Lionfish questions

[ga_daisy]

+1 Anyone or anything becomes less picky when not given the opportunity.....be it people, fish, dogs.....whatever.

Thanks. I think I'm going to stay the path and get my setup ready for a Fu Man Chu. I think they are so interesting looking.

My next issue will be.....what else to put in the system with him that will give color and movement without becoming dinner. Decisions decisions.

 

[nanonano]

ga_daisy;474113 wrote: What is the issue with feeding goldfish? Just curious

Well I always thought of it like this... How many goldfish does a scorpion fish eat in the wild? Zero.

How can a freshwater goldfish provide the nutrition that a Lion fish needs?

http://www.fishchannel.com/saltwater-aquariums/species-info/lionfish/lionfish-rewards.aspx">http://www.fishchannel.com/saltwater-aquariums/species-info/lionfish/lionfish-rewards.aspx</a>

[QUOTE=]Unfortunately, many aquarists feed their lionfish live feeder goldfish.

This is probably the worst possible choice. Raw goldfish flesh contains thiaminase, an enzyme that causes the breakdown of thiamin. If you feed your lionfish a diet that consists only of goldfish, they may become thiamin deficient. This can result in feeding cessation, clamped fins and problems with the nervous system. [/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://www.midwestmarineguy.com/marine-life-kb/fish/id/volitan-lionfish">http://www.midwestmarineguy.com/marine-life-kb/fish/id/volitan-lionfish</a>

[QUOTE=]Do not get tempted to feed the Volitan Lionfish feeder fish such as goldfish, mollies or rosy red minnows. Feeding any saltwater predatorial fish goldfish, mollies, or any other freshwater feeder fish is a detriment to the saltwater predator fishes health. A saltwater predatorial fish fed exclusively goldfish will frequently die prematurely due to a number of freshwater feeder fish associated problems. A study by Toonen et al demonstrated that freshwater feeder fish of the carp family such as goldfish, rosy reds, etc. are very high in fats and lack all the marine based highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) required for proper health of marine fish.

Some other issues with feeding Lionfish or any other predatorial fish, freshwater fish is either the Volitan Lionfish will choke on the feeder fishes head. This occurs because the freshwater feeder fish has a rounder head than a typical salt water prey fish, so the fresh water feeder fishes head gets stuck easier.

The Volitan Lionfish can also die from Vitamin B12 deficiency. This occurs because freshwater feeder fish have a high amount of the enzyme Thiaminase which breaks down Thiamine(B12) thus causing problems for the saltwater predatorial fish such as nervouse system damage.[/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f28/lionfish-64190.html">http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f28/lionfish-64190.html</a>

[QUOTE=]Goldfish are not a good steady diet for lionfish for several reasons. They're nutritionally deficient, inconvenient, expensive, and may make your lion aggressive. Lionfish can and should be trained to accept better foods. Freshwater prey items will lead to the early death of your lionfish. Ailments caused by FW feeders can include symptoms like vision failure, or the lion may appear to be unable to swallow the old familiar prey as if they have a "lump" in their throat (goiter, swollen thyroid). Chalk it up to dietary deficiencies or inadequacies (like thiamin deficiency induced by a staple of feeder goldfish) taking its toll over time.[/QUOTE]

 

[trigger-happy]

Tankmates for a lionfish are difficult. Basically, you can't put anything in there that's smaller than the lion, because it'll be at risk of being eaten. And even if it's bigger than the lionfish NOW, will it continue to grow at the same pace, so it REMAINS bigger? Lionfish grow INCREDIBLY quickly. My S.O. and I keep ours with a puffer, an angel, and triggers - all fish that are (and will remain) too big and/or vicious to be swallowed. You could probably do an eel without trouble, too.

I understand your desire for dither fish that'd add color and movement, but...for example, a school of chromis would probably turn into a school of lunch!

Still, lions are great little dudes. I love any fish that has the intelligence to recognize its owner, to beg, and to perform tricks for food. Pity they don't swim around more...ours just kinda...LOOMS.

 

[ga_daisy]

Thanks NanoNano! Wish I would have had the internet and all of the information so readily available back 10-12 years ago!

Yes it would stand to reason that lionfish don't eat freshwater fish.....but I suppose in my head, all fish are created equal. Boy....was I WRONG.

 

[ichthyoid]

JennM;474115 wrote: I had a customer with the largest dwarf lion I'd ever seen. He fed it goldfish and guppies - he swore up and down it would refuse to eat anything else. He also fed it daily - which was totally unnecessary - and I tried to encourage him to switch to prepared foods but he told me the fish just wouldn't eat anything but live feeders.

I maintained his tank every other week, on Tuesdays. I told him not to feed the fish from Thursday, until I got there on Tuesday (5 days). When I got there, I had some freeze-dried krill (not the best or most palatable, but I figured I'd start with that)... when I opened the lid of the tank, the fish came to the top in anticipation. I tossed in a piece of freeze dried krill and it gobbled it before it knew what the stuff was. The customer was astonished - I said, now he's HUNGRY... he'll eat anything.

A lot of people worry about "starving" the fish - predators, particularly ambush predators, don't necessarily score a meal every day in the wild. If they land multiple meals in a day, they will - because they don't know if/when they will eat next. Use that to your advantage - if the fish is fussy, let it be hungry for a few more days, and it will be less choosy. It won't starve to death.

Best case is to get one that's already been trained to frozen before you bring it home - then you don't have to worry about it.

Jenn

+1 Jenn.

If they DO get finicky, just put some shrimp on the end of a bamboo skewer and wiggle it in front of them. I have found that they have a natural 'cat like' feeding response to anything that moves. I saw one grab a piece of plastic plant that was floating around in the current, although it eventually spit it out. It's not hard to convert them to easily available foods like shrimp, scallops or fish chunks. Just get 'em hungry first like Jenn said. Mine eventually acted like puppies whenever I came near the tank (and they will recognize the one that feeds them too).