Which ZooKeeper Size Do You Need?
The tube is the easy part. The size is where people stall.
A ZooKeeper is a patented lionfish, marine debris and multipurpose containment unit. You spear the fish, push it through the slotted funnel, and keep hunting. No hand on the spines. The water drains on the way up the ladder. That is the same job in every length. What changes is how many fish fit, how the tube rides on your gear, and whether you want it to collapse for travel.
If you want the short version: most recreational hunters are happy with the 20″. Derby divers and cleanup days go 24″ or 28″. The Mini is for the diver who wants one on the boat without committing to much. Start with the ZooKeeper Lionfish and Marine Debris Containment Unit.
- 12″ Mini
The Mini holds about 8 to 10 pounds or more. It is the right first container if you are new to lionfish, diving a reef that usually gives up one or two fish, or packing for a liveaboard where every inch of the gear bag is already claimed.
- 12″ Pro-X
Same short carry as the Mini, with a 12″ extendable base. Collapsed, it travels. Open, it holds more than the straight Mini, on the order of 20 pounds or more once the base is out. Pick this if you fly to the hunt and still want a real day of shooting.
- 20″
This is the default. About 20 pounds or more, 7.25″ diameter, enough for a normal lionfish dive.
If you have been dropping fish in a crate on the boat, this is the switch. The whole fish goes in. You keep your gloves off the venom. The funnel and the patented drain still holds: the drain is why the tube is not a bucket of seawater by the time you hit the deck.
- 20″ Pro-XL
The travel version of a big day. A 20″ extendable base takes it out to roughly 30 pounds or more when you need the room, and it packs down when you do not. Choose Pro-XL if your trips vary. One reef with a handful of fish, the next reef with a pile.
- 24″ and 28″
These are the derby and cleanup containers. The 24″ holds about 25 pounds or more. The 28″ holds about 30 pounds or more. Both are the same clear PVC and ABS build, same slotted funnel, same safety drain.
Bring one of these to the Winter Lionfish Throw Down or any day you already know the site is loaded. The extra length is worth it when the limit is whatever you can safely carry. There is no bag limit on lionfish in U.S. waters, which we covered in the catch-limit note. The limit is your container, your air, and your slay.
- Clear, color, or vinyl wrap
Clear is the working tube. You can see the fish, see the drain, and see when it is time to head up. Black, pink, red, teal, white, and olive are the same unit in color. Vinyl wrap is a skin on the clear body, not a different tool.
- What does not change with size
Lionfish go through the tough slotted funnel. Not the rubber one. Spines puncture rubber. The rubber funnel is for lobster, crab, shells, and debris, and it is a real add-on, but it is the wrong funnel for this fish. That split is the whole point of the rubber funnel post.
A sling still loads the funnel. If you are building the kit from scratch, pair the tube with the ZooKeeper Lionfish Predator sling pole spear and a spare spear head.
Funnels wear out before tubes do. Barbs are hard on the opening, and sideways is the fastest way to wear one out. A lionfish should go in headfirst, the way the slotted funnel was molded. Sideways catches the barbs, fights the slot, and chews the funnel the same way a lobster would. That is a loading problem. Keep a molded replacement funnel in the save-a-dive kit.
After the dive, the fish still has to become dinner. Filet them without getting stuck, then cook them. The butter-baked lionfish is the low-argument version.
A simple pick
- One or two fish, or your first hunt: 12″ Mini.
- Flying in, want room later: 12″ Pro-X or 20″ Pro-XL.
- Regular weekend reef: 20″.
- Derby, cleanup, or a known loaded site: 24″ or 28″.
The why behind the design, if you want it before you order, is in why hunters pick the ZooKeeper. The short version is still the product page.
Shop the ZooKeeper Lionfish and Marine Debris Containment Unit. Pick the length for the day you actually dive. Then go slay.
