Just got a Hawaiian Green Lionfish. How can I get it to eat?

[Shane808262]

I was at the beach and managed to caught a Green Hawaiian Lionfish that is supper cool. I also caught 3 white spotted puffers and 3 small raccoon butterfly’s. What should I feed the lion will it only eat live fish if so what kind (guppies?). Also what do you recommend I feed to get my raccoon butterfly’s to eat maybe a clam on a half shell? All the fish are separated so no need to worry about them fighting/ eating each other. It was so much fun snorkeling and catching them with my scoop nets I even saw a black tang and flame angel that was to fast.

 

[albano]

Do you live there or just vacationing? What do you plan to do with the fish?

 

[mattzang]

i think @lion king is the lionfish master, maybe he has some ideas

 

[Gareth elliott]

Butterflies clams or any shelfish for that matter(i live on the beach so use muscles occasionally lol) and live black worms. Lionfish i have never kept

 

[Shane808262]

Do you live there or just vacationing? What do you plan to do with the fish?

Hi I have lived here in Hawaii my whole life and I plan on keeping one of the 3 puffers and one of the 3 butterflys. I only caught more then one so I can give the rest away to friends with tanks. I also plan on keeping the Lionfish if I can get it to eat fingers crossed.

 

[BantyRooster97]

I've had numerous lionfish over the years. Depending on the size mine ate ghost shrimp & various sizes of goldfish or minnows. I never could get them to eat krill but some have.

Post a pic

 

[albano]

Depending on the size mine ate ghost shrimp & various sizes of goldfish or minnows.

Was told many, many years ago, not to use goldfish as food for lions, because there was a bone in the goldfish that could hurt the lion... anyone else hear that?

 

[BantyRooster97]

In a common feeder goldfish?

 

[albano]

In a common feeder goldfish?

Yes, I think it was a triangular bone in the goldfish... this was back in the 70’s... when I started reefkeeping in the 80’s I no longer kept lions.

 

[VTBig053]

Yes, I think it was a triangular bone in the goldfish... this was back in the 70’s... when I started reefkeeping in the 80’s I no longer kept lions.

I haven't heard about a bone, but I have heard that freshwater fish do not provide enough nutritional value to support a lion fish.

 

[BantyRooster97]

I have heard some about the nutrition part. Though I kept a volitan for about 8 years on nothing but freshwater fish.

 

[EmilyXLC]

I haven't heard about a bone, but I have heard that freshwater fish do not provide enough nutritional value to support a lion fish.

I had always heard the same thing-- but I never knew how true it was.

 

[lion king]

Initially live ghost shrimp and feeder guppies. If he is larger and you have a freshwater lfs that gets a variety of different sized mollies, get some size appropriate. The point is initially he will need something live, I would only resort to rosies if you have no other choice. Personally I spring for a peppermint shrimp before a rosie or goldie. No saltwater fish because of risk of disease. Regardless of what you may read on the internet about feeding freshwater fish to marine predators; my predators have lived for over 10 years eating ghosties, guppies, and mollies.

After you get him settled in, do your research if you are going to try feeding dead food. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/an-arguement-for-feeding-live-foods.582822/

In regards to the racoon butterfly, try smashing some masstick or ocean nutrition formula one into a coral skeleton or rock. Also live black worms and live brine shrimp.

Pics please

 

[Shane808262]

Thx everyone

 

[rcpalmer1]

I had a Lion. I feed the tank frozen silversides. It was an aggressive tank. Not often but when I wanted to put on a show for my friends I would buy a couple dozen goldfish and they would all be gone in less than a minute.

 

[Jon Fishman]

Especially if newly introduced, you need to go live in some form or another

 

[Jay Z]

Was told many, many years ago, not to use goldfish as food for lions, because there was a bone in the goldfish that could hurt the lion... anyone else hear that?

Back when I had my mentor (around 20+ years ago) He always said not to use gold fish for feeders for any fish, they are to fatty and cause liver issues in other fish.
Not sure if its true or not.

 

[Roid Reefs]

For the lionfish, try feeding ghost shrimp first, then guppies or mollies, and lastly gold fish in order of nutrition. How long have you had the lion? a few days of starvation will cause it to not be as picky.
Try taking the ghost shrimp in tongs and feeding from the tongs if possible to help acclimate the fish to the action, then you can start trying to feed krill and silversides the same way. If you get this working, soon it will be swimming to the top when it sees you just to grab the food.
At the fish store I worked at this was how we acclimated the lionfish to eating. We received lions of all sizes from the wild and were able to acclimate most of them.

 

[BantyRooster97]

send pics!

 

[Lasse]

Initially live ghost shrimp and feeder guppies. If he is larger and you have a freshwater lfs that gets a variety of different sized mollies, get some size appropriate. The point is initially he will need something live, I would only resort to rosies if you have no other choice. Personally I spring for a peppermint shrimp before a rosie or goldie. No saltwater fish because of risk of disease. Regardless of what you may read on the internet about feeding freshwater fish to marine predators; my predators have lived for over 10 years eating ghosties, guppies, and mollies.

After you get him settled in, do your research if you are going to try feeding dead food. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/an-arguement-for-feeding-live-foods.582822/

In regards to the racoon butterfly, try smashing some masstick or ocean nutrition formula one into a coral skeleton or rock. Also live black worms and live brine shrimp.

Pics please

+ 1000 This is one of the myths around marine fish keeping. Only bad things with fresh water fish is that they normally not contain as much omega 3 fatty acids as marine fish. It is easy to fix - just feed your feeder fish with food that contain much omega 3 fatty acids and your preadors will get it that way.

He always said not to use gold fish for feeders for any fish, they are to fatty and cause liver issues in other fish.

Another myth and it comes from the times when Salmonid food was made partly from mammals. More than 7 % fat caused liver issues. Fat from mammals is saturated and solidifies at lower temperatures. Most fat from poikilothermic organisms (among them all fish FW and SW) is unsaturated fat. Today you feed salmonids with feed that contains up to 30 - 40 % fat but it is mainly unsaturated Omega 6 and Omega 3 fatty acids.

Sincerely Lasse