The animal that I'm going to talk about in this article certainly doesn't need a loud roar to be noticed.  It is truly one of the most spectacular animals that can be found within the walls of our aquariums.  The animal in question is the Volitan Lion Fish, known to science as Pterois volitans.

 

This impressive animal is a sight to behold.  All of it's body and fins are covered with alternating black or brown and white stripes.  The most spectacular thing about this animal is it's finage.  The dorsal, pectoral and anal fins spines are nearly as long, if not longer than the body itself.  These spines have beautiful flowing appendages to them.  These fin
arrangements make the Volitan Lion seem much bigger than it actually is. 

 

These Lions are not very small animals indeed.  They will reach an adult size of at least thirty-five centimeters.  There are other Lions on the market, some of them dwarfs others can be nearly as large as the Volitan.  The way that I use to tell the Volitan from other similar species is by the arrangement of the tail fin's pattern.  On the Volitan the spots on the caudal fin are arranged in perfect lines.  There are six of these lines on
the caudal fin.  One starts right at the end of the caudal peduncle and the last one is near the end of the caudal fin.  In similar species the spots
do not make such a distinctive pattern.

 

This animal is very predatory in nature, small fishes and other moving prey are its only diet.  Volitans heard there prey with their oversized pectoral fins.  When approaching a prey item they will spread their fins wide open and use them to prevent the hapless victim from escaping.  The usual hunting strategy for the Volitan is to lay in waiting under an
overhang or other sheltered area.  When a victim is spotted the Volitan will very slowly approach it's prey and when it is within striking distance, suck it in.

 

I call the feeding mechanism of the Volitan suck and swallow.  The reason that I say this is because the Lion will open his large mouth very rapidly, this causes a vacuum that pulls dinner into the Volitans mouth.

 

The Volitan belongs to a group of fishes known as Scorpions.  This general terms includes Sea Robins, Stone Fish, The Lion Fishes and several others.  The one thing that almost all of these fishes have in common is that they carry venomous spines, the Volitan is certainly no exception.  I have seen other reference material that states that all of the spines on the fins of the animal are venomous.  I disagree, I believe that only the spines on the dorsal fin are venomous.  Please, I AM NOT AN EXPERT, DO NOT TAKE THIS STATEMENT AS GOSPEL.  DO NOT TEMP FATE BY TOUCHING ANY OF THE ANIMAL'S SPINES!  I only base my conclusion on my observations.

 

The sting from a Lion Fish is very painful.  I have heard of natives committing suicide in order to escape the pain.  I can tell you from experience that it is severely painful.  I was just barely stung on the arm one time.  The spine just barely brushed my arm.  Within seconds the pain was excruciating.  I almost lost consciousness a couple of times.  I turned pale all over and felt absolutely terrible.  I ran the sting under hot water to help to neutralize the venom.  The intense pain lasted for over twenty minutes, although my arm was in terrible pain for well over two hours.  I could not imagine what a full fledged sting would feel like, the brush by sting was bad enough.  Buy the way, my wife Peggy, made me go to the hospital.  I brought along reference material to show what animal had stung me.  The hospital staff had been useless in helping me to treat the wound.  They had never even heard of a Volitan and had no idea on treatment.  They just kept me for a few hours for observation.

 

The spines of the Volitan are not meant as offensive weapons.  They are only used for defense.  I can't imagine anything swallowing this fish for dinner.  I did make one extraordinary observation.  In the same episode where I got stung, my Porcupine Fish was also stung.  The Lion was upset and the Porcupine Fish swam innocently above it.  The Lion Fish arched his back and then drove the dorsal spines deep into the Porcupine Fish with an upward thrusting motion.  I read somewhere that the Lion may attack an aggressor.  Now I had seen it first hand.  I could not imagine the pain that the Porcupine Fish was in as it floated immediately to the surface, stunned.  I put the Porcupine Fish out of it's misery.

 

Maintaining this animal in captivity is very easy as long as it's requirements are met.  Water chemistry should be as for any other marine fish ammonia - 0, nitrites - 0, nitrates -below 40 ppm and a pH of 8.3.  These animals love to eat; therefore, they produce a lot of waste.  A weekly partial water change somewhere in the vicinity of twenty five to fifty percent will keep the environment in pristine condition.  Regular filter cleanings and siphoning of the gravel during partial water changes
will also go a long way towards making your pet feel right at home.

 

You can purchase juvenile Volitans in your pet shop they are around eight to twelve centimeters in length.  I recommend buying a smaller specimen as it will settle in much easier.  Tank size for your pet is important especially as it grows.  You can start the fish of in a twenty gallon high, but with proper feeding it will soon outgrow this aquarium.  I believe that a fifty five gallon aquarium is the minimum size for a growing Volitan, larger would be better.  A couple of years ago I purchased a Volitan that was nine centimeters in length.  Ten months later it was approaching twenty eight centimeters.  I believe that frequent water changes and generous feedings of good foods allowed my fish to grow so fast.

