how to initiate feeding a Pterois Antennata

[tubastrea]

I've got this wonderful fish almost one week ago but up to now I coudn't suceed on feeding him yet .
Unfortunately I do not have any live grass shrimp but just small fresh water fish feeders.
Anybody can suggest me what to do to initiate him feeding?
thanks for your help!

 

[kres1024]

Nice,looks like a radiata to me ,here is mine
Took mine a month to eat...

 

[tubastrea]

Nice,looks like a radiata to me ,here is mine
Took mine a month to eat...

Hi Krest 1024 what did he eat at first?
was dead or alive?
if you share with me the way you feed him it will be very helpful.
thanks.
Luca

 

[kres1024]

These lions are very shy at the beginning ,they like to hang out in caves were they feel safe,with mine I use thawed silversides on a transparent feeding stick,took me about a month to get him to eat,also try feeding him when the lights are not the brightest ..
Was he eating before you got him?and what?

 

[tubastrea]

These lions are very shy at the beginning ,they like to hang out in caves were they feel safe,with mine I use thawed silversides on a transparent feeding stick,took me about a month to get him to eat,also try feeding him when the lights are not the brightest ..
Was he eating before you got him?and what?

Good questions Kres1024.
i've no clue. I bought him just arrived at the shop and he had probably not eaten since he was captured in the Srilanka.
nevertheless he is still pretty fat so I hope he will restart to eat before starving.
the good thing is that my tank has plenty of caves and he spend the day there, coming out only at the evening.

 

[homegrowncichlid]

I've only kept a common lion fish in the past, but I'm thinking you should acclimate his feeding slowly.
I have succesfully aclimated many fish in the past, (mandarin goby to frozen mysis, bangaii cardinals to freeze dried cyclopezes)

Start with getting him to eat anything, Go to the bait and tackle shops to get live bait. If you don't have any, then even minows will do, Live minows, then freshly killed minows, frozen, then any frozen food you want to feed. If feeding minows, feed them a nice meal first to enrich them, before dumping into your main tank.

 

[crox99]

My radiata starved himself for at least 10-14 days and I gave in and gave him some live grass shrimp. After several tries he finally started eating silversides on a stick but I remeber that after several days of not eating on his first attempt his jaw locked and he couldn't close his mouth for a day or two.

 

[Jan]

Whatever you feed it make sure you dip it in vitamins like vita chem marine. Lion fish and puffers develop lock jaw from lack of proper nutrients. They are accustomed to eating meat from the ocean, live meat that is packed with nutrients. Mysis and silverside are not from the ocean nor are they completely nutritional foods, especially for these critters. They will starve or eventually eat whatever you give them. If they don't die from starvation they will die sooner than they should because of the lack of nutrients. Please make sure to add vitamins for them.

 

[Jan]

Try feeding newly hatched brine shrimp mixed with a good frozen blend designed for carnivores/predators. These fish are accustomed to eating live foods. Once it starts eating slowly cut back on the brine and increase the frozen mix.

I say newly hatched brine because they still have their egg sacs attached which are packed with nutrients. A good frozen blend should have multiple vitmains.

 

[tubastrea]

Try feeding newly hatched brine shrimp mixed with a good frozen blend designed for carnivores/predators. These fish are accustomed to eating live foods. Once it starts eating slowly cut back on the brine and increase the frozen mix.

I say newly hatched brine because they still have their egg sacs attached which are packed with nutrients. A good frozen blend should have multiple vitmains.

Jan's my actual major problem is to initiatete him feeding.
As soon as he will start, than I'll keep in mind your suggestion and provide vitamins, thanks.
For this evening I've prepared some live black mollies, accustomed in salt water, let's hope he will start.
I'll keep you posted.
thanks.

 

[Jan]

...and that is why I suggested feeding LIVE newly hatched brine shrimp. The egg sac on the brine will give it more nutrients. Mollies are not ocean fish and wont have the same nutritiona as newly hatched brine. Add to that another feed and vitamins and if it starts to eat it will eat the other food too.

I try never to take a singular approach to these things. Makes for more work and high losses later.

~Janice~

Jan's my actual major problem is to initiatete him feeding.
As soon as he will start, than I'll keep in mind your suggestion and provide vitamins, thanks.
For this evening I've prepared some live black mollies, accustomed in salt water, let's hope he will start.
I'll keep you posted.
thanks.

 

[tubastrea]

...and that is why I suggested feeding LIVE newly hatched brine shrimp. The egg sac on the brine will give it more nutrients. Mollies are not ocean fish and wont have the same nutritiona as newly hatched brine. Add to that another feed and vitamins and if it starts to eat it will eat the other food too.

I try never to take a singular approach to these things. Makes for more work and high losses later.

~Janice~

Janice thanks for explaining me.
I've to get organized for that because I don't have brine shrimps eggs at the moment.
my only doubt is that he is pretty big for such small preys .........

 

[rsinanan415]

I got my first one a while back, i opened up with some live guppies, like 2 a day (the lion was only at most 2 inches big) and dropped some mysis in right afterward soaked in vita chem. And then cut him off for a few days and tried mysis and if he didnt eat i would then drop the guppies in but within 2 weeks mysis was regular daily feeding

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Getting any fish that's reluctant to feed in captivity to actually feed regularly is a process. With lions who won't eat I usually feed them small quantities of live shrimp (brine would be too small, they wouldn't even look at it unless they were already starving) like ghost/grass. You want to keep them hungry but get them ok with eating in their new home. Once they are eating live you can at least sustain them while you wean them onto frozen by offering the live after several day intervals but offering frozen everyday. You basically want to break them and show them that frozen is ok because the live food isn't going to be offered all the time.

 

[tubastrea]

Getting any fish that's reluctant to feed in captivity to actually feed regularly is a process. With lions who won't eat I usually feed them small quantities of live shrimp (brine would be too small, they wouldn't even look at it unless they were already starving) like ghost/grass. You want to keep them hungry but get them ok with eating in their new home. Once they are eating live you can at least sustain them while you wean them onto frozen by offering the live after several day intervals but offering frozen everyday. You basically want to break them and show them that frozen is ok because the live food isn't going to be offered all the time.

yes this is what I would do, not with live shrimp because I cannot find them, but with live mollies.
unfortunately he looks so scared and suspicious: as soon as a fish goes close to him, he turns into a defensive mode.
it looks really a difficult subject....

 

[Jan]

Fish eat anything. There's no such thing as live food being too small especially for a predacious hungry fish unless they are full or sick. fish pick, graze and nibble all day long. they are opportunistic feeders.

Ghost shrimp can be found here http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=1075+1468&pcatid=1468

 

[lfsmarineguy]

Fish are wild animals and as such they are hard wired to evaluate food on a risk vs. reward basis. For animals it comes down to "am I going to exert more energy than I'm taking in trying to eat this food?" Try feeding a lion something like cyclops when they first arrive and let me know if you find a large specimen that will even acknowledge it floating around the tank.