Dwarf Lionfish wont eat...

[lytic]

I just bought a dwarf lionfish about 4 days ago. He is very nice looking and seems to be pretty healthy, but he refuses to eat.
He doesnt come to the top of the tank during feeding time, he just stays up against the live rock tucked away.
I have a 55 gallon tank and it is usual for some fish to not eat for a while when they are first introduced. (my foxface rabbitfish didnt eat for about 4 days too, and my semi circle was about the same). I'm just wondering if there is something that i can do if another day or so goes by and he still doesnt tear into things.
I was under the impression that Lionfish were sorta aggressive feeders. All of the other fish in my tank are healthy and vibrant. The come right to the top of the tank and basically eat from my hand (as soon as i drop the food in, its gone).
Any tips to get the cowardly lion to eat?

 

[grouperhead]

get a feeder stick. then impale a silverside or other food source on it. then put it in front of the lions mouth and wiggle it to make the food move. if that doesnt work try putting the food around a powerhead or something else that can make it move. the movement should get his attention. if this doesnt work dont feed him for about a week. he should then get hungry enought to eat anything that will hit the water. if this doesnt work drop a live fish or feeder shrimp in there, i only feed live as an occasional treat(about once a month) but i never feed goldfish. i always feed live red minnows or feeder shrimp. they look much better than goldfish. once dwarf lions get acclimated to dead food they tend to become very hardy feeders. later, bo

 

[lionfish]

LionFish says.......
Well, lionfish are aggressive fish but they are predatory hunters so they like the food to go by them. Some come up to eat food off the top but usually it takes awhile for them to start this habit. Did you ask your fish store what they fed the lion before you bought? You should always ask that before you buy a lion. If they fed him live food you will have to ween him off of it. Its not good for them to eat live food all the time. Feed your lion a varied diet consisting of small meaty foods such as: chopped squid, krill, shrimp, and silversides. You may have to use a feeder stick to entice the lion to eat. By making the food look like it is alive makes them want to eat it. Try using a feeder stick or using a small powerhead to blow the food by the lion to mkae it look alive. You can't expect the lion to come to the top. Keep us updated on how things go. Hope this helps.

 

[lytic]

thanks guys, i am relatively new to aquarium stuff. actually, i have been doing it for a long time, but i kinda still suck 8).
ill be picking all of your brains a lot now that i found ya. thanks for the help, ill buy a feeder stick tomorrow. he is prolly hungry!

 

[cactus jack]

just leave it be. when its hungry you'll know. you can always try some guppies to get it started

 

[lytic]

well, i broke down and got him some ghost shrimp today. My biggest concern was that I wasnt sure how long he had went without eating prior to me getting him. It was 5 days here, so i wanted to make sure he had something in his belly.
I also picked up some silversides to get him eating some dead food. Eventually, id like to get them to eat the same stuff i feed the rest of the tank (i switch up a balanced diet, 8) )
Oh well, just wanted to say thanks for the advice. Once he is eating my regular food, ill make a post to show how long it took.
wish me luck.
PS i also picked up an arrow crab. I am getting him used to the water as i write this.
happy happy joy joy

 

[lytic]

before i tried the ghost shrimp, i tried guppies. he was having none of it. at one point the guppy pecked him in the nose and he just sucked it up...
what a wuss....
he ate 3 shrimp right away though, so he was pretty hungry.