 

The aquarium can be decorated anyway that you like.  I personally would avoid too many decorations as it takes valuable swimming room from your pet.  Hiding places, once the animal is acclimated, are not needed.  My Volitans always stayed out in the open, never hiding upon my approach to the aquarium.  Substrate is your choice, I like to use crushed coral or
dolomite.  These substances help to keep your pH from crashing.

 

Biological filtration is very important in this aquarium.  Believe it or not, I use sponge filters driven by an air pump for my biological filter.  This very simple devise does a wonderful job of biological filtration.  It hardly ever needs replacing and it is simply cleaned by rinsing it out in a bucket of waste water from your aquarium every two to three weeks.

 

I also use an outside power filter for mechanical and chemical filtration.  I have always liked the Aqua Clear series from Hagen.  These filters move lots of water, thus cleaning it, for a very reasonable purchase price.  An Aqua Clear 300 works well in a fifty five gallon aquarium in conjunction with a sponge filter.  The power filter has a nice place for a large bag of carbon.  I replace the carbon every six weeks.

 

I have found that feeding your animals the best diet possible goes a long way towards keeping your pets for a very long and happy life.  In the wild Volitans will only eat moving prey items.  This is how it will react at first in your aquarium.  You must wean them off of this diet as soon as possible.  Many uneducated retailers will tell you that you must feed them feeder goldfish or other live freshwater foods.  THIS IS NOT TRUE, NOT ONLY THAT BUT THIS DIET ALONE WILL EVENTUALLY KILL YOUR PET!  Freshwater feeder fish do not have all the proper nutrition for you Volitan, even in their best of health.  When do you ever find healthy, fat feeder fish at your locale retailer?  The Volitan, or any other marine predator for that matter, must be fed a diet that is marine based for them to receive their proper nutrition.  It has even been reported that goldfish and other freshwater feeders creates a fat deposit within your pet that will eventually kill it.

 

I can hear all of you moaning now and saying "where am I going to find marine feeders for my fish?"  The answer is, you don't have to.  With proper training your fish will soon be eating anything, including pelleted foods, that you offer it.

 

When you get your new pet at home you must make sure that it is eating.  For the first few days feeding live goldfish or other feeders in necessary to get your new friend eating and used to you.  Once her/she eats regularly for you, it should only take two or three days, you can start to wean it onto other foods.  The first step is to purchase a rigid piece of airline tubing that is around twenty centimeters in length.  Sharpen one end of the tubing to a point.  For the next couple of feedings simply place the tubing into the center of the tank as you feed the live feeders.  This gets the animals used to the tubing and he soon learns to associate it with food. 

 

The next step is to impale a live feeder fish, (I don't like doing it either), onto the sharpened end of the tubing.  Place this in front of the Volitan and move it very slowly, the Volitan should strike it at once.  If he/she doesn't simply skip that feeding and try the next day.  He will take it after a day or two.  Do not give in and give him live feeders again, you will never train him this way.

 

The next step after he has fed from the tubing is to place a dead feeder on the sharpened end.  He should strike this at once.  If he doesn't skip his feeding until the next day.  Again, do not feel sorry for him and give into giving him live feeders again.

 

Now we can start giving him better foods.  By this time he has associated you and the feeding stick with food.  He will strike at anything impaled into the tube offered him now.  This is what we were striving for.  The first new food that I would wean him onto would be Tetra freeze dried krill soaked in a supplement called Selcon.  The krill really brings out the red coloration in the adult Volitan.  The Selcon gives him many missing lipids and amino acids.  Now it's just a matter of trying all sorts of other foods.  Fresh clams, scallops, pieces of non-oily fish and even small amounts of fresh raw chicken meat will keep you animal happy and healthy.

 

I prefer to keep my Volitan in a species tank.  They get along quite well with their own kind, as well as other peaceful species; as long as the other species can't fit into their mouth.  Any tank mates that I would put into the tank would be as large if not larger that your Volitan.  Avoid aggressive tank mates.  Even though your Lion is equipped with deadly force, it is still a very peaceful creature.  Triggers and other aggressive fish might harass it to the point of death. 

 

Even though the Volitan Lion fish is fairly easy to maintain, I would not recommend it for beginners.  They do require pristine water conditions and their venom isn't something that should be taken lightly.  As a matter of fact I would recommend that any household that has small children running around should not have this fish unless the room where it kept is locked
tightly.  We all know how inquisitive small children are, they would not think twice about petting the pretty fishy.  This could lead to their death as reports of deaths from Volitan stings, especially if you are allergic to their venom, has been reported on the tropical islands of their homelands.  We must be responsible here because these animals could be classified as a
possible risk to human beings.  If this happens then the import of them into this country would cease to exist.

 

If you want to try your hand at a truly remarkable animal, and you are willing to take on the added responsibility of housing a venomous animal within your home, then by all means bring home a pet Lion today.  It may not roar but its impressive features will certainly catch your attention.