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antipodi
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Tue Mar 07, 2006 8:33 am
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 LionFish ..a list of Breeds and descriptions
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The Line-up of Lions: Common Lionfish Species
(listed by increasing size)
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Dwarf Lionfish - Dendrochirus sp.
Dendrochirus biocellatus
Common name: Fu Man Chu lionfish
Maximum size: 5-6 inches, minimum tank size: 30 gallons
Commentary: The Fu Man Chu lionfish is a diminutive lionfish that can be readily identified by two large whiskers that protrude from either side of its mouth .
The fish is red-orange with blackish specks. The two solid pectoral fins resemble fans from a Spanish Dancer, and are circular with the lower fin rays forming angular points. This fish is a poor swimmer; instead, it tends to scurry across the substrate and will occasionally hop. Out of all the lionfish , Fu Man Chu's are one of the more aggressive lionfish towards same species fish. It is hard to introduce two Fu Man Chu lions in one 180-gallon tank without one Fu harassing the other to the point of sickness. What is remarkable with Fu Man Chu lionfish is their prey stalking behavior. Once a prey item has been identified, the fish will approach and begin to shake its head and gill covers from side-to-side . When in capture range of the food item, the lionfish will begin to rhythmically twitch its dorsal spines back-and-forth, and as it readies to gulp the prey item, it vibrates the lower portions of its pectoral fins.
The Fu Man Chu lionfish is one of the more difficult lionfish to keep in the home aquarium because they ship very poorly and they don't readily wean from live to prepared foods. These fish are among the most shy , and it is imperative that caves and hiding spots are made available for this fish to hide. Initially, they spend much of their time hiding in the rockwork and will only come out to feed. These fish will have problems competing with fast swimming fish for food, and unless they are target fed, will starve. Live ghost shrimp should be among the first foods offered to establish this fish onto an aquarium diet, and once it is comfortable and begins coming out from hiding, the aquarist can begin to wean the fish onto prepared foods. I have had great success using Piscine Energetics Mysis shrimp as an enticing prepared food by simply thawing the frozen Mysis and squirting it out of a tube in front of the hungry Fu Man Chu. Over the years, I have kept three Fu Man Chu lionfish, and it took over two months to wean the slowest one from live foods.
Dendrochirus brachypterus
Common name: Dwarf fuzzy lionfish
Maximum size: 7-8 inches, minimum tank size: 30 gallons
Commentary: The Dwarf fuzzy lionfish is probably the best of the dwarf lions that a hobbyist can keep in an aquarium, mainly because they are hardy, disease resistant, readily weaned onto prepared foods, and are actively swimming lionfish. These fish have a unique fuzzy texture to their scales and possess semi-circular pectoral fins that are decorated with stripes and patterns. The fin rays are short and connected with solid webbing. During the day, D. brachypterus tend to hang upside down in caves or on soft corals. During the dawn/dusk periods, dwarf fuzzy lionfish become very active and swim about in search of food.
Dwarf fuzzy lionfish come in three-color varieties: drab brownish, beautiful reddish, and a rare yellow form . Of course, combinations of reds and yellows and browns and reds exist as well. The most common in fish stores are the brown/reds and the brown/drab yellowish. Adult male Dwarf fuzzy lions are readily identified by having a larger head, longer pectoral fins (the fin tips reach past the caudal peduncle), and have between 6 to 10 bands (or stripes) on their pectoral fins. Female Dwarf fuzzy lionfish have only 4 to 6 stripes.
In the wild, Dwarf fuzzy lions live singly or in groups of three to 10 individuals, but in a large home aquarium (100 gallons or greater) it is possible to keep a large dominant male and several females. In smaller tanks only one specimen is recommended as Dwarf fuzzy lions will harass conspecifics within a size-limited tank habitat. Out of all the lionfish species, Dwarf fuzzy lionfish might be the best suited for a reef tank; they have small mouths, don't usually bother similarly-sized fish, and tend to stay to themselves.
