i need help with lionfish

[thanthinh]

so i bought me a lion 2 days ago to add to my new tank. the tank been up for almost 2 months now. i got mushrooms and zoas growing and a cuc. before i brought the fish home the LFS feed it 2 goopys. i havent fed it ever since. i been trying to feed it pe mysis but it wont eat. i got home and seen it with its head pointed down. iono if thats normal. but i need help with this fish. its alwas hiding too

[sporto0]

[violation]

[Netofficer3710]

[violation]
seriously though lions need to be taught to eat dead things
till then he will only eat live foods

also, freshwater feeders like goldfish and guppies have no nutritional value.
try ghost shrimp

[Sugar Magnolia]

[edited]

Enough you two.

Lionfish can be very difficult to feed, especially if all it will eat are live foods. You're going to have to take the time to train it to eat prepared foods, but for the time being, you'll have to offer it live. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/

[MrTuskfish]

^^^^^^GOOD INFO^^^^^
Lions take time & patience to wean onto frozen foods; but it usually works.
I strongly suggest you ask these questions and do some research before bringing a fish home. Impulse buying is a dangerous practice in this hobby. Also, I'd set up a quarantine tank and use it. Almost every active problem in the disease section of this forum could have been avoided by using one.

[rayn]

Ghost shrimp are a good choice to get them to eat. You will want a small ten gallon with a bubble stick in it at minimum. Try feeding it every night till it takes one or more. Use one and if it eats try a couple more. Don't release a whole bunch at once though as they will only last a short time in salt water alive.

Once it is regularly eating ghost shrimp for a couple weeks and you have observed it for any other problems, quit feeding it. Give it 3-5 days with no food and try silversides. Cut them in half or so and try barbecue skewers to begin with. Make the fish move in front of the lion till it sees it. If it looses sight or interest move the silverside away and back into vision and try again. Once it is hungry enough it will eat and wont starve itself. Once it tries it it is usually good to go. Mine is a log and just pulls them straight from the water without a feeder stick.

Also stay away from krill as this could lead to lockjaw in lions and really has no nutritional value for them.

[Dr Colliebreath]

What is in your cuc? If shrimp, the lion may eat them.