Live food

[cody hendrix]

So what does everyone think the best live food is for our picky lion fish/groupers/eels. I am still working on getting them on frozen but in the mean time I still need them to eat. I would like it to be the best possible. I know people feed gold fish and guppy's but I have heard that is very bad for saltwater fish. Also would like to try and avoid introducing any bad parasites to my tank. Thanks in advance.

 

[lion king]

Ghost shrimp are the best. Set up a small tank or even tupperware container with a sponge filter. Gut load with marine flake food or pellets, I use Omega One marine micro pellets. You can even enhance them with efa and vitamins. I pull the ones I'm feeding and add brightwell aminomega and vitamin m to the container for 10-15 min before feeding.

Appropriate sized mollies is also a good food choice. Mollies are easy to keep with just a sponge filter as well. Regular feeder guppies aren't too bad, but they need to be acclimated for at least an hour so they don't just float to the surface.

What kind of eel; some eels enjoy fiddler crabs, again appropriate sized.

I feed all of my predators a live diet, and have for many years. As good as the debate is that a balanced "dead" diet is better, it really doesn't play in the real world. I keep dwarf lions and anglers and no one I've ever known have kept any of them long term feeding dead vs me keeping them on a live diet.

I mainly feed ghosties, a few times a month mollies, guppies in a pinch, once a month or so peppermint shrimp. These are the foods I have readily available. Some people can get marine shrimp and marine feeder fish.

 

[cody hendrix]

Ghost shrimp are the best. Set up a small tank or even tupperware container with a sponge filter. Gut load with marine flake food or pellets, I use Omega One marine micro pellets. You can even enhance them with efa and vitamins. I pull the ones I'm feeding and add brightwell aminomega and vitamin m to the container for 10-15 min before feeding.

Appropriate sized mollies is also a good food choice. Mollies are easy to keep with just a sponge filter as well. Regular feeder guppies aren't too bad, but they need to be acclimated for at least an hour so they don't just float to the surface.

What kind of eel; some eels enjoy fiddler crabs, again appropriate sized.

I feed all of my predators a live diet, and have for many years. As good as the debate is that a balanced "dead" diet is better, it really doesn't play in the real world. I keep dwarf lions and anglers and no one I've ever known have kept any of them long term feeding dead vs me keeping them on a live diet.

I mainly feed ghosties, a few times a month mollies, guppies in a pinch, once a month or so peppermint shrimp. These are the foods I have readily available. Some people can get marine shrimp and marine feeder fish.

Do you do anything special to avoid any kind of disease or parasite that's common with feeder fish?

 

[lion king]

From what I know fresh water diseases don't transfer to salt; such as ick, velvet, etc.. Ghosties are especially safe I really don't know of anything that could transfer from them. Some people worry about internal parasites from fish, if you are concerned you can always treat the mollies with prazipro before feeding them. Mollies are a far cry from the classic feeder fish. I used to do prazipro with my mollies but haven't for years.

 

[cody hendrix]

From what I know fresh water diseases don't transfer to salt; such as ick, velvet, etc.. Ghosties are especially safe I really don't know of anything that could transfer from them. Some people worry about internal parasites from fish, if you are concerned you can always treat the mollies with prazipro before feeding them. Mollies are a far cry from the classic feeder fish. I used to do prazipro with my mollies but haven't for years.

Wait you use freshwater ghost shrimp? Why not use saltwater ones?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Ghost shrimp are the best. Set up a small tank or even tupperware container with a sponge filter. Gut load with marine flake food or pellets, I use Omega One marine micro pellets. You can even enhance them with efa and vitamins. I pull the ones I'm feeding and add brightwell aminomega and vitamin m to the container for 10-15 min before feeding.

Appropriate sized mollies is also a good food choice. Mollies are easy to keep with just a sponge filter as well. Regular feeder guppies aren't too bad, but they need to be acclimated for at least an hour so they don't just float to the surface.

What kind of eel; some eels enjoy fiddler crabs, again appropriate sized.

