Little hunters: What are the top small predator fish?

[Peace River]

Little hunters: What are the top small predator fish?

Often when we think about predator fish, we think about tank busters and huge mouths, but what about the smaller predators that could do well in a 55-gallon tank or even in a nano tank? There are some little ones that are hunters so today let’s talk about them. What small predators have you kept or are familiar with? Can they be kept with corals? What about tank mates? Maybe you're not familiar with some of the fish in the poll - I encourage you to take the time to use the R2R search feature and explore these small predators. Please share your opinions and experiences with small predator fish in the comments that follow!

Photo by @Anarcha0s

 

[KING KONG]

Little hunters: What are the top small predator fish?

Often when we think about predator fish, we think about tank busters and huge mouths, but what about the smaller predators that could do well in a 55-gallon tank or even in a nano tank? There are some little ones that are hunters so today let’s talk about them. What small predators have you kept or are familiar with? Can they be kept with corals? What about tank mates? Maybe you're not familiar with some of the fish in the poll - I encourage you to take the time to use the R2R search feature and explore these small predators. Please share your opinions and experiences with small predator fish in the comments that follow!

Photo by @Anarcha0s

No one can ever compete with the king!

 

[Tanglover1]

Both Dwarf lionfish and moray eel. I like the personality of eel and I enjoy seeing lionfish eating

 

[PicassoClown04]

I vote red rooster waspy!

 

[Sharkbait19]

Any scorpion is cool. Lions are one of my favorites and something I would one day love to keep.

For now I’ll have to give it to my mini lion - Pygmy roosterfish, who is surprisingly impossible to get a good picture of:

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Funny this pops up! I’m planning on snagging a yellow spot scorpionfish this week. I would have to vote that those are my favorite by far! Red soap fish are also very cool

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Wasps and scorps are awesome. I have some in every tank.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I have personally never owned a fish that one would consider a predator before. Cool fish though!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Never owned a predator fish but maybe one day I can own a dwarf lionfish, I've always loved lion fish ever since I was a kid.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Wasps and scorps are awesome. I have some in every tank.

Nice yellow spot! What do you have him eating?

 

[Sharkbait19]

Wasps and scorps are awesome. I have some in every tank.

How’s the puffer with the wasps? I would have thought most puffers would be a risk to a long finned, slow fish unless this is a more mild species (or marine puffers aren’t total jerks like the freshwater ones).

 

[Sharkbait19]

Double post

 

[design.maddie]

I was shocked that the Scorpionfish wasn't the top pick, maybe seconded only by the Dwarf Eel.

 

[steveschuerger]

I’ve had predator freshwater fish(even Angelfish-seeing my adult Angels hunt down tetras :astonished-face: ). Pretty new to salt, but I’d love to have a lion fish someday. Dangerously majestic.

 

[FishSkedee]

Love the dwarf lions.. like colorful little underwater bats!

 

[FishSkedee]

Engage camouflage

 

[lion king]

What's your definition of little, these little guys, max size in captivity around 3" are deadly, quick little hunters, the pygmy red rooster waspfish. There are other very quick, deadly small scorpionfish that will reach about 4", like the yellow spotted scorp. Is this guy still small at 6.5", look at this beast, a male red fuzzy lion.

 

[lion king]

Another scorp, the barbfish which will max out at about 4.5"; with the holy grail of ambush predators, the rhino. Most if not all of the available scorps, including the rhino, which will get about 7" in captivity, will be happy in a 55g. The challenge for most hobbyist will be, there would be few other fish that can live in a 55g that would not be food.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Nice yellow spot! What do you have him eating?

It eats frozen and massive amounts of amphipods lol.

How’s the puffer with the wasps? I would have thought most puffers would be a risk to a long finned, slow fish unless this is a more mild species (or marine puffers aren’t total jerks like the freshwater ones).

No issues with the puffers. They are checkered puffers collected in FL. I do expect issues when they get bigger, but the wasps just act slow. They are actually very fast fish and can disappear in an instant.

 

[lion king]

They are all completely reef safe, except no shrimp, which would be food. The fu manchu, the smallest of the dwarf lions, still reaching just over 5"