Lion fish is one of the famous fish among divers. In Sri Lanka, they are called as “Gonmaha”. They have poisons inside them but the reason for their popularity is not that. They are quite friendly with divers than other fish. In our country people who live on the beachside know this fish as “Gonmaha” and also maybe someone who gives hurtful memories for them. For a while, I thought they liked to stay close to us because they were attracted to humans. But that is not the actual case. They are sensitive to light. Lights attract them towards us. Because of vision impairment when diving I am wearing a specialized mask to enhance my visibility and it has a torch. Because of that, sometimes they swim right in front of my eyes, giving me some threatened feeling that time.
Although there are several types of these fishes in the world, it will be quite a difficult task to separate them and identify them. Common Lionfish, Indian Lionfish, or Devil Firefish (Pterois miles) are only living in the Western Indian Ocean. They look the same as Pterois Volitans aka Red Lionfish and because it is hard to separate them from each other, because of that some countries recognize Red Lionfish as Common Lionfish. We can separate them by understanding the number of spines on the dorsal fin and their position. We can find Common Lionfish, Indian Lionfish, or Devil Firefish (Pterois miles) in the Western Indian Ocean, and Pterois Volitans aka Red Lionfish in the Eastern Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean. The Pterois russelii – Cleartail Lionfish/Russell’s Lionfish live in the Indian and Western Pacific Ocean, and terois radiata – Clearfin Lionfish/Radiata Lionfish live in the Indian and Western Pacific Ocean. We can see Pterois antennata – Spotfin Lionfish/Band-tail Lionfish in the Indian and Western Pacific Ocean, Pterois lunulata – Lunar Lionfish in the Western Pacific Ocean, and the Pterois mombasae – Mombasa Lionfish in the Indian and Western Pacific Ocean. With all these data we can say that except for the Lunar Lionfish, all species are found in the Indian Ocean.
We can separate Common Lionfish and Red Lionfish by understanding the number of spines on the dorsal fin and their position. Russell’s Lionfish also look like same but The caudal fins, or fins at the end of the tail, do not have markings like others. Common Lionfish and Red Lionfish baby fish have attractive pinkish-white bodies with light orange lines. Pectoral fins are proportionally larger in young fish than in adults. Their pectoral fins are an attractive pink with light blue markings.
Once when I was videoing the activities of small fish in the coral reefs near a sunken ship in Dehiwala, I observed a pair of fish doing unusual activities and for videography, I lay down on the seabed. When I was finished my other diving partner Darshana told me to stay calm in the same posture. I didn’t understand what was going on. I saw he observed something about me, so I looked up and saw 5 fish lying on my back and legs. At that time, I was extremely nervous and I struggled to get up and swam as fast as I could. I was very afraid that I might have an accident but luckily it didn't happen. As they age, their colors darken and several color variations develop. The background colour changes to orange-brown and to dark brown to black. Pairs of vertical white lines run across the body, in some fish the white lines are visible below the bodies, but some lines are indistinct towards the stomach area. Dorsal and pelvic fins are thicker and shorter on a proportional basis in adults.
The lines of the caudal and anal fins have rows of black dots. Some fishes have prominent antennae above the eyes. One or both antennae are often missing after some time. As they age, the head becomes wider and fatter. Adults grow up to 30 cm in length but become much larger when the fins are spread. Lionfish are usually easy to approach and are often found outdoors with some support or lying between two rocks or pieces of coral. They are generally not afraid of divers and are easy to approach. Lionfish's dorsal and pelvic spines contain venomous spines that provide them with protection. It is usually not fatal and can be fatal depending on the individual’s body and their body's response to the venom, but it will be extremely painful for many divers. During the day they are often found in large groups of ten or more fish in underwater caves. Sometimes when a diver lying around observing other fish, they see the diver and swim towards it, spreading their fins and displaying a spectacular sight. But remember never touch or rub them. If you want to have a painful experience, then do it. But we are not responsible for it. Also, they are very good at moving in any direction in the water and their movements are slow and efficient. During the day they can often be observed roaming around, moving, and eating on small fry of cardinalfish or sweepers from their caves and corals, but they have never been observed to behave aggressively towards each other. It can be concluded that they are not violent with their own kind.
At night they are usually seen alone but can usually be observed hunting and eating quite close to their hiding place. Stories about lionfish using their poisonous fins and spines to attack divers or hunting or anything related to that is wrong. Because I had never seen anything like that in the Indian Ocean in all these years, if they feel any threat from us, they will slowly move away from the diver and leave.
Speaking of their venom, if you've been stung by a lionfish's poisonous stingers, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible. In some cases, if those poisonous spines are stuck in your body, they should be removed as soon as possible. The good news is that although it is very painful it will not be fatal or have long-term effects, but please remember that it depends on the person. I was once told by the inshore fishing community that the best treatment is to apply pressure to the sting area with something heated to reduce the harm. But even if it is said that you should not apply hot water to it, the best treatment is to get treatment immediately in a hospital or from an experienced doctor. A few years ago, a diver I knew got sick after a fish bit his body. But he had no idea about it and when he asked me over the phone if there was any medicine for it, I referred him to a hospital where he was given an injection and painkillers because of the poison of an aquatic animal and the pain he was in for more than 3 days. Because of all these causes I decided to not be close to this fish. I don’t want to experience the pain.
They generally prey on small fish and anything that fits in their mouths. They open their mouths large in proportion to their bodies, create a vacuum and suck the prey. Their young are usually found over reefs, and both young and adults are good at herding. But there is no chance of being alone. Once while I was doing a video of a small fish, one of these fish came up above me and swallowed the small one. Then looked at me and puffed its fins. It is like it insulted me as it was stronger than me. But I was patient and sidelined because I could not break the law of nature. Lionfish females have ovaries that produce eggs that are released into the water when they are fertilized. But my knowledge about their reproduction is very low. They are caught for ornamental fisheries and collected in some areas for trade and sometimes by local fishermen. Meat is also edible. They are used as a delicious curry in some hotels in our country and they get a huge price for that food because of their process of removing this poison and making it suitable for eating. And some countries in the Atlantic Ocean have allowed them to be killed as a sport. The reason for that is they are invasive and their predators are few. They justify this killing because they eat a lot of small fish and it greatly hampers the growth of coral-related fish but I don't agree with it because man has no right to kill any animal unnecessarily. Since they are now in great demand as a very attractive part of aquariums, people are trying to catch them in large numbers in our country. They eat anything they can fit in their mouths and occasionally try to fill their bellies with things that don't fit when they are hungry.
As a result, we must be very careful when choosing other fish as their mates for tanks. It is easy to get them used to the food we provide. They grow very fast up to 30cm in length and if you want to keep them in a tank, you have to plan for this.