Dendrochirus zebra
Common name: Dwarf lion or Dwarf zebra lion
Maximum size: 6-8 inches, minimum tank size: 30 gallons
Commentary: The Dwarf lionfish are beautiful lionfish in a small package. These little lions are among the most common lionfish found in the hobby. Dwarf lions are characterized by a dark spot on the lower portion of the gill cover operculum, and concentric bands on the inner portion of the pectoral fins. The pectoral fin membranes extend almost all the way to the fin ray tips, and form a solid web. The body pattern consists of alternating dark brown and light brown stripes. This species demonstrates very subtle sexual differences, and in my experience is impossible to sex by appearance. Husbandry of a Dwarf lion is exactly the same as keeping a Dwarf fuzzy lionfish. The most important points are providing the fish with plenty of good hiding spots, providing a nutritious and varied diet, and maintaining good water quality.
click here for full size picture
Figure 9. Face-on with a dwarf zebra lionfish. Notice the broad striping patterns which identify this species. Photo by Frank Marini.
*Medium-bodied Lionfish - Pterois sp.
Pterois antennata
Common name: Antennata lion, Spot-finned lion
Maximum size: 8-9 inches, minimum tank size: 55 gallons
Commentary: Antennata lions are a hardy, medium-sized lionfish for the home aquarium. Antennata lions are beautifully marked with alternating vertical bands of reds, whites, and browns, and are readily identified by their pectoral fins which possess webbing that connects only halfway up the fin ray. This membranous area has one or more dark spots resembling eyespots. The posterior portion of each fin ray is whitish and extends to past the caudal peduncle on the ventral portion of the pectoral fin; each fin ray is independent and not connected by webbing . There are no readily identifiable sexual markings on these fish. In the home aquarium Antennata lionfish are shy and will spend a lot of their initial time in the tank hiding. If multiple Antennata lions are present, the aquarist will need to ensure that each has its own hiding spot. In my experience, these fish prefer shrimp over fish for food, but are readily established on ghost shrimp first, then weaned onto prepared foods using Piscine Energetics frozen Mysis or whole krill.
Pterois mombasae
Common name: Devil lionfish, Mombassa lion, deepwater lionfish
Maximum size: 7-8 inches, minimum tank size: 55 gallons
Commentary: These deep-water lionfish are found mainly on South African reef slopes. They are usually found inhabiting sponge and soft coral beds in search of food, and feed almost entirely on crabs. Devil lions are almost always misidentified at the fish store as Antennata lions . Four main characteristics distinguish them. First, Devil lions have larger eyes and, in fact, the eyes look out of proportion to the head. Second, the vertical striping patterns on Mombassa lionfish are red or deep reddish with a unique texture to the pattern, almost fuzzy looking. Third, the lower portion of the pectoral fin on a Mombassa lion has three or 4 fin rays that are webbed. This is not the case in Antennata lions. Fourth, the pectoral fin of a Devil lion has multiple eyespots throughout the fin, not just around the attachment, as in Antennata lions. The care of Devil lionfish is similar to that of Antennata lionfish. Devil lions are intolerant of harassment by any fish, although they may swallow any fish smaller than them and they are particularly intolerant of poor water quality. These fish are often the first fish to succumb to bacterial infections that effects their eyes (resulting in a cloudy-eyed appearance) as water quality declines.
click here for full size picture
Pterois radiata
Common name: Radiated lion, Clearfin lion
Maximum size: 9-10 inches, minimum tank size: 65 gallons
Commentary: Radiata lions are found primarily in the Red Sea, and in my experience, they ship poorly to the wholesalers and pet stores, possibly because of their remote location in the wild. So, finding a good healthy Radiata lion can be difficult. These lions are also considered rare in the wild, are therefore not frequently seen in the lionfish trade, and they subsequently command a higher price. In my opinion, they are among the more beautiful lionfish, as the markings and patterns on them are so variable that they are almost chameleon-like. The body markings consist of alternating wide vertical bands of dark red, browns, black-reds, red-greens, all separated by a sharp white stripe. The caudal peduncle has two vertical bands that point toward the tail fin. The second dorsal, anal and caudal fins are clear and without spots or markings. The pectoral fins are spectacular white rays with membranous webbing only on the bottom quarter. When Radiata lionfish swim, they extend their pectoral fins, accentuating the white stripe pattern. In the home aquarium, Radiata lionfish are one of the more difficult lionfish to keep for a number of reasons. First, they usually arrive at the fish stores in poor condition. Second, they are passive lionfish and do not compete well for food against any fast swimming tankmates. Third, they are intolerant of poor water quality and often succumb to illness as water quality declines.
