Lion tamers, help me research

[fjordnorce]

Hello all! I'll be frank - I'm completely new to saltwater tanks, ended up on a coral youtube a while ago and was honestly dumbstruck. This is the coolest thing I've ever seen. I have had freshwater tanks in the past, loved it and miss it, and I'm confident that with some research and practice I could pull this off.

The issue is I'm kind of an idiot; all the species I happen to like, people deride as pretty problematic. I've decided to focus, for now, on what seems to be the easiest of my favourites: Fu Manchu lionfish. I've tried to do my due diligence and research before I buy anything, but the internet is full of *wildly* conflicting information. If anyone with personal experience has any answers, I'd be eternally grateful, name my next child after you, and cetera. Yes, it's known as a difficult fish. I'm of the opinion I can research and prepare my way around this, and some websites and youtube videos agree with me. If literally all the answers say otherwise, I'd probably reconsider.

First, space. I've seen people say everything between 15 and 55 gallon tank minimum. I intend to keep this one specimen only, but I've also heard the swimming space isn't the problem, but bioload.
The two tanks I was considering are 85 and 90 litres, respectively (~23 gallons iirc, I'm european). Even with a good skimmer, clean up crew and diligent water changes, is this too small for a single little guy?
(not married to this size. If you could see the spot in my living room I'm pointing at, you'd see it's just the easiest.)

Second, aforementioned clean up crew. I've understood the boy is an irredeemable serial killer, and can't be trusted around *most* invertebrates. But like... Who are most? Crustaceans I know are a no. What about snails? Conches? Urchins? If none work, would a skimmer and filter alone really maintain algae and detritus?

Third, what he *do* eat. On the one hand, I don't mind spending money on eats. I'm used to feeding very large dogs. On the other, people agree that fu manchu are simply "fussy". I mostly work from home, so will have time to try and train feeding. What's people experience here, what's the favourite dish? What's your experience with frozen training? Any special tricks? Any food you fall back on if it doesn't work?

Fourth and final, corals. This is way less important personally; I'm not interested in any specific kind, just don't want bare rock. Most agree lions are reef safe, because they're obligate ambush predators. I have seen some say, however, that some corals sting, hurt or try to eat fish. I've tried looking for specific information on aggression, but so far only come across battle royale-whomst would win writings *between* corals, and not coral to fish. Who got the meanest tentacles? Have you ever had a coral hurt a fish? Is this an actual issue, or am I too vivid imagation?

And besides any of this, does anyone know a general source that's perhaps more dependable than youtube hobbyists? Any books, professional sources, published research would help.

That's all the questions I thought of during my reading - if you have any pertinent personal experience, if you wanna post pictures of your fish or setup, if you think I'm handsome and clever, do share. My sincerest thanks in advance.

 

[Subsea]

Welcome to r2r. Yes, the internet is full of conflicting information, so is this hobby website.

When I kept a lionfish, I had access to live food. Don’t assume you can train them on frozen. Even with a Drawf Lionfish, you should consider 200 liter as minimum size.

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