Just to clarify, a lion will work in the tank, just not setup as a reef. Go with live rock, the lion, and don't worry about adding corals. Some corals might be added eventually, once you have the maintenance routine down to keep the nitrates in check.
I kept a juvenile volitan lion in a reef until he was big enough to threaten the decorative shrimp. The tank was well established, did 30% water changes every other week, and never saw the nitrates above 10ppm. It can be done, you just have to plan accordingly to care for both the fish and the corals.
I kept a juvenile volitan lion in a reef until he was big enough to threaten the decorative shrimp. The tank was well established, did 30% water changes every other week, and never saw the nitrates above 10ppm. It can be done, you just have to plan accordingly to care for both the fish and the corals.