🐠 Volitans Lionfish (Pterois volitans)
The Iconic Lionfish • Maroon-Red and Cream Bands With Dramatic Fan-Like Fins • A Hardy, Adaptable Showpiece
 
📋 The Volitans Lionfish, also known as the Red Lionfish, Turkeyfish, or Butterfly Cod, is the iconic lionfish: a boldly banded body in alternating deep maroon-red and cream stripes, with massive, fan-like pectoral fins and elongated, venomous dorsal spines trailing above. It's native to the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, and it's one of the most popular and adaptable lionfish in the hobby.
It's a sedentary ambush predator that spends much of its time motionless, perched on ledges, before striking with lightning speed. It's safe with corals, but it will eat any fish or crustacean small enough to fit in its cavernous mouth, so ornamental shrimp and small tankmates aren't safe alongside it. Every Volitans Lionfish we ship is feeding well, and most can be weaned onto frozen silversides, krill, and squid with patience, with live feeder shrimp or fish a great place to start.
Its dorsal, pelvic, and anal fin spines are venomous, delivering a sting comparable to a severe bee sting, and anyone sensitive to stings should seek medical attention immediately. This species has also become an invasive species in the Western Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico since its introduction off Florida in the 1980s, most likely through aquarium releases. So please never release a lionfish into open water. Rules on keeping lionfish vary by region, and Florida bans live Pterois imports.
 
💡 Highlights
🎨 Maroon-Red & Cream Bands: A dramatic, iconic predatory fish
🛡️ Venomous Spines: Safe with care and long tools
🌿 Safe With Corals: Will eat fish and crustaceans small enough to swallow
🐢 A Sedentary Ambush Predator: A lightning-fast feeding strike
💪 Hardy: One of the most popular and adaptable lionfish in the hobby