Lionfish acting strange after eating

[meinporsche]

I fed my lion a couple of feeders this afternoon. I have had him for about 2 weeks and had not fed him anything live un til today. Ever since he has been just laying on the bottom of the tank...Is this strange? I thought he may just be resting...Thanks

 

[Innovator]

So you hadn't fed him anything live in 2 weeks, but has it eaten anything at all since? If he hasn't eaten in 2 weeks then it's stomach "shrunk" and the 2 feeders satiated it; otherwise, lionfish do tend to just perch more than swim. If you can get the animal on prepared then that's the way to go/swim.

 

[meinporsche]

sorry, yes he eats frozen brine shrimp everyday...i just wanted to give him a treat...so what you are saying is that he is probably just really full?

 

[trackfast]

BTW, brine shrimp is not very nutritious; unless it's fortified with something. What kind of feeders are you giving to him?

 

[meinporsche]

my LFS told me just to buy him guppies to eat...what should i feed him other than brine?

 

[trackfast]

Guppies are fine I think. You could feed him ghost shrimp or even some pieces of raw shrimp on a stick.

 

[Innovator]

Read my post at the bottom. Guppies are fine for short term in order to get food into the animal, but should be converted to prepared foods long term. Brine shrimp for a lionfish is nothing unless the lionfish is rather diminutive.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f45/feeding-a-lion-fish-119528.html#post1014158

 

[Mitchell0605]

It's also not a great idea to feed them live food because any diseases the live fish may have can be transferred across to the lionfish.

 

[rancidpetals]

I would do some research on what to feed liofish and how often to feed them, because if you feel them too much of the wrong live food, the lionfish will develop lockjaw and won't be able to eat. I saw a video on youtube of a lionfish owner having to take his lionfish out of the tank and open his mouth and put the food in his stomach. The lockjaw cures itself if you can get the right kinds of foods to his stomach, so please be careful. I think the lionfish with lockjaw was fed nothing but feeder goldfish, and they lack the nutrients the lionfish needs to survive.

 

[mr_X]

I would do some research on what to feed liofish and how often to feed them, because if you feel them too much of the wrong live food, the lionfish will develop lockjaw and won't be able to eat. I saw a video on youtube of a lionfish owner having to take his lionfish out of the tank and open his mouth and put the food in his stomach. The lockjaw cures itself if you can get the right kinds of foods to his stomach, so please be careful. I think the lionfish with lockjaw was fed nothing but feeder goldfish, and they lack the nutrients the lionfish needs to survive.

wow...learn something new every day. thanks for posting that.

 

[Innovator]

There is supposedly a study of lockjaw in effect, but until it is published and released there is no true way of curing lockjaw at the moment (most of the time the animal would need to be force-fed). Freshwater feeders, in general, are not nutritionally sound (high fat content affecting the liver) compared to prepared diets with actual data to back their nutritional compositions and have been attributed to intestinal blockages. Lockjaw has been reasoned from running into objects to freeze-dried products...speculations with little answers so far.

 

[rancidpetals]

There is supposedly a study of lockjaw in effect, but until it is published and released there is no true way of curing lockjaw at the moment (most of the time the animal would need to be force-fed). Freshwater feeders, in general, are not nutritionally sound (high fat content affecting the liver) compared to prepared diets with actual data to back their nutritional compositions and have been attributed to intestinal blockages. Lockjaw has been reasoned from running into objects to freeze-dried products...speculations with little answers so far.

I kinda already said some of that.

 

[Innovator]

Kind of, but I thought some things needed to be explicated

 

[rancidpetals]

okeydokey. sorry.