Lionfish feeding

[Aquarianna7891]

Hi-

I am soon going to purchase a dwarf lionfish for my tank. I have an idea about what it should eat, but any other information reagrding that would be nice. Also, how much do I feed it? and more importantly, how often? Thanks!

Anna

[Wile E. Coyote]

Hi Anna,

Most predatory fish, (including lionfish) are opportunistic feeders and are accustomed to going long periods without food. I fed my larger predators once a week. For smaller predators, (dwarf lionfish) I would recommend two or three times a week. They stay healthier and live longer then if you feed them every day. Water quality is less of a problem too.

Lionfish prefer live food but may be trained to accept frozen.(I used to put a piece of fish or shrimp on the end of a stiff wire.)

BTW  A good rule is feed saltwater animals to saltwater animals.
                   Tom

[Aquarianna7891]

I have heard that they like silversides-whatever those are. Do they have a more common name that I might recognize? And is it safe to feed them pieces of fish like salmon, herring, halibut, etc. I have tons of that stuff in my freezer, and it would be nice to use it some other way . And what about clams, shrimp, oysters- basically, what is the best thing to feed them that will give them the most nutrients?  Thanks

Anna

[Wile E. Coyote]

What are silversides?
I'm not sure. I think they are small frozen fish that you get at the pet shop. :I've never used them.

Yes it is safe to use that stuff you have in the freezer. Thaw it first but don't cook it. Try a variety. I have used shrimp, flounder and halibut, even bluefish.

A LFS used to sell feeder ghostshrimp.

I hope that's a help.    Tom

[dattack]

Silverslides are feeder fish (marine) for corals and other large fishes.  Yes you can feed any marine fish and shell food (shrimps, clams) to your lionfish.  My friend saves money doing this rather than buying food or feeders at the fishstore.  He cuts the it into small pieces and actually feed his lionfish with some chopsticks.  (probably caused he's Asian).  But if you are Caucasian a fork will do (j/k). ;D

[Aquarianna7891]

Great! I have so much salmon and halibut I'd be eating it for the rest of my life! One more question, do I have to take the bones out? or doesn't it matter? And is the skin good to give them? Thanks for all your help!

Anna

[Wile E. Coyote]

Hi Anna,

I know this sounds silly but in the wild lionfish eat their food whole. (Nobody there to fillet it for them.) ;D But seriously, you have a good question.
Lionfish would be eating smaller fish with smaller bones. The lionfish can digest these bones. The bones in the fish you will be giving it are larger but I'm sure they will still be digested. If your cutting the food into small enough pieces and the bones are small enough to be swallowed without harming the lionfish every thing should be fine. The fish will get nutrients from the bones as well. (I use scissors, they cut through meat, bones and all.)
Skin? No problem! It must be good for them. (Ever see bears eat salmon?) ;D

BTW  Did you get your lionfish yet?
Keep me posted.    Tom

[Aquarianna7891]

Yes, I knew that Lions ate their fish whole, but I just wasn't sure with salmon, they have a ton of bones!

No, I haven't got it yet. The tank is all set up, I just have to cycle it, which has already been started. But I will tell you when I get it. I'm also still shopping around for a good price, so far I've found about $19 locally. I don't think thats too bad, considering usual prives up here.

I'll keep ya posted

[colesea]

Hey, I don't know how dead this topic is, but can I make a suggestion?

The first one is about feeding saltwater fish to saltwater fish. It does make sense since that is what they eat in the wild. Siversides (Family Atherinidae) are a kinda "minnow" that lives in shallow waters nearshore. They're actually pretty tasty,  like anchovies or sardines. But it is a very quick way to add a saltwater disease to your tank or fish unless you have a q-tank for the live foods before you feed. Freshwater disease from feeder goldfish won't have a chance to get a hold in a marine aquarium the way it might wipe out an oscar or arrowanna.   From personal experience, I know feeder vats are not the cleanest, healthiest places in the world. And the local bait shop is probably not a clean source of live food either. So giving live foods a q-period, giving a preventative medication, and gut loading them is the best way to prevent disease spread and dead fishies.

So what I do for my small-mouthed predators like dwarf lionfish, marine bettas, and cardnials, is breed black mollies. Yup, those fish that always seem to get that white skin fungus and die in freshwater communities thrive in a saltwater environment. The ones I have are in a ten gallon tank kept at 16ppt salinity and they are thriving like you would not believe. I keep three nice sized sailfin males with half a dozen females, and they're always having broods. I grow them out to various sizes, switch studs and dams around, and viola, a renewable food source that will survive in the marine tank without going blub blub at the surface the way throwing in feeder goldfish might, thus discouraging your predator from being hungry. The fish are nutritious because I know I feed them before they become lunch. Malnourished feeders mean malnourished fishies! I also know they are parasite and disease free because I can monitor them personally rather than take the chance on the feeder vats.

The perfect thing for that spare tank lying around. When you're keeping marine fish, you need a spare tank for everything ;D

Food on a -plastic- fork is also a good way, although I must admit, I think that chopstick method has got lots of class . Some predators are movement-sight oriented, and the food has to be wiggled in front of their face for them to be hungry.
I find this method the best for morays, hawkfish, and sharks. Predators you want to be -quite- sure are fed before they feed on tankmates. You can actually train a fish to target to a particular spot in the tank to get fed. Takes patience, but you'll be sure there isn't a hunk of something rotting behind a rock and making all sorts of messies.

Calimari squid is good, mussle and clam, and shrimp. I always buy fresh foods prepared for human consumption, so I know it is good stuff (and hell, I like sushi just as much as my fishies). Wash and peel shells first. And I use small chunks and fish. I did have the experiance of a dwarf lionfish choaking to death on a feeder it nabbed that was meant for a larger tankmate. Talk about feeling like a murderer! I cried all night. I'd rather take my time to feed smaller chunks than be rushed and have the above happen again.

Don't used canned or processed fish, like starkiss and the likes! Very high in salts and fats and oils that aren't healthy for us let alone the fishies!  

Good luck! I hope you find the above useful.
~~Colesea