The Volitans Lionfish is to me one of the most fascinating of marine fishes. They have an almost royal presence about them in almost any aquarium. If you like fish that swim all over the tank then this is not the fish for you, as they tend to be at home for hours in one spot without moving much at all (Usually they can be found perched on top of a plant or near the skimmer/water intake for your tanks filtration system).

With the opening of marine collection in the Red Sea, many organisms have become readily available which were previously too expensive for the average aquarist. It was just a few years back that a purple tang (Zebrasoma xanthurus), golden butterfly (Chaetodon semilarvatus), asfur angel (Arusetta asfur), or blue moon angelfish (Pomacanthus maculosas) would cost a few hundred dollars each. Such is no longer the case. I saw purple tangs from the Red Sea sold for about the same price as yellow tangs from Hawaii. This is a result of an increase in the number of Red Sea collecting stations and the development of adequate transport from them to livestock wholesalers. This situation is a real boon for aquarists, providing increased availability of many hardy and beautiful fish.

Having said that, there is a way that the marine enthusiast can set-up a 'micro' marine aquarium housing only shrimps! Over recent years, I have been experimenting with 3-5 gallon marine aquaria containing various species of tropical and temperate shrimp and crabs. I am pleased to report that all tanks were successful and no livestock was lost.