Dieng Lion Fish

[kirkreynolds]

I Heared That Lion Fish Like To Eat At Night But He Hasnt Eaten In 4 Days Now And Is Very Week I Was Told To Put Raw Shrimp On A Stick And Shake In Front Of Him So He Thinks Its Alive. Is There Any Way I Could Get Him To Eat Now?

 

[1journeyman]

Lions don't light extremely bright light of reef tanks, but "dawn" and "dusk" settings should be fine to feed them under.
Try live foods such as Silversides or Ghost Shrimp.

 

[kirkreynolds]

Well Its Like 10:30 Right Now And My Lfs Doesnt Carry Any Ghost Shrimp And Im Not Sure What Silversides Are But They Most Likely Dont Have Them Either.

 

[kirkreynolds]

Should i try the raw sea food? i just dont want him to die and am not sure what to do. please help.

 

[geridoc]

You can use goldfish, but only as a temporary measure. They are not nutritionally complete for a lion fish, but I have used them in the past to get a lion to eat. Then, the shrimp-on-a-stick idea will work. Eventually, it will eat anything that fits in its mouth. Since its mouth can get pretty big, this will eventually present a problem, but for now, just focus on getting it to eat.

 

[kirkreynolds]

thank you so much i will try both ideas.

 

[1journeyman]

Yes, you can use foods straight from your grocery store... sometimes with Lions it takes live food to get them to eat.
Soaking food in garlic juice may help stimulate feeding.
Your fish store should sell frozen Krill, Silversides, squid, etc. Or you can buy fresh seafood at your local grocery store to try to feed him.

 

[kirkreynolds]

One More Important Question How Much Do I Feed Him?

 

[kirkreynolds]

He Is A Dwarf Lion Fish.

 

[1journeyman]

Depends on how he looks and the last time he ate...
Lions, like all predators, will eat more then is good for them. So don't keep feeding hoping he'll get full. You'll see his/her belly swell.

 

[kirkreynolds]

I Am Guessing That The Last Time He Ate Was On Monday When I Got Him From The Pet Store.

 

[1journeyman]

Just feed him a small chunk or 2 for now.. get him to eat, get familiar with him, and you'll be able to tell better when he needs feeding.

 

[kirkreynolds]

Okay Thank You So Much You Have Been A Big Help Well Im Off To The Store To Buy Some Shrimp!

 

[kirkreynolds]

Just Tried The Shrimp On The Stick Thing And Hes Not Having It He Seams To Be Scared Of It And Mabee To Weak To Eat.

 

[1journeyman]

Try soaking the food in garlic. Feed him when you are feeding your other fish.
Also, try letting the food float in the current if the stick is scaring him. Leaving the feeding stick in the tank for a few days may also allow him to get used to it.

 

[kirkreynolds]

when you say garlic do you mean garlic powder or like a real piece of garlic?

 

[kirkreynolds]

also i was going to buy him some live shrimp should i go with the brine shrimp or feeder shrimp? is there a difference?

 

[1journeyman]

Try all of the above... the important thing right now is to get it to eat. We'll address the nutrional value of foods afterwards. Try feeder fish, feeder shrimp, etc.
Garlic... you can usually buy "liquid" garlic at your pet store. Fresh garlic cloves can be pressed for juice (and with fresh garlic juice there is some evidence that it boosts their immune system) but I have found liquid drops work great to stimulate feeding.