lionfish and eel questions

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wizzin

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 10, 2006
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East of Pittsburgh
A few questions. I want to start up a 90gal FOWLR but this is my first SW tank. My wife has kept SW before (a 75) and she said she'd be interested in helping me with setup and maintenance so I'm not too afraid of starting with a bigger tank. I also know that bigger is better when it comes to water stability and i've been researching a LOT. I'm not starting this tank for another few months so I can fully research everything. So I'm skipping the urge to start small with a nano reef tank. On with the questions.

I really want a volitan lion, and a snowflake eel (or some kind of moray). Is 90 large enough for these 2? Is it safe to keep a lion and moray together? Are there any other smaller fish that could live with these two preds? I know the eels don't like intense light, and they'd hunt down any smaller fish in a reef setup, so i'm going with LR only. So is the lion ok with lower light? Are these two a mistake for a SW newb?

I know it's bunch of questions. Thanks.
 
i think you would better better off with the eel and maybe one or two dwarf lions, or just one lion by himself.
you'd obviously have to decide which you want more, the eel or the lion....
 
thanks. So is that because the V. Lion and the Moray aren't compatible (eel will go after the lion?), or is it because the tank is too small for the both together? So would a P. radiata or Pterois russelli and moray work? My LFS regularly has both and cheap. Like $23-$34. Thanks again!
 
Agreed, Eel (passive ones) and lions do great together. But during feeding time the eel could get stung by accident. Keep this in mind.

A volitan will FILL a 90 in 1 year. I bought a 3-4" one and it was 8-9" in the first year. It looked massive and cramped in a 75g till I moved it.

I would go with a passive eel, a smaller lion (radiata, dwarf, etc), and maybe some colorful fish that are too big to be eatten but fun. Liek Maroon Clowns, Flame Angels, Large Damsels. Could have a nice tank of activity and color.

Best advice I can give you is every cool super predator limits what else can go in. There are so many cool SW fish that you don't want to paint yourself in a corner.

Plan, plan, plan....go to LFS and watch all the tanks look at how they swim and interact with all other fish.

I started out wanting a tank of aggressives, but decided to move towards the passives to get more of a community tank with a couple of agg's in there.
 
90 might be to small for the lion, but the two can be housed together. I wouldn't limit the light on the tank for the eel. Make more and larger caves that will create more shadows for the eel to hang out in. You want as much light as possible to keep the coraline growing. Just research your options first with the lion. There are many dwarf varaieties that are really cool and will allow you to get a few more fish in a 90.
 
yep as stated it's just too small for a full size lion. i would also suggest anthias, hawks, wrasses, butterflies, and squirrelfish to go with the eel
 
I agree 100%
 
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