Volitans Lionfish, Common Lionfish, Red Firefish, Turkeyfish, Butterfly Cod

Pterois volitans

Size: 15 inches

Minimum tank size: 120 gallons

Reef safe: With caution. Volitans will eat any fish small enough to fit in their mouth and ornamental shrimp.

Diet: Meat based foods including small fish and inverts

Temperament: Docile but will eat any fish small enough to fit in its mouth.

General: Volitans are the classic image of a lionfish and therefore are very common in the hobby. They usually readily adapt to captive life and will feed on a variety of large meaty frozen foods. Care must be taken when choosing tank mates as they will eat shrimp or any fish small enough to fit in their large mouths. As with other species of lionfish, volitans house a toxic sting in their antenna, so extreme caution must be taken when working around them.

Photo by Jake Graas

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