Adding A Lionfish To Your Saltwater Tank

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Lots of beginner saltwater aquarium enthusiasts find pretty fish that they like a lot, and they make the mistake of buying these fish, deciding they are the right fish for their tank! Usually, people end up making this decision when the fish they are looking at is more exotic and more beautiful than any of the fish around it. But many beginners fail to realize that in addition to these fish being more exotic and beautiful, they are also more difficult to care for!

One of the most beautiful and exotic of all saltwater fish, and a prize in any aquarium, is the lionfish - whose proper name, actually, is the scorpionfish. But if you are wondering why the "lionfish" is actually called the scorpionfish, you need look no further than the reason this is a poor fish for beginners. In addition to making them look so attractive in an aquarium, the long spines of the lionfish are also able to give a highly venomous sting! And if you simply put one into a tank without knowing as much about them as you should, you may end up getting stung yourself!

Here are a few other things you should know about the lionfish, if you feel you have been keeping a saltwater aquarium long enough to take care of one without getting stung.

Lionfish are meat eaters, and generally speaking, they prefer live food - which means that small fish and crustaceans are not good to keep with them! You can typically train a lionfish to eat frozen brine, shrimp, or clams if you get them when they are still young.

You also need to make sure you have a sizable tank for your lionfish - at least 75 gallons, and preferably larger - as they need a lot of room. Also, the lionfish does most of its hunting and swimming at night, so you are unlikely to see a whole lot of them!

If you keep the lionfish in a sizable tank with big enough fish, it will be a good tank mate, and will be extremely hardy. But before you add one, make sure you know as much about them as you should - for your own safety!