Dwarf lion feeding schedule/gutload

tomxreef · Nov 6, 2019

Hello I am strongly considering adding a dwarf lion to my reef.

I am committed to feeding live ghost shrimp and guppies and finally mollies when larger. I have a steady supply and cost isn’t really an issue.

I plan to gutload new life spectrum small pellets and tdo chroma boost then feeding the lion (I have the pellets on hand). How often should I be feeding and how many should I be feeding at a time? The feeder tank will literally be steps away from the lion tank.

ndrwater · Nov 6, 2019

Overfeeding is probably the most common reason for mortality in things like dwarf lions and things like frogfish.
Depending in the size of the lion, a couple medium to small ghost shrimp once a week should be just fine.
Both lions and frogfish have a slow metabolism and can actually die from their food rotting inside them before they digest the food fully.

lion king · Nov 6, 2019

It will depend on the size of the lion, I like feeding my smaller lions every other day, when they get larger than 4.5" or so I may go every 3 days. I like feeding smaller items rather than larger ones although they can get them down, it's easier to control overfeeding that way. Feed until you see a nice bulge in their belly. You'll get a gauge how each individual eats and adjust accordingly. The most common size little lions I see in the lfs are around 3", one like this could put down about 5, 3/4" ghosties every other day, and that's on the conservative side. If given room to roam lions are much more active than many imagine and most have an insatiable appetite, but don't let them guilt you into overfeeding them. If you are not seeing an obvious little bulge in his belly after feeding, you are underfeeding.