Help! New Antennata Lionfish not eating

[kelogz08]

Hello reefers,

I have 2 baby antennata lionfish each is 2 to 3 inches long. I had them two days ago and since then they have just been hiding in caves or in between rock. They have no eaten anything yet. I offered live fish, pieces of shrimp, and dried krill. I even skewered them and wave them into their faces but they just ignored me.

I have read that there is an acclimation period of lionfish but I don't know when will they "acclimate" and start eating.

Can someone please enlighten me.

thanks and I really appreciate it

 

[LongIslandAndy]

They are not the easiest lionfish to get going. Get some live ghost or grass shrimp and just let them go in the tank. Once they start eating the live shrimp they usually will take frozen krill or small pieces of silversides

 

[Dre]

Live glass shrimp or very small whole shrimp. Pacific Aquariums had some. Call first they go fast and they are expensive. Then try krill then small pieces of silver sides.

 

[Dre]

They are not the easiest lionfish to get going. Get some live ghost or grass shrimp and just let them go in the tank. Once they start eating the live shrimp they usually will take frozen krill or small pieces of silversides

Wow, you beat me to it Lol. I have one now for about two months. Almost drove me crazy..

 

[kelogz08]

wow, never thought that these guys are difficult to maintain

 

[CleanYourTank11]

+1 tricky fish to get feeding but good advice.

 

[kelogz08]

Pacific aquariums? in delancy st in manhattan? aren't they freshwater shrimps?

 

[kelogz08]

They finally ate the ghost shrimps I bought. Thanks for all the advice. Now, I will try to train them to eat dried krill.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

Im so happy that its eating. Im so scared to get one (a dwarf lion fish)... My hands are in the tank way to much to get stung and risk getting rushed to hospital, I don't know my reaction to its sting yet.

 

[CleanYourTank11]

Great to hear, I'd try frozen krill first,maybe even prawn depending on the size of the lion.

 

[Dre]

Feed the shrimp on a long tweezer so they will associate it with food. Also try feeding the krill at night or with the light off or dim.

 

[Dre]

Yeah, you can try small prawn as well.

 

[kelogz08]

I see, frozen first. Gotta pass by a petstore tomorrow. Thanks cleanyourtank.

 

[kelogz08]

Does it have to be a whole sized prawn? The two lions are just about 2 inches long so the mouth is not too big. Can i chop the prawns into bite sized or should it have a resemblance of an actual shrimp?

 

[kelogz08]

tonyscoots, so far my two guys more scared than my arm. although they are just 2 inches in length.

By the way, they are now eating frozen shrimp! yahoo!