Saltwater Fish
Red Volitan Lionfish.
The showstopping volitan lionfish — banded red, white, and black with a fan of venomous, feathery fins. Hardy and slow-moving, but it'll eat any fish or shrimp it can swallow, so choose tankmates carefully. Handle with care; those spines sting. A bold predator centerpiece.
We keep this species at our Erie store. Come and see it in the tanks, or call (814) 456-9445 and ask what we have in right now.
Sea Cave keeps this species. You will find these in the tanks at 660 East 14th Street in Erie. We never ship live animals.
- Condition
- new
- Fulfillment
- Local pickup — Erie, PA
We never ship fish, coral, or invertebrates — every animal here is one you meet in person. Each one is acclimated and health-checked in-house before it goes out into the display tanks. This is a species we keep, and what is swimming on any given day changes with the deliveries, so please call (814) 456-9445 before you drive in.
Care at a glance
What to know before you take one home.
- Care level
- Intermediate
- Temperament
- Semi aggressive
- Adult size
- 15"
- Min tank size
- 120 gallons
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Scientific name
- Pterois volitans
Good tank mates
This is a slow but effective predator that will eat any fish or shrimp small enough to fit in its large mouth, so never house it with small tankmates, cleaner shrimp, or anything it can swallow. Suitable companions are other large, peaceful-to-semi-aggressive fish that can't be eaten and won't bully it, such as larger tangs, triggers chosen with care, eels, and big angelfish in a roomy fish-only or FOWLR (fish-only-with-live-rock) system. It is not reef-safe in the sense of fish and mobile inverts, since those become prey.
Good to know
A volitan lionfish has venomous spines along its back used purely for defense, and it hunts by slowly cornering prey with its fanned pectoral fins before striking with a sudden gulp.
What is in the tanks and each animal's temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for pairing advice.
Good tankmates
Plays well with.
Species we’d keep in the same tank, with why each pairing works. What is in the tanks and each animal’s temperament vary — call (814) 456-9445 for advice on pairing.
New to stocking a tank? Read our guide on which fish live together.
- S
Snowflake Eel
Widely confirmed as a top FOWLR companion for lionfish. Grows to 24+ inches — well beyond the Volitan's maximum prey size — and its blunt, molariform teeth are adapted for crunching crustaceans, not fish. Multiple aquarist sources and species profiles list it alongside lionfish without reservation.
- F
Foxface Rabbitfish
Venomous dorsal, pelvic, and anal spines function as active deterrents against a lionfish strike — aquarium sources state explicitly that foxface can live with lionfish and are kept with larger aggressive fish due to this venom defense. The pairing is documented as workable in predator FOWLR setups.
- H
Harlequin Tusk Wrasse
Lionfish are explicitly listed as ideal tankmates for Harlequin Tuskfish across multiple authoritative hobby references. Despite a formidable appearance, the Tusk is relatively mild-mannered with robust fish and neither poses a fin-nipping threat nor falls within easy prey size for the Volitan.
Visit the store
660 East 14th Street,
Erie, PA.
Mon–Fri 12–6 · Sat 11–4 · Sun closed. Call ahead on livestock — what's on the floor rotates.