how to wean lionsfish onto non-living things...

[AvaNte]

just got a lion fish, however mom not too pleased that it feeds on live food..anyone ever weaned lions onto market prawn or something not alive before???

any advice would be kindly appreciated..=)

thanks in advance...

[angry]

Start to entice them to feed using fresh water mollies for a week or so. Lions are smart creatures, once they learned that food comes from above, the next time anything falls from the surface of the water will get them interested. Or you can try a piece of market prawn by wriggling its end with a transparent rod to make it look "alive" (i usually do this on the second week). They will in no time get the "big picture" of what food is all about heeeheee.

Btw, it works for almost all volitans. The other lions are pretty hard to wean i must say:)

Best of luck.

[FuEl]

Tie a string to the tail end of the feeder fish. Dangle it in front of the lionfish.

[akahoshi]

And if the lionfish eats the feeder fish, then how the string???

[Lester]

i used to keep lions... when just starting i feed live .. then i start to strave them when they know i going to feed them.. from then.. eversince i throw anything in.. they eat ... thet even feeds on pellets once in a while when reali hungry

but the process do take quite a long time....

hope it helps

[zeotz]

I used to keep lionfish. Sometimes they do take frozen brine shrimp or even krill when they are floating around in turbulent current. but even if it does .. they only eat these if really hungry ... they are most happy with live food, which is y i gave up. I tried it for about 6 months and I must say they get more used to dead food as time goes by when they know the hand that feeds them has lazy feet to go buy live food every week. dangling stuff didnt work for me.

[AvaNte]

thanks for the replies bro...

but sadly too late...my lion went to find its maker liao...decided not to keep lions anymore...sigh...think my damsels were to fast for it...can't catch...

[FuEl]

And if the lionfish eats the feeder fish, then how the string???

Tie a single knot. The string should come loose itself when the lion "inhales" the fish in. It works on frogs..so should work on fish.

[Bali Brain]

If you are still interested, this is how I do it. I take a live shrimp and grasp it by the tail with one of those instruments that you can get from aquarium shops (the clamps that you operate at one end with your hand at the end of a long handle). You dangle the shrimp near the Lionfish's mouth. As long as the the shrimp is moving, you should have no problem in getting the fish to eat the shrimp. Once the Lionfish is used to feeding this way, you start feeding it with half dead shrimps, ie it's still alive but not moving a great deal. When this is successful, you continue with dead shrimps, feeding the same way. This may take some time, and you could alternate with dead and half-dead shrimps. Patience should pay off and they should soon be eating dead shrimps. Once you are comfortable with that, you should then graduate with pieces of frozen fishmeat offered using the same instruments. Finally, when they are used to eating fishmeat, you may then dispense with the instruments, and can even handfeed, not that I advise it.

[Mr CRABS]

i heard some people feed it with red blood worms,so do the other fishes eat,they say it brings out the colour!