Gut loading rosey red minnows
- Thread starter kenand
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You can, but you don't want to use minnows as feeders - Guppies, Mollies, and Ghost/Grass Shrimp are recommended because they're brackish water critters and have a much better nutritional profile for saltwater predators. Also, it's likely not a good idea to keep predators their live feeders - the predator experts suggest that feeding them too frequently can cause serious health problems that lead to the predators dying fairly quickly (a "fast/gorge" feeding schedule is recommended).
My post in the thread linked below is a lot of info to take in, but it's packed with good info on keeping and feeding predators, but if you're not up for reading all of it, I'd strongly suggest at least reading lion king's links in the quote below:
2 new lionfish
I went and bought ghost shrimp a krill. The guy said to mix the krill and ghost shrimp together. The seemed to only eat the ghost shrimp. Only had tge lionfish fir a couple of days. I assume no reason to worry? Krill is okay but not all the time. Neither one of my lions likes krill actually...
www.reef2reef.com
Here's 3 of my most comprehensive threads on feeding lionfish and other predators.
Lion King's dead food recommendations
I'm a health nut if you haven't noticed, this also translates to my pets. Today I will cover some of the dead foods I feed and why, with some nutritional info that I recall off the top of my head. This is by no means all the foods you can feed, these are just the ones I include in my feedings...The truth about FATS
I remember one the first things I learned about fish when I started this hobby; was the differences in carnivores, omnivores, and herbivores. Lions, eels, anglers, etc. are carnivores, among many other species. Carnivores need a dominant protein and fat diet with minimal carbs. Frankly I'm a bit...Live Food
Ghosties, guppies, and mollies, oh my. These are the best, most available, safest, and nutritional choices to feed your predator. If you have a fish you have decided the inclusion of a live in beneficial or even necessary, these are the best options to feed. I can not recommend no other species...
kenand
Active Member
The place where I buy the fish said I could do ghost shrimp as a snack ,maybe every 2 weeks or so. It's just something I wanted to try,but I'm going to do what you recommend for me to be honest. I trust your opinion.You can, but you don't want to use minnows as feeders - Guppies, Mollies, and Ghost/Grass Shrimp are recommended because they're brackish water critters and have a much better nutritional profile for saltwater predators. Also, it's likely not a good idea to keep predators their live feeders - the predator experts suggest that feeding them too frequently can cause serious health problems that lead to the predators dying fairly quickly (a "fast/gorge" feeding schedule is recommended).
My post in the thread linked below is a lot of info to take in, but it's packed with good info on keeping and feeding predators, but if you're not up for reading all of it, I'd strongly suggest at least reading lion king's links in the quote below:
2 new lionfish
I went and bought ghost shrimp a krill. The guy said to mix the krill and ghost shrimp together. The seemed to only eat the ghost shrimp. Only had tge lionfish fir a couple of days. I assume no reason to worry? Krill is okay but not all the time. Neither one of my lions likes krill actually...
vetteguy53081
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These fish and other feeders often come with disease as they are grade b,c,d quality hence the low cost of them. A high risk to say the least
kenand
Active Member
I understand. 1 loinfish is eating the frozen shrimp. It comes to the top of the tank before it hits the water . Which is awesome. The other viotin is not eating yet,or the dwarf. 1 dwarf us missing or hiding. I assume not dead because of no ammonia spike. I want to move some rocks but don't want to get stung. It's been a week maybe since I've seen it. As far as the others not eating, I might have to get live shrimp.
vetteguy53081
Well known Member and monster tank lover
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
RGB
Article Contributor
Tampa Bay Reef Keepers
West Palm Beach Reefer
