The Care of Scorpion Fish

Scorpion fish can be cared for successfully within a home aquarium. Scorpion fish are found within the large Scorpaenidae family, in the order Scorpaeniformes. Lion fish, turkey fish and dragon fish are relatives of the scorpion fish and each of them are venomous. In a home aquarium, scorpion fish require live food and, being nocturnal, scorpion fish often prefer being fed at night. Hobbyists owning scorpion fish in their homes must care for the fish with extreme caution, as a sting from a scorpion fish is extremely painful and potentially lethal.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium (30 lb. or larger with filtration unit and heater)
  • Live rock
  • Coral
  • Sand
  • Light with timer
  • Live food (shrimp, prawns, crabs, lance fish)
  • Protein skimmer
  • pH kit
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Instructions

    • 1
      Scorpion fish have heads covered in spines, bumps and ridges.

      Place the scorpion fish in a prepared saltwater aquarium. Scorpion fish do not require large aquariums. Scorpion fish should be alone in a tank or with very few other tank-mates, as they will view them as food. The scorpion fish will consume smaller tank mates and larger fish will harass the scorpion fish.

    • 2

      Place live rock, rock with a cave, coral and sea grass in the tank. Scorpion fish are territorial and may choose one coral or live rock as their prime location. There are many species of scorpion fish, each requiring different aquarium bottoms. Most scorpion fish prefer a sandy bottom or a sand and mud bottom. However, some may prefer coral rubble bottoms or bottoms predominantly mud. Prepare the bottom of the tank appropriately, according to your particular scorpion fish.

    • 3

      Feed the scorpion fish live food, such as goldfish. However, do not feed goldfish often, as too many goldfish in the diet of a scorpion fish can cause a thiamin deficiency, often resulting in death. Feed the scorpion fish crabs, shrimp, lance fish, squid or prawns. Feed high-quality flake food or pellets in conjunction with live food. Some scorpion fish will only eat specific live foods and not others, making feeding a scorpion fish trial and error at times.

    • 4

      Prepare the lighting element on the aquarium on a timer. Set it to dim before turning off at night and on in the morning. Scorpion fish do best when they have appropriate day to night cycles.

    • 5

      Clean the tank weekly, using a protein skimmer. Check the pH with a pH kit. Monitor aquarium water, watching the level, salinity and clearness.