[The Firefish]Info used from here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LionfishGeneral Info:A Lionfish is any of several species of venomous marine fish in the genera Pterois, Pteropterus. Parapterois, Brachypterois, Ebosia or Dendrochirus, family Scorpaenidae. The lionfish is also known as the Turkey Fish, Dragon Fish and Scorpion Fish. The lionfish are voracious predators. When they are hunting, they corner prey using their large fins and then use their lightning quick reflexes to swallow the prey whole. They are notable for their extremely long and separated spines, and have a generally striped appearance, red, brown, or black on white.
While the hardiness and disease resistance of the lionfish make their care relatively simple, the venom of the spines is extremely painful, and lionfish are recommended for only the careful aquarist.
The lionfish is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region of the world, but various species can be found worldwide. Due to an accidental introduction the lionfish has recently been spotted in the warmer coral regions of the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.Successful breeding of the Lionfish in captivity has not been reported.
Venom:As mentioned before lionfish are a member of the scorpionfish family Scorpaenidae and as such they receive their name from their venomous dorsal, pelvic and a**l spines. Typically they have 12 to 13 dorsal spines, 2 pelvic spines and 3 a**l spines. Each of these spines has the characteristics of a hypodermic needle and is connected to a venom sack at its base. However the ornate pectoral fins, though similar in appearance the dorsal fins, are not equipped with these glands. The mechanics of envenomation are similar to a syringe. Each long hollow spine is surrounded by a sheath which, when entering a victim, is compressed down the length of the spine. This sheath then presses onto the venom sack compressing it and expelling the venom up the hollow spine into the victim. These spines can break off causing potential long term damage if left alone.
The severity of an envenomation event may depend on the species and the size of the lionfish. The predominate effects of the lionfish venom are severe pain and swelling (edema) in the area around the wound. Other systematic responses such as nausea, dizziness, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hypotension, and headache have been recorded either from the venom or as a reaction to level of pain.
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