch depending on the type of lionfish you choose. For example, the fu manchu is a small lionfish and will be fine with any type of clownfish. They don't need a huge tank either (30g), but they are also one of the hardest lions to switch over to "dead" foods. The dwarf fuzzy will also be alright with all clownfish as long as the clowns are in the tank first.
Larger lionfish will need larger tanks with the volitans being the biggest of the bunch. At least a 75g for one of these guys! A large clown like a maroon will work with this lionfish but be aware that maroons are the most aggressive clownfish there is and this will limit your choice of other tankmates.

The best way to plan out your stocking is to determine what size tank you can afford to buy. The bigger the tank, the more options you have....

What did you have in mind? :c3:

[kkyyllee]

you will only be able to have 2 clowns, and depending on which lionfish you owuld want they may or may not become a meal

[MentalTwitch]

I hoping 75+ gal. Still gathering funds and researching alot. I would be willing to do 1 lion and 2 clowns. The volitan lion is what i had in mind. I may rethink and just do clowns, shrimp and a juvenile koran angel with some anemone. I was trying to steer clear of anemone cause i thought there was more complications. Def. still learning alot about these guy but try to keep my interests narrow.


P.S. - Has anyone ever have a black urchin i think it is? Very very thin "spikes" I saw them at the pet shop and i think they are very neat.

[Fishguy2727]

Anemones are a lot more sensitive, I would recommend avoiding them.

[kkyyllee]

if this is ur fist saltwater tank i would advise waiting a year before buying an anemone, they are more sensitive to water quality, and if you get an anemone you will need metal halide or t5 lighting

[2manyfish]

A 75g is a nice sized tank to start with, gives you plenty of options!
Ditto on what's already been said about the anemone, they need a mature stable tank and plenty of lighting....get everything set up and stable then get the anemone. Buy a aquacultured one if you can too....

Urchins are nice, and although I've never had the long spined urchin I have had a pencil and a tuxedo urchin before. Both did very well but all urchins are little bulldozers so you will want to make sure your rockwork is very stable! They will eat most algaes but in general they prefer coralline algae! My reef tank was very pink with coralline algae but the tuxedo was never able to out eat the growth of the algae.
A word of caution. All urchins have the ability to sting you with those spines. Some urchins are more venomous than others so always, always be careful when handling these guys (use a net) and always know where they are in the tank before sticking your hand in there.

:c5:

[Fishguy2727]

My cousin got a black spined urchin in his live rock. It did well until all the fish teamed up and ate him.

[mariusz621]

I hoping 75+ gal. Still gathering funds and researching alot. I would be willing to do 1 lion and 2 clowns. The volitan lion is what i had in mind. I may rethink and just do clowns, shrimp and a juvenile koran angel with some anemone. I was trying to steer clear of anemone cause i thought there was more complications. Def. still learning alot about these guy but try to keep my interests narrow.


P.S. - Has anyone ever have a black urchin i think it is? Very very thin "spikes" I saw them at the pet shop and i think they are very neat.

It would be better to get one of the dwarf lions, which are fun to observe. They would be ok with clows and keepeng water quality would be def, easier.
Black urchin are usually sold very small. they do grow to a around 30cm diameter and you have to be careful when working around them as it may be a painful experience one day. They do strip live rock from the coraline algae leaving a white track behind them. Other than that they are harmless...