How do you get a lionfish to eat frozen food?

Gripenfelter · #1 07-27-2011, 08:46 PM

Just got a baby lionfish yesterday. LFS was feeding it baby goldfish.

I'd like to wean it off live food and feed it mysis shrimp, pellets, etc. like some other local linfish owners do but not sure how to do it.

Is it as simple as using tong sticks and just wiggling the food in front of the fish?

whatcaneyedo · #2 07-27-2011, 11:12 PM

What species? You have a lot of fish and shrimp that could potentially become lionfish food if its large enough. Maybe not right away. But eventually even a small variety will probably start to eat some of what you have listed here.

There are some good ideas here:
Feeding help lionfish
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/sho...onfish+feeding

JaiWiz · #3 07-27-2011, 11:55 PM

Honestly i had the same problem with my old lionfish i could not get the little bugger to eat anything but live ghost shrimp and feeder fish. i bough silver sides and dangled them in the tank with a thicker fishing line and he didnt like it at fist but i didnt give up about 5 day to a week after he was introduced silversides he would beg at the surface of the water. he was definately the coolest fish. lots of personality

reefwars · #4 07-27-2011, 11:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gripenfelter

Just got a baby lionfish yesterday. LFS was feeding it baby goldfish.

I'd like to wean it off live food and feed it mysis shrimp, pellets, etc. like some other local linfish owners do but not sure how to do it.

Is it as simple as using tong sticks and just wiggling the food in front of the fish?

goldfish arent part of a lionfishes wild diet and isnt healthy for them, lfs and some hobbyst use them as either a last resort from starving or to keep it alive untill it sells.

dont quote me on this so check it out for yourself but i thought i read somewhere that ghostshrimp is a better alternartive.

silversides is a popular foor and so is making your own from fresh crab,shrimp,clams/mussels etc.

getting it to take the food is whats going to be tricky as lions are stalking hunters and they are not one to just swallow what lands in their face, they tend to follow its prey slowly and then strike very fast, they tend to almost swim motionless facing downwards using no energy then strike very quickly using up all the energy they have saved up.

basically if it doesnt look like food it may not be interested and if it moves to fast the lion wont bother trying to catch it.

sorry i couldnt be any more help but its just not an easy task getting a lion train ed onto food i guess the key is to add lots of food to the tank of different kinds and if it doesnt eat then remove the food as not to pollute the tank, its a game of roulette youll have to find what your lion will eat.if it absolutely will not take anything you m,ayt have to con sider buying it live food to keep it alive.

always try to buy fish that eat prepared foods or be prepared to accept that it could starve or die

again sorry i know there isnt much to go on here in the way of a solution

Gripenfelter · #5 07-28-2011, 02:08 PM

Thanks for all the responses. If it doesn't go with frozen food by the end of the week I will take it back to LFS. It's a Volitan.

Not gonna chance him sticking to live food and eating my clowns or shrimp when he is bigger. I have a lot of rock work right now so the shrimp and smaller fish hide in the rocks.

Gripenfelter · #6 08-05-2011, 02:22 PM

Ate one goldfish on July 26 from LFS. Stomach was bulging. Hasn't eaten anything since then. Brought it home the same day it ate the goldfish. Trying chopped cocktail shrimp, mysis shrimp, squid cubes, etc.

phi delt reefer · #7 08-05-2011, 02:28 PM

get some mollies and slowly aclimate them to our tanks salinty so they become full blown saltwater fish. Then just breed them and feed em to the lion. I dunno how much work that is but i know a couple guys on nano-reef that have successfully introduced mollies into their saltwater tanks.

Gripenfelter · #8 08-05-2011, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phi delt reefer

get some mollies and slowly aclimate them to our tanks salinty so they become full blown saltwater fish. Then just breed them and feed em to the lion. I dunno how much work that is but i know a couple guys on nano-reef that have successfully introduced mollies into their saltwater tanks.

Thing is I'm trying to get this fish off of live food for the sake of my chromis, damsels, cardinals, and clowns lol.

The LFS has a big 12" lionfish that eats flake food and pellets so I know it can be done lol.

mark · #9 08-05-2011, 03:03 PM

don't have a Lionfish but think if I did, still would be worried it would be sucking up the clowns and others even if learned to eat frozen.

Gripenfelter · #10 08-05-2011, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark

don't have a Lionfish but think if I did, still would be worried it would be sucking up the clowns and others even if learned to eat frozen.

Well I don't like the idea of feeding live food because I have young kids and my daughter will be traumatized lol.

But in 4 months time or less I will have a dedicated predator tank for him and some other predators so it won't be an issue.