I feed all of my predators a live diet, and have for many years. As good as the debate is that a balanced "dead" diet is better, it really doesn't play in the real world. I keep dwarf lions and anglers and no one I've ever known have kept any of them long term feeding dead vs me keeping them on a live diet.

I mainly feed ghosties, a few times a month mollies, guppies in a pinch, once a month or so peppermint shrimp. These are the foods I have readily available. Some people can get marine shrimp and marine feeder fish.

I agree completely.

Wait you use freshwater ghost shrimp? Why not use saltwater ones?

Ghost shrimp can live in both fresh and saltwater, they are estuarine. They can handle rapidly changeing salinity, aquatic diseases and parasites cannot make that change.

 

[cody hendrix]

O

I agree completely.

Ghost shrimp can live in both fresh and saltwater, they are estuarine. They can handle rapidly changeing salinity, aquatic diseases and parasites cannot make that change.

Ok that's good to know so keep them for in fresh water to help the disease and parasite prevention. Thanks

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Why would you want to feed live feeders to your listed fishes, they are not picky eaters and will take market prawns after 1 or 2 days without food. I don't know whats species grouper you having but the grouper in general will out compete your Lionfish at feeding time, you will have to over feed your tank for the most part to keep the lion fish getting enough food and it will down your water quality really fast.

 

[cody hendrix]

I have a panther grouper. I have been working on then for over 3 weeks and can't get them to eat frozen yet. I have tried the fishing method. Any other method you know? They all went 2 weeks without food till I got them live food.

 

[lion king]

What foods have you been trying? A panther usually takes a variety of foods pretty easily, depending on how big he is he may just not like your offerings. Something a bit more chunky like PE mysis instead of the regular mysis, or chopped up bits of shrimp or scallop. Drop a clam on the half shell in a let it rest on the bottom until he decides to take it.

Depending on the type of eel, most will eventually take dead food. Are you using tongs, maybe try a rigid air line pointed at the end and skewered. He may be a little taken back by a tool that he can see. Squid and octopus will get most eels going crazy, easy to find in Chinatown markets.

The lion is a bit trickier, the dwarf and medium body species can sometimes take quit a bit of work to get eating dead.

 

[cody hendrix]

The panther is about 5 inches. I have been trying LRS reef Frenzy as I already have it on hand for my reef tank. I then switched to lrs chunky. With no luck.

The eel is a zebra eel. It's about 14 inches. I used 50 lbs test monofilament fishing line and stuck it through a Silverside and try to mimic swimming and tried to get him to eat that. I tried that with all three fish and not one of them would bite.

The lion is a dwarf zebra about four and a half inch.

 

[lion king]

I'm surprised the panther didn't go for the LRS, I would give a clam on the half shell a try.
Yeah zebra eels will sometimes need live to get settled in but in a couple weeks he should start showing interest in dead food, he is one that will go nuts for squid and octopus. Stick feeding may be more effective, their eyesight isn't that great, and getting it right into their face may be necessary. He will also appreciate a live fiddler crab.
The zebra lion will be tricky, feeding him gut loaded ghosties is a good choice. If you are going to train him to dead food, Lionfish Lair has some good info on doing that.

As long as they are all eating I wouldn't worry, it may just take a little time. If they aren't eating at all then you may need to be concerned about internal parasites.

 

[cody hendrix]

Are the gut loaded ghosties fine as a long term food for all of them? I have access to them for very cheap and the shop is less then a mile away from me. I will look for the fiddler crabs for my eel. You are not the fist person to tell me that.

 

[lion king]

Are the gut loaded ghosties fine as a long term food for all of them? I have access to them for very cheap and the shop is less then a mile away from me. I will look for the fiddler crabs for my eel. You are not the fist person to tell me that.

Yes if you take the time to gut load the ghosties and enhance them like I mentioned before it will be a good staple food for long term. You will want to introduce other options as well. Ghosties have been the main diet of my lions for almost 6 years.

 

[cody hendrix]

Yes if you take the time to gut load the ghosties and enhance them like I mentioned before it will be a good staple food for long term. You will want to introduce other options as well. Ghosties have been the main diet of my lions for almost 6 years.

Ok thanks. I will defiantly do that and keep trying to get them on frozen