Baby Lionfish Feeding?

F

Famm

AC Members
Sep 29, 2008
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Hi, thanks for being here. Been a hobbyist for 12 years or so. Currently doing a couple simple fresh tanks and a couple African Cichlid tanks. Did a smaller mixed reef at one point and parted it out while moving about 8 years ago and haven't done any salt since. Currently cycling a tank that I want to do FOLR and have a lion as the centerpiece.

I have been reading a lot about size and feeding. Today I was near a LFS that is far from the best pet store in the world but I knew they used to have salt so I stopped by. There was an antennata lion, and the thing that threw me a bit was how small it was. This thing was an inch probably tops, very possibly less. I asked the girl working when she came up to me if they always come in that small and she said "yes we always get babies".

I hadn't really looked into lions before and from all the reading I've done I had gotten it in my head that you would be feeding live and weaning onto prepared. My question is, do all of them tend to get shipped/sold this small? What do you feed a specimen that size? Am I underestimating it? As small as it was I can't see much live options other than hatching brine, which I would worry might not keep it alive nutritionally until I can offer better and especially get it weaned to dead food.

It seems like you are supposed to wiggle the dead food to start and later you can do pieces once they are weaned. Maybe I am overestimating the size of what to offer, but I don't know what is small enough to offer. I guess ghost shrimp? And if so, what if I don't have a good source? Is there a way to hatch these available? I haven't really dealt with a serious predator or live food eater before and I want to be sure I have a plan before I ever get a fish.

Or is this LFS being irresponsible and selling a fish too young to realistically go into a display tank? I'm sure there are ways to go about making sure it eats, but most of the sources I find seem to discuss and show a fish about triple or more the size of what I saw. I'm not necessarily going to patronize this place, but I wasn't sure if that was similar to the size I am going to get from anywhere else.

Thanks for any opinions or experiences. Just trying to make sure I know what my feeding plans will be before ordering or bringing home any lionfish later.
 
That is very abnormal to have an antenna lion that small. We got in a Fu ManChu lion on monday that was about that size, but that is a small lion to begin with. I would never buy an antenna lion that small because as you already stated, it will be near impossible to get it to eat. If someone were to get one and needed advice, the only thing I can think of that would be financially feasable would to feed it molly frys, but still, not a healthy diet at all. Other option would be to get either fresh seafood from the grocery store or thaw some frozen krill, skew the food on a feeding stick, and wiggle it to see if you could entice the fish to eat.
 
Thanks both.

Ace, what is a reasonable size to expect for a young antennata?
 
I've not had a baby antenna but I have had Baby dwarf lions. Just try and start off with putting some ghost shrimp in the tank to ween the fish to eat something that is moving. Then you might also want to consider setting up a separate tank and get some feeder guppys in a acclimate them towards salt water. They can definitely tolerate it. I still have some feeder guppies in my SW tank that breed. Keep them on a marine diet and they should get the fat they need by feasting on marine specific food.
Feed away to your happy lion.

Hope it helps a little.
 
Thanks. I noticed ghost shrimp at the local dealers are kept in freshwater sections. I have a 10g barely stocked FW tank in the house I could keep feeders in. Are ghost shrimp going to die quickly if uneaten once they hit salt? I could keep them in the 10g and just take them out for feedings until I can finish weaning onto frozen foods. I'm just worried if I put a feeder ghost in and it doesn't get eaten quickly it will just die and turn to unneeded waste and pollution.

I could probably get small peppermint shrimp from the nearest reef supplier, but that's like 5 bucks a hit which is a lot more expensive than ghosts or feeder minnows/guppies/goldfish would be. I was hoping to avoid the FW feeder fish altogether, but they would certainly be dirt cheap.

Thanks again for the response.
 
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I know that really small specimens are often available on wholesaler lists, so they aren't necessarily difficult to find. It is just that most LFSs don't get them--they prefer to sell larger and show-size specimens. Small ones can be a bit trickier to get to feed, but usually aren't a problem. The few small ones we got in all did very well in customer tanks and are alive to this day.
 
I can get five dollar baby peppermint shrimp locally at a very nice coral dealer if I want. Still a bit expensive for feeders though.

Currently have had two lions for about three weeks. They are following most of the accepted progression. Started out shy, have gotten much more bold, swimming openly more than perching and hiding like they did at first.

Also eating readily, though I still haven't quite gotten them eating non live. I've been feeding ghost shrimp and rosy reds. I know I need to move to frozen food with vitamin supplements for long term success.

Currently waiting for them to see me as the food guy even more. They are getting there, but no where near their reputation as "dog like" in food expectations. Hopefully they get closer to the point my cichlids are who freak out wanting food every time I come near. I know they aren't like cichlids, but what I've read makes it sound like they will indeed come "begging" for food when they see me over time.

I did have a minor success yesterday as one of them struck at a piece of thawed silverside soaked in garlic, but he didn't follow through and eat it. I offered the silverside on a clear "feeding prong", but I wonder if it stopped when its mouth hit the prong. I tried krill on the prong as well, and though they both showed a bit of interest they ended up shying away and I resorted to a live feeding again. I don't know any better way to offer the thawed food, so if anyone has a better method please suggest. I really hope I can wean them successfully because they are so beautiful.

I'm going to continue to keep feedings light and very spaced out in hopes that hunger and garlic induces some feeding off thawed food. Wish me luck.
 
Also, the specimens I got were just slightly larger than the tiny one I mentioned previously. But man, their ability to consume a fish nearly as large as they are, and even take a second, is amazing. I was worried about that but I have seen no ill effect. Still I try not to let them eat more than a couple minnows since they are still small and I don't want to stuff them too much.

I also don't know if I have antennatas or dwarf zebras. The place I got them from is a GREAT coral propagator/dealer, but they special ordered me lions since they generally only stock common reef fish and inverts. They don't want to keep lions as they don't do a whole lot of walk in business versus mail order and reef specialty and they don't want to deal with the feeding. They were very professional, only called me once they had the lions for a week and had gotten them to eat extra baby peppermints. But when they called me they said they had two dwarf zebras, yet on my reciept it said Pterois antennata. The juvenile of the species look sufficiently like dwarf zebras, but I really think they are both antennatas by looking at them. I guess only time may tell what they really are, thankfully they get along well. I do wonder if I am making weaning harder for myself by having two at once though. I have been leading the live feedings to one or the other to ensure I feed them equally. At least they both are less shy now and I can actually get them both to feed pretty well. I would probably have starved one if only one had come out of hiding as much as they both have.
 
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