Lionfish eating guppies. How can I get him to stop-?

[gtdarock]

Hi. I got a medium size Lion, from my friend who has been feeding him guppies for a couple of months now. So I began to feed him the same, but after I read some posts on this site, I want to feed him frozen foods. So I heard about this feeding stick, and I was wondering if it has to be a specific color. Cuz, I got some sliversides and attached them to a black stick, wiggle it in front of the Lion, but he didn't take it. So I am afraid that he is hooked on the live bait. So I was wondering if anyone has any better ideas, thank you.

 

[v-lioness]

What kind of lion?
Keep trying to feed the silversides, if this is a Volitan they are pretty easy to wean over to frozen foods. Let the lion go a few days without eating, than try again, if it will not take the silverside, go a couple more days. Do not feed this lion anymore guppies.
Once this lion is on frozen foods, it will need a variety of foods soaked in vitamins.
Kaye

 

[hotrod]

Yea it took my lion 1 week w/o food for it to start eating silversides. What i ended up doing was pusing a piece of fishing line through the fishes body and when the lion grabed it i would just pull the sting out. Within a few days i was feeding it by hand.

 

[jhebi]

I would try not to feed him for couple days and than let his appetite grow and afte rthat try to feed him krill. And if he eats you can try other foods.
I have a fu manchu and he didn't eat for a month and i thought I was going to loose him, so I fed him krill and he started eating. So now he eats krill, squid and silversides. And yesterday he evn got a bite of the flakes I feed my other fishes, it was so funny...
Good Luck~

 

[xdave]

Also, watch your hands around him, one of my co workers at the warehouse got nailed and his hand looked like a balloon. Did you ever see a 6'2" 200# fireman cry like a baby?

 

[gtdarock]

Ok. Thanx. I'll wait a couple of days and try silversides again or maybe krill. But should I use a feeding stick-? If so, where can I get one-? Or can I make one myself-? Does it have to be a specific color-? Thanx for your help

 

[v-lioness]

Yes, use a feeder stick, this will help avoid stings as the lion matures through feeding time, they come to the top and those spines will come right out of the water.
You can pick one up at your LFS (1.50 around here), it is a thin clear acrylic rod so you could make one yourself, just make sure the end is not sharp. I have seen others use color rods for feeding. I always have a few on hand, it is actually called a feeding prong.
Kaye

 

[gtdarock]

Ok. So I starved my lionfish for one week, and I went to my LFS, and they had live brine shrimp in stock, so I got 15 of them, put them in the tank and the lion ate them all. I wanted to know if what I did was the right thing-? I was thinking to myself that I fed him too much. I have a 5 gallon tank, that I used to keep my guppies in. So I'm thinking of getting more live shrimp, and keep them in the 5 gal tank. Any ideas-? Thanx

 

[v-lioness]

Brine shrimp does not have the nutrition your lion needs, change to ghost shrimp but feed the ghost shrimp something nutritional before feeding them to your lion.
Keep trying to feed the frozen, if using silversides try smaller pieces or pick up some frozen krill........
Kaye

 

[ophiura]

I think it was ghost shrimp :notsure: ... buying 15 brine shrimp is not usually an option

But you do want them to eat flake food or something before feeding them.
IMO, one of the only reasons lions don't get off live foods is because their owners are being trained by the fish if you will. I would stongly encourage you to let it go several days, and then try something "dead." Not only is this easier on the hobbyist (and cheaper), but it in time allows for introduction of far more diversity into their diet, which is much better for the fish. It is hard to do, but it is common to just have to starve them out a bit. There is no need to feed them live foods, and no real benefit, IMO, to doing so. I would not stock up on the shrimp except as a treat now and then. Starve him a few days, and then feed something "dead" instead.
It is rare to come across a volitan or similar lionfish that will be so stubborn as to starve before eating something "dead" IMO. In fact, IME, lions can become so "blind" to whatever they are being fed that any mere hint of something floating through the water will send them swimming rapidly across the tank.

 

[v-lioness]

I think it was ghost shrimp ... buying 15 brine shrimp is not usually an option
Well when you say it like that....... :thinking: Jeez, I need more coffee in the morning before posting

Kaye

 

[ophiura]

Coffee....goooddd
I didn't pick up on it at first and then reread it

 

[lion_crazz]

Because this is a volitan lion, I totally agree with Ophiura. Volitan lions will not starve themselves. He will take the silversides if he is hungry enough. I know of a few species of lionfish who might starve themselves, but a volitan will not.
Gut-loaded ghost shrimp is a good source of food for the lion, but if you can get him on frozen, that would be even better. However, if worse comes to worse, feeding ghost shrimp to your lion will not be any kind of problem to the lion.

 

[gtdarock]

Ok. Thanx guys. I'll starve him for a couple more days and see what happens. He is becoming curious when I'm feeding my other fishes brine shrimp,mysis shrimp and blood worms. So maybe he'll go after that. Thanx again

 

[lion_crazz]

I am sure everything will work out with the lion.
Just as a side note, a diet of brine, mysis, and bloodworms will be very insufficient for your fish after a while. The only good item in that mix is the mysis.

 

[ophiura]

It is certainly not really an efficient way to feed a liongfish that can eat 15 ghost shrimp in a serving. Definitely try something meatier. As mentioned, that diet is not sufficient or diverse enough for most fish...and definitely not for a lionfish.

 

[lion_crazz]

I agree. I hope I was not sending the wrong message. I did not mean to say that ghost shrimp was an efficient diet for a lionfish for the long term.

 

[gtdarock]

Ok. Thanx for the advice. What should I feed my fish-? I usually feed them the brine,mysis and bloodworms soaked in garlic. And for the lion, I'll try some silversides.

 

[lion_crazz]

Silversides, krill, prawn, mysis, pieces of squid, clam, mussel, and other seafoods would be excellent choices for the lion.
What other kind of fish do you have?

 

[ophiura]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
I agree. I hope I was not sending the wrong message. I did not mean to say that ghost shrimp was an efficient diet for a lionfish for the long term.

Nope, no worries. I was talking about feeding a lionfish brine, mysis or bloodworms. It would take A LOT of that stuff to fill up a lion that is capable of eating so many ghost shrimp