Lionfish not eating

[jassz]

Hello helpful people.:biggrin:

My lionfish, Fabio, has stopped eating. :sad: He is about 12-13 inches long, and is usually a pretty voracious eater. I alternated feeding him prawns and crab (human grade) for several months. About twice a week I soaked the food in Selcon and garlic Xtreme. About week ago I reintroduced Silversides again (I have given them before, but the store always seemed to be out of stock when I was in, so I was without them for some time). The next night after eating the silversides for the first time in a long while, he stopped eating. He watches the food, but it's almost likes he's on drugs or something... he just watches it go by. Then one of the faster fish, usually the Trigger, gets the food. (But, in the past, the Lionfish is always king of the tank and if he wanted food no one would try to take it from him).

Fabio shares the 135g tank (with 40g sump), with a picasso trigger, a wolf eel and a little Volantini puffer. They were all in the tank when I got it, and they all get along. The SG=1.020, ph=8.2 and neg for Ammonia, nitrates and nitrite. The only other issue going on in the tank is the rampant growth of Aptisia. About 2weeks ago, on 2 occasions, I used this liquid paste stuff to kill off some of the larger ones (but there are still millions left).

Any suggestions? He looks healthy, but the behavior is not typical. He ate one little bit of food yesterday, but not much. I'm getting worried.:neutral:

[Hawkaholic]

I had a lionfish do the same thing...ate really good for awhile...doubled in size then stopped eating and died. I could be wrong but I think lionfish have a tendency to do that sort of thing. I would dangle the food in the water when I fed. He came up to the surface everyday then just stopped. You could try that...maybe peak his interest or try shrimp meat or scallop. Sorry...not sure what else to tell ya...hope everything works out.

[searescue]

I have had Lionfish for years,
what I found that after a few years they get board of there food, have you tried live goldfish, I know people will think this is wrong , but mine started eating again,
try live food for a while then alternate food,
cheers
searescue

[whatcaneyedo]

I lost my 4 year old volitan lionfish just over a year ago when the same thing happened. It stopped eating like you've described and was dead in a month. I blamed the size of my tank (120gal) for a lack of anything better to blame. Other inhabitants were: snowflake moray, tomato clown, copperbanded butterfly, and purple tang. I had mostly fed it krill and silversides often soaked in either selcon, vit chem or garlic. Maybe try offering it some live food if you can keep your other fish from eating it first.

[Nihoa]

if you wanted to try a live food like searescue suggests ghost shrimp and mollies are a better choice. that said, in an emergency and just to get him back on food most people would agree that a goldfish or two isnt going to be problemtaic in the long run.

do you think there is a possibility he was overfed? ive read that if they gorge themselves they can have trouble passing large quantities of food and it can plug them up. if thats the case i dont know what much you can do about it.

[jassz]

I thought I would post a follow up for this. As it turns out, the lionfish prefers food that doesn't move at all. Not even floating by. He wants it on a skewer, hand delivered. Though he will chase the skewer a bit. His eyesight is good, because he will follow food that drops with his eyes, but he won't go after it. He's a princess, it seems! Serfs, bring me my suppa!:surprise:

[Wayne]

Thats good to hear! So many of these beautiful creatures just don't make it, glad to see yours is turning around :)