Fuzzy dwarf lionfish feeding

[Jose padilla]

i currently bought a small fuzzy dwarf lionfish in my 20g along with a single clownfish wnd for those who worry i have a 90 gallon ready for when it grows too big but i would like to knkw how i would get it to eat frozen and what should i feed it

 

[lion king]

Most dwarf lions come in eating live only, so it would be great if you could get some live ghost shrimp. Fuzzies do take to frozen food easier than the rest, you may find him take mysis right away. PE mysis is better nutrition wise and chunkier. You will have to target feed him as he grows, he will never be able to eat enough from the water column. But mysis and/or pe mysis is a good place to start for a small one. I maintain my dwarf lions on mainly a live diet, but I do supplement with krill I get from the asian market and silverfish, it has to be alive looking dead. Search lionfish lair for detailed example of "training" your lion. The krill from the asian market is the color of raw shrimp so they take to it easier than the orange stuff from the lfs, and cost about 25%.

 

[Jose padilla]

Most dwarf lions come in eating live only, so it would be great if you could get some live ghost shrimp. Fuzzies do take to frozen food easier than the rest, you may find him take mysis right away. PE mysis is better nutrition wise and chunkier. You will have to target feed him as he grows, he will never be able to eat enough from the water column. But mysis and/or pe mysis is a good place to start for a small one. I maintain my dwarf lions on mainly a live diet, but I do supplement with krill I get from the asian market and silverfish, it has to be alive looking dead. Search lionfish lair for detailed example of "training" your lion. The krill from the asian market is the color of raw shrimp so they take to it easier than the orange stuff from the lfs, and cost about 25%.

Cause right now im feeding all of my fish frozen brine shrimp and i know lionfish take different types of food and arnt ghost shrimp freshwater? Remind you that my lionfish is still tiny so im not sure if it can take a shrimp whole

 

[lion king]

Is he eating at all, after he eats he needs to have a noticeable bulge in his belly. Some people see them nibble a few pieces and think "great" he's eating, he really needs to pack away bits like mysis, Brine is not a suitable food, unless he is small enough to need live brine to start. I've found the tinyest ones and even start them out on the smallest ghosties I can find, they are more delicate and almost always have to eat something live. Rarely have I see them easily take to eating frozen food and usually don't eat enough when they do. If you are feeding a lion dead food it's best to target feed them size appropriate sized chunky meat. Either by training them to receive the food as you drop it in the tank, or with a feeding stick, they will rarely eat anything that hits the bottom. Feeding is the most difficult part of keeping these guys, feeding live at some point will likely be a necessity. Personally I advocate a live diet and am not in the school of thought to "train your lion".

 

[Jose padilla]

Is he eating at all, after he eats he needs to have a noticeable bulge in his belly. Some people see them nibble a few pieces and think "great" he's eating, he really needs to pack away bits like mysis, Brine is not a suitable food, unless he is small enough to need live brine to start. I've found the tinyest ones and even start them out on the smallest ghosties I can find, they are more delicate and almost always have to eat something live. Rarely have I see them easily take to eating frozen food and usually don't eat enough when they do. If you are feeding a lion dead food it's best to target feed them size appropriate sized chunky meat. Either by training them to receive the food as you drop it in the tank, or with a feeding stick, they will rarely eat anything that hits the bottom. Feeding is the most difficult part of keeping these guys, feeding live at some point will likely be a necessity. Personally I advocate a live diet and am not in the school of thought to "train your lion".

Yeah i just recieved the fish today so i know its adjusting to the tank and i wanted to try feeding it small pieces of shrimp flesh with a stick but it swam away so i can feed it freshwater ghost shrimp?

 

[savetheocean]

Can you have fuzzy dwarf lion fish in reef tanks?

 

[lion king]

The fresh water ghost shrimp you are talking about are actually a species of shrimp that live in fresh, brackish and salt water. They will acclimate easily to salt water and there is nothing wrong with feeding them. If you are going to feed them long term, having a small tank(container) to gut load them and enhance them with vits and efa before feeding would be recommended. My current fu manchu just turned 6 years eating primarily ghosties, a few mollies a couple times a month, and a very few tidbits of something dead.

 

[jasonrusso]

My fuzzy is an absolute pig. He eats out of the water column, sometimes too much. He is right at the top begging next to my porcupine. I taught him to take frozen after 1 day. You need to make a proper tool. Take a long acrylic rod, drill a hole in the end and put some 50 pound monofilament fishing line through it. Put the food on the end and he should take to it.

You need to wave it in front of him. When you see him lock on to it (head follows the food), pull it away. Make him think that he does not have time to analyze it, he has to take it when he sees it.

After they get over the dead food instinct they will eat out of the water column.

 

[ctopherl]

The fresh water ghost shrimp you are talking about are actually a species of shrimp that live in fresh, brackish and salt water. They will acclimate easily to salt water and there is nothing wrong with feeding them. If you are going to feed them long term, having a small tank(container) to gut load them and enhance them with vits and efa before feeding would be recommended. My current fu manchu just turned 6 years eating primarily ghosties, a few mollies a couple times a month, and a very few tidbits of something dead.

If they acclimate easily to salt water, have you ever tried breeding them in a refugium type setup in the same system? That would be easier than having to go the store. I assume they are big enough where they are visible/catchable to then drop in the main tank?