New Lionfish

[rodburner]

Hello all,last night I brought home a beautiful Volitan lionfish.I acclimated him slowly with the drip method and added him to my tank late last night.Before I went to bed I tried giving him a piece of a silverside.I teased him and finally he attacked my feeding stick and ate a descent piece of fish.That one piece was all he would eat though.He seems really healthy and has been gracefully swimming around the tank today.Im wondering when I feed today about how much of the silversides should he eat??He is about 4in long.Im unsure of what kind of appetite he should have,a whole fish,more than one???I just wanna make sure he is fed well,he is a beautiful speciman.Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!Thankx all

 

[DragonMorayEels]

rodburner, I am glad for you that you figure that way in attempting to get you lion to accept dead foods but still best not to feed it silversides if you can manage the same with shrimps and small pieces of fish. Also I hope that before long you will be needing a far larger tank then a 55, I hope you know that.

You have to judge for yourself on how full your lion is for lionfishes have the tendency to over feed themselves and in doing so some deaths are involved.

 

[rodburner]

Thankx Dragon,Im trying to get some ideas on how others are feeding their lions.Im planning on a 150g tank soon,then IM gonna do reef in 55g and Fowler with 150g.This hobby is totally addicting,more I learn the more I wannna do.Thankx again !!

 

[FMarini]

awesome Rod-
Great success w/ the P Volitans
have you had a chance to read this article on keeping lionfish?
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/index.php

 

[Torno]

For what its worth, I know of a man who kept a volitan lion happily in a 55 for over 10 years....

 

[stykthyn]

I feed mine 1-2 times a week.

 

[rodburner]

Stykthyn thankx for your info.What size is your lion?Mines about 3to4in.My lion ate 3 or 4 descent peices of a silverside last night but thats all he would eat.I just want to ensure is health and stabilization in my tank as best as I can.Thankx everyone for your info and if you have any other lionfish tips Id love to hear them,Later on all

 

[stykthyn]

mine is around 7-8 inches, almost doubled in the last 6 months he was around 4 inches when I got him. good rule of thumb is to feed just enough that you see their stomachs start to bulge a little.

 

[tb27272]

1-2 times per week? I was told not to feed my lion daily, but come 6:00, he is by the top right of the tank waiting to be fed. He has ate everyday since i set up my 180 last week. Should I try to avoid feeding him? He is quite the pig. thanks tommy

 

[stykthyn]

dont let him fool you. their digestive system has evolved to digest larger meals over a period of time. mine begs all the time too. I know what you mean. it is hard to ignore him, especially when there is company over. people always love to watch mine eat, but it is for their own good. overfed fish have a significantly shorter life span.even feeding twice a week mine has doubled in size in the last 6 mo. in another year I fully expect him to have a 12" wingspan.

 

[normanviking]

I feed mine forzen Krill. fuzzy Dwarf.

 

[stykthyn]

here is a vid of mine eating
http://media.putfile.com/lion-eating