Lion Fish... How Dangerous?

[Hammerhed7]

The way to get stung is by not paying attention. These fish are nbot aggressive and do not seek out things to sting, however they are very curious, and associate you being in front of the tank with them eating (you are basically viewed as a vending machine). Due to this they will begin to drift toward you arm, or whatever else you put in the tank, and if your not paying attention you can bump into them. I have 2 adult volitans in my 220, and when I am cleaning the tank I keep a close eye on them, but if they start to drift over I just move my scrubber or whatever is in my hand toward them and they head the other way.

Also a great point was mentioned earlier, you can be stung by a dead lion if you compress the spines, so be mindful of that.

They are great fish, easy to keep and long lived with the right diet. I wouldn't be without one.

 

[VLDesign]

I have been stung by a medium to larger sized lion fish so this isn't just me repeating what someone else said it feels like.

I am always amused at the bee sting comparrison...

It's nothing like a bee sting on a pain level. I am not allergic nor do I have a low tolerance for pain. With that said if I were going to use the bee sting as a gauge it would be at least 10 times more painful overall than a bee sting. Then unlike a bee sting the pain get progressively worse with time and then there is a bit of swelling to boot.

I guess everyone reacts differently to venom but to just say it's like a bee sting is pure crap.

 

[lsky5101982]

Well I was considering this fish but the current stocking plans would probably doom it fro the start. I read that Puffers and Lions are a poor mix and since we like puffers better were going that route.

 

[metalyx]

Allright, everyone seems to be pussy footing around it, so here goes.

Lions are great additions to the tank, but we do have to keep several things in mind.

The longer the fins, the less poisonous. This means that a volitan lion will hurt WAY less then being stung by a dwarf, or even a stone toadfish or scorpion, etc. The shorter the barb, the more painful a bad encounter will be. This alludes of course to say, that some lions will be more aggressive than others.

In my experience, dwarfs are nasty freakin' a-holes, and volitans are more concerned with personal safety. The shorter the spine, the easier the targeting. My little guy (who I always watched like a hawk) would take a quick look at where my hand was, straighten out every spine on his body, and charge like his life depended on it. My juvy volitans would stay away most of the time, but they are much less "offensive" fish.

When it comes down to being stung, the poison they elicit is a protein based poison. Hot water will stop the reaction, but it is unlike anything terrestrial (not water) based that we have to deal with. Heard about peeing on a jelly or fire coral sting? It doesn't stop the protein, but it does help hydrate (thus solute) the area. A bee sting is no real comparison and even more entertaining, allergies don't much react to various protein based stings. Should the Mrs. get stung, she'll have the same reaction you will. There's no cure, but really hot water stops the poison.

I'm not sure where you've been told that puffers and lions don't mix. In my experience (good chance I'm mistaken) there's very little aggression between the two as neither are a food source for the other. Similarly, like angles, same species puffers don't mix well, but deal well with most others. Each fish will have a particular attitude and temperament, but there's no reason a puffer and lion shouldn't get along.

That said, in the way of arapaima, some puffers can break 3 feet, including porcupines. Volitans lions can break 18 inches. Perhaps a smaller, and less aggressive mix of the two would suit your needs nicely?

Good luck buddy, swim on!