And some final shots of my most favorite animal that dwells in my tank. Yes it's Vandamere. I can not tell you how fascinating and enjoyable I find him. He is a beautiful work of art in himself. I have found no other fish by half, that is more graceful and mesmorizing, causing me to become enchanted and stare at him for hours on end. Caring for him is a labor of love and I find myself to be so fortunate to be able to be a caretaker and good steward for such an awesome creature. And I also suppose, the element of danger is a draw for a salty dog such as myself.
I have first hand experienced an excruating encounter with an Atlantic stingray, and have an ugly scar and nerve damage in my left hand to remind me to stay alert and be very cautious at all times. I am of a mind that the same genetic make up of marine toxins could be comparable. The sting ray incident was a very traumatic event to say in the least and I well remember it, so I have stowed away 2 oxycodone tablets in case of emergency. I pray I never have to use them. Recovery from the sting ray toxins took a full 6 days and another 2 weeks for the puncture wound to heal.
Notice the beautiful, ornamental spines in the above picture. They are boney appendages, hollowed out like a needle, which is capable of delivering a highly toxic poison. On other fish, this ridge of fins is stationary, and can only be raised up and down like a sail, but on a lion fish, they are quite mobile. Theses fins are attached by muscles and cartledge on the fish's spine. These spines have a two-fold purpose. They allow the fish to maintain good balance in current
and can be flared out and used as a very effective weapon for self defense. In the defense mode, the Lion fish will take a verticle, head down mode, exposing those swords of death, giving the threat it's warning signal that you are in his circle of comfort. If the threat does not heed this warning, the fish will take aggressive action, striking foreward and out, piercing the flesh of the attacker. All it takes is one prick, and the end is near.
Notice the delicate, ornamental tissue on the Lion's fins. The coloring and markings only intensify the beautiful pattern on it's torso. Not only are the "Fairy Wings" fascinating to watch as they sway with the currents, they are a vital tool for the fish to hunt for live food. When the Lion has found it's prey, he will use his wings like a cowboy herding cattle. He spreads them out and manuvers his victim into a position for him to strike. The fins also cause his prey to watch his fins and not focus on the Lion's mouth, which is fast as lightening. All of this is done very slowly, patiently, waiting for the right set up. I find it fascinating as strategy is a major factor being played out here, unlike other fish species relying on sheer speed of the chase to feed.
Every part of the animal is delicate and highly detailed. This animal requires good water quality, live foods, and a care taker who pays attention to detail. He should be treated with respect and gently coaxed, moving at his own will and never agitated. Lion fish are known to have jaw difficulties and should never be given food sources larger than 45 percent of their jaw diameter. We do not want to take a chance of injury as they are aggresive eaters and their jaw actions plays a role in their swallowing and properly seating the food in their stomachs for digestion.
The Lion Fish is a highly inteligent species and is a very curious fish, always surveying his surroundings and inspecting. Below is a picture of Vandamere in his usual posture, checking out a possible food source!
Lions are a wonderful reef safe fish, but will not tolerate anything in his comfort zone. Because he grows rather large, I would not recommend a tank smaller than 90g. Of course this is my own personal opinion, others may feel differently. The only reason I feel he can be happily kept in a tank this small is his lack of swimming. He is content to hover and slowly move around in the tank. I originally had a Coral Beauty with him, but that didn't last very long as I feel he died as a result of the 12" circle rule. Anything that will fit in his mouth is good as gone. I have chosen to house no other fish with him. He is gentle, relaxed in his environment and I will not alter that. For those that have a
FO set up. The Puffer fish make an excellent companion for the Lion, as well as Eels.
icon under their name to add to their reputation. 
that is the most butiful and happy looking lion fish i have ever seen.
Also you should defantly enter in the photo of the month contest those are great pics.
© Copyright Max Strandberg
to all who made this learning fun and intrusting you guys taught me well and im still learning.
We're all getting so very excited! I got the ports fixed on my 
I popped off a few pics just to see if the software would work and it finally did. Here's 3 mediocre pics of 2 corals I got about 2 weeks ago? Have lost track of time these days.