These lions to prefer to eat shrimp and crabs over fish, and I've had to establish them using ghost shrimp and small fiddler crabs as first foods. Once they are established on these foods, however, it is difficult to get them to accept prepared foods, but with patience, they may accept other foods and will survive quite well in the home aquarium.
* Large-bodied Lionfish - Pterois sp.
Pterois russelli
Common name: Russell's lion
Maximum size: 10-12 inches, minimum tank size: 75 gallons
Commentary: One of the smaller members of the Volitan lionfish group, Russell's lionfish are hardy, pollution tolerant lionfish for a medium to large aquarium [Figure 13]. In the wild, Russell's lionfish are found in coastal South African waters near silty mud flats and estuaries, where they feed primarily on small fish and crustaceans. Russell's lions are one of the more commonly available lionfish in the hobby, and are frequently misidentified as "red Volitans". Juvenile Russell's lions have a whitish body with dark brown vertical stripes . The pectoral fins are pale white with light brown and blue spotting. As the animal grows and ages, the body pattern becomes more diffuse and turns rust-brownish in color, while the pectoral fins turn darker and lose the spotting. The second dorsal, anal, and caudal fins are clear with an occasional brown spot. The head features two ocular projections and a few lower tassles that hang off the mandible.
As aquarium residents, Russell's lions adapt easily and quickly to aquarium life. They almost always wean to prepared foods, only requiring a few days of starvation to entice them to eat a "wiggling" silverside or chunk of krill. Russell's lions spend almost all their time out in the open and will often swim boldly with other tankmates in search of food. These fish grow fairly quickly when fed properly, and they will easily become 10 inches long within one year
Pterois volitans
Common name: Volitans lion, "lionfish", turkey fish
Maximum size: 12-15 inches, minimum tank size: 85 gallons
Commentary: When someone states they have a lionfish, this is usually the fish they are describing [Figure 14]. The most common lionfish in the hobby, the Volitans lionfish are hardy and pollution tolerant lionfish that are great inhabitants for a large aquarium. In the wild, Volitans lions spend dawn/dusk periods in open water in search of foods (primarily fish), and frequently travel in packs of multiple animals (5 or more). During the daylight hours, they head to cave openings and protected structures for safety.
The coloration of Volitans lions is both variable and attractive. These fish are generally sold in two color morphs: a red form with reddish/brown stripes, and a black morph, with black markings . The amount of black or red varies with the collection locale of these fish, and even solid black Volitans have been seen at my local fish stores. Juvenile Volitans lions have wonderful busy vertical stripes alternating with lighter and white outlines. The pectoral fins are disproportionately long; each ray is individually webbed, and the center of the pectoral fin is frequently clear. As these fish age, the striped body pattern becomes more diffuse and the pectoral fins "appear" to shorten, resulting in a squatty large-bodied fish with short fins.
In the home aquarium Volitans lions make beautiful and interesting "centerpiece fish." Frequently offered for sale as 2 inch juveniles, they are cute and adorable with tremendous personality. Juveniles are active swimmers and are constantly searching out food. Volitans lions almost always wean over to prepared food quite well, usually with no more assistance required than adding shrimp or fish chunks to the water column. Volitans lions are aggressive feeders and will actively compete with other fast swimming fish like tangs and wrasses. These fish are pollution tolerant and are the most hardy and forgiving of the aquarist's negligence of all lionfish. The main problem with Volitans lionfish is their size; the cute 2" juvenile fish at the store will reach 8-10" in one year's time (with proper feedings) and within 6 more months it will obtain a maximum size of 15". These fish easily outgrow their tankmates and will frequently eat them. Any fish that is equal to half the body size of the Volitans lion, is considered food, and will be eaten in time. Additionally, a 15" long fish with a large pectoral fin span requires a large aquarium, and even though these fish tend to be more sedentary as adults, they still need to turn around, so an 18" wide tank is recommended at a minimum.
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