Lion Fish Becoming a Big Problem in Western Atlantic

[aprilfool]

one guy i know did get stung on his hand and it blew up real bad, looked like you pumped it up with air thats how swollen it was.

[Squidnation]

lionfish are hard voracious eaters that outgrow aquriums relatively fast. that being said that cute little lion fish become expendably when you domino damsels and bi-color wrasses start diseappearing. but to blame the explosion on a bunch of hobbyist is kinda of unrealistic.

In the early 90's the aquarium industry took a nosedive. My uneducated guess is that some reefish collectors from the keys reefs got an idea to release a few bags of these fish onto a reef - i don't know lets say alligator reef for giggles. releasing one or two could work but releasing a box of 100 or 200 is a small investment and reward could outweigh the risk. If the fish took to the reef and started reproducing then these collectors would have a desired species that is hardy and easy to catch and very marketedable to the trade. not only that but the fish would be much healthier since they were caught domestically and didn't have to indure such long travels to get to the wholesaler, retail store and hobbyist aquariums