Lionfish Habitat

The beautiful, graceful swimmer the lionfish is also called the Turkey fish, Dragon fish or even Scorpionfish. These are very attractive looking sea creatures, but are aggressive predators. They have stinging spines and their fins are poisonous. They are known to corner their prey and stun them with their spines. Then the prey is swallowed whole by the lionfish.

Lionfish Facts

The lionfish is a slow swimmer that can carry out quick movements. These movements are helpful in catching prey. The lionfish takes a fanned out pose, when it sees a predator approaching. So anything that dares to come close, they will inject the venom from their long spines. The lionfish has really long, separated fins that has a stripped pattern on a white background. They have dorsal fin spines and enlarged pectoral fins with a zebra like stripe pattern in every species. There are different species that include dwarf lionfish, black lionfish and red lionfish. The lionfish usually swims in pairs.

Lionfish Habitat

Their habitat consists of the warm problematic waters. They are usually found in the Indo-Pacific region and different species around the world. The habitat consists of rocky regions under the water with a lot of plants and fishes. Thus, they are often found near the coral reefs. They like to hide in holes, under the rocks and caverns. Let us see the lionfish habitat according to the species.

Red Lionfish
The red lionfish has red and maroon stripes over their white body. They grow about 17 inches in size as adults. The red lion fish habitat consists of the coral reef regions of the Indian and Pacific ocean. They are also found on the off east coast of Florida, United States.

Black Lionfish
The black lionfish is black and white striped with solid black spikes and fins. They are generally found in the warm tropical waters.

Freshwater Lionfish
The freshwater lionfish has natural beauty that makes it one of the most popular aquarium fish. They are actually toadfish that are completely harmless and non-poisonous. They have spines that may cause only a slight pain due to their sharpness. These freshwater lionfish habitat consists of waters around Australia, Thailand and Papua New Guinea.

Dwarf Lionfish
The dwarf lionfish looks like the red and black lionfish, but is a smaller version of the two. The dwarf fish is just about 15 centimeters in length and can have different colors like red or brown. The spikes of the dwarf lionfish is same as the width of the body. They have spotted bands on their back fins. The lionfish habitat includes the Indo - Pacific waters, the Australian coastal reefs and the estuaries of south-western Australia and the north, south to southern New South Wales.

Lionfish Care

Many people love to have lionfish in their aquarium or fish tanks. The lionfish are thought to be one of the difficult fish to be cared for. These fish are venomous and can cause many health hazards. But, once you understand how to take lionfish care, you will find them to be easy pets to keep. The lionfish are a hardy lot that are disease resistant and adaptable to various water conditions. They can grow big in size, so you need to use a large aquarium to give them enough room to swim. You can have more than one lionfish in a tank, but make sure each one gets enough individual space. The lionfish are slow and lazy and just lie about during day time.

You can keep the lionfish in a reef aquarium and make sure you have carried out thorough research regarding compatible species. Lionfish is active during feed time and just hang around the bottom during the day. You therefore need to choose a soft substrate so that the lionfish does not injure itself. The lionfish diet consists of small crustaceans and small pieces of beef heat. You can even feed them shrimp and worms during dawn and dusk hours.

This was something about lionfish habitat and care. Lionfish habitat consists of the reefs and rocky crevices of the Indo-Pacific regions. They are known to swim their way around the world. Lionfish is interesting aquarium fish and should be brought home only after thorough research. I hope this article in lionfish habitat has helped you get some information regarding these beautiful aquatic creatures.