radiata lion wont eat.

joander123 · Aug 17, 2007

im having trouble getting my recently purchased radiata to eat. I got him 3 days ago at a lfs, they specially ordered him for me.

I picked him up and got him home. Looks really good, about 6 inches from head to fin id say. He wont eat though, i've tried everything i've got really...

frozen brine
frozen silversides
frozen mysis
frozen formula 1
freeze dried krill
flakes
freeze dried tubifex

also in the tank he has multiple live things he can eat..
if he wants he has:
coral banded shrimp
2 small blue damsels
pep. shrimp.

he shows interest in food, when i was acclimating the damsels he was attacking the bag... i thought it was a sure thing. But i realeased them and they swam into the rock work, and he hasnt gone after them since.

I tried to spot feed him with tongs, and still nothing. Wont even go near the food. He shows more interest when its floating at the top... he swims halfway up, but then just sits there and nothing happens so he swims back down. I've seen him open his mouth real wide multiple times, like he was eating something in the water column... could this be?

His weight and everything looks real good, and he was acclimated fine.

any ideas?

Grins · Aug 17, 2007

I'm guessing he wasn't at the store long so they didn't have a chance to feed it? If they did feed it find out what it was. Sometimes you'll need to do live food at first. Damsels are a bit fast and the shrimp are probably hiding for their dearl lifes. ;-) Some will wound live food so it can catch it easier.

Overall I'd not worry too much about a few days just now. The poor fish has probably been tossed around in one container to another until it landed in your tank a few days ago and is waiting for the next net to come swooping out of nowhere.

joander123 · Aug 17, 2007

i waited for a halfhour for it to arrive at the store, it got there and wasnt even acclimated into there tanks. I took it straight home and acclimated it to mine.

Im not overly worried, just the fact that it shows interest, and looks like it wants to eat. But it comes so close... then it just backs off. It wont make the lunge towards the food... know what i mean?

Grins · Aug 17, 2007

Yes, I was feeding two of them last week and had to work to get them to eat silversides. From reading over at WWM a few weeks ago it is common for them not to eat for periods of time. As long as they are showing interest and keeping weight I believe it said not to worry.

joander123 · Aug 17, 2007

ok, next thing i think i might try is a cocktail shrimp. I think its just about the only thing i havent tried that i own.

it feel weird, cause whenever i get a new fish... i always have it eating the first night.

fish is beautiful though, great marking good size too.

Do you still have that marine betta at your lfs?

Grins · Aug 17, 2007

No, it sold. I'm a wee bit jealous that you have a lion. They are the fish that first drew me to saltwater as a little girl.

Riverserver · Aug 17, 2007

GHOST SHRIMP!

Go get ghost shrimp! They're $0.30 a piece at PetsMart!!!!!

Get him to take live ones for a few days. Then give him 1 really small live one and a dead one. If he takes the dead ones start cutting them open and stuffing them with something, small pellet food is easiest. After a few days to a week of that, start offering frozen food with the dead food. He'll eventually make the switch to frozen that way.

If he wont take the dead ones right away and he's looking skinny, get a syringe and inject Vita-Chem into the ghost shrimp. He'll wiggle like hell in the water and the vitamins get passed straight to the lion.

For the ghost shrimp, I bought a 2g tank, set it up with a light and air pump. The bottom is filled with Ehiem Ehfimech so the young have a place to hide from the older shrimp. These shrimp breed really easily and can make a fun treat for him. I bought 30, of all sizes, for my 2 gallon. I feed them hair algae that grows in the tank and pellet food intended for marine fish. I have the salinity at 1.005 or so.

mrtuskfish · Aug 17, 2007

I agree with a lot of what's been said. Lions can go a long time without eating and a radiata can be pickier than most. He should have live food first; feeder shrimp or even a few guppies. (Short term only). Then use a feeding stick (I use a piece of rigid airline tubing that has been tapered a bit). After he's eating live try silversides, chunks of raw shrimp or scallops, krill, etc. Stay away from cocktail shrimp, if they're pink, they've been cooked and he needs raw food. Be patient, it is very unusual for a healthy fish to starve himself in a healthy tank. His interest in food is a good thing. Let us know how he's doing.

Riverserver · Aug 17, 2007

Never, EVER, EVER feed your Lion freshwater feeder fish. They are the absolute WORST food you could possible give him.

Fish that are highly energetic can take bad food for short terms but Lion's are very slow moving mellow fish that do not burn a lot of energy, as a result they do not need to be fed more than two or three times a week and when they're fed they it needs to be nutritious.

I only recommended the shrimp to entice him to eating but they should not be a weekly food for him unless you are packing the living hell out of them with nutrients.

mrtuskfish · Aug 17, 2007

Freshwater feeders are fine, ONLY as a seldom fed treat, but will destroy the liver if they become a big part of the diet. A goldfish every few weeks is not going to hurt his liver any more than a martini every once in a while would hurt mine.The Volitan I lost in Katrina got the occasional goldfish, and a betta on Christmas. He was 10+ years old and very healthy. Freshwater feeder shrimp are not much better, but raw saltwater shrimp from the supermarket can be a main part of their diet. Their diet in the wild is mostly crustaceans; shrimp, etc.


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radiata lion wont eat.

joander123

what a fruitcake

Grins

Girl Reefer...we do exist

joander123

what a fruitcake

Grins

Girl Reefer...we do exist

joander123

what a fruitcake

Grins

Girl Reefer...we do exist

Riverserver

i r 2pro4u

mrtuskfish

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Riverserver

i r 2pro4u

mrtuskfish

AC Members