cant get lion to eat

we got a free black lion from a LFS around here because he had a messed up eye, turns out it is pop eye we think. the LFS said he had been feeding him sliversides and krill and it was eating just fine, but now we cant get him to after 3 days. we got some meds for pop eye from another LFS and were told to cut open a krill and pack the powder inside it and get the lion to eat it, but he wont eat anything at all. any tips on getting him to eat?
 

alison

Member
:happyfish Hi, it is VERY hard to get some lions to eat. Volitans are more opt to eat than others so that's good news for you. You should find a place that sells glass or grass shrimp. They LOVE those, and they move. Goldfish are the last resort, and they don't recommend them and either do I but, you gotta do somethin to work. Get the smallest ones you can find, and get a seperator, so that he isn't competing for fish, because I had a lion that wouldn't eat once, because the other fish would beet him to it. I've heard mollies last a day in salt, so you might wanna trie them. The thing is that lions like to see stuff movin. He may have been eatin in their tank, but you get him home, and he is peeved off ya know? Anyways, I know this is stupid but I had a lion that wouldn't eat for anything, and the only thing that got him to eat was to not feed him for 2 days, and then put a krill on a piece of fishing line wrap it around the tail or head of the krill in such a way, so that it falls off when he tugs on it. Then you put the krill on the line in the water and wave it in front of his face, and when he starts to go after it, either let him grab it, or throw in a krill at exactly the right moment. Oh, and put kent marine "garlic xtreme" on the krill, and they like that. Goldfish work ok sometimes, so trie that. I tell ya krill on a string works great if you get it down right, oh, and stand to the side of the tank, and don't move a lot, so you don't distract him. Good luck, and happy feeding, ali
 
well we tryed getting a few little goldfish today, just hoping he would eat, even though we know they are not good for lions. he still wont eat anything, so we really need help, any other ideas? we have tryed everything people told us and everything we have read about feeding them, and nothing is working after almost 4 days.
 

alison

Member
Did you get any grass shrimp? They are #1 for starting them off. Also lions can survive for a while without food, but there's no telling if he was eating before. Treat the eye, get him better, get some grass shrimp in there, and wait for the best. Good luck, and I'll cross my fingers for ya. I know this last piece of info is extreme, but MANY people not including me advise on this: Starve him for 4-7 days, don't bug him, and then try somethin. They say, that eventually they just all the sudden get interested in food, and you can tell, because they start comin out lookin for food. That's what a lot of people say works, but I couldn't ever bring myself to do it, and I lucked out. So use with your own judgement, good luck, ali
 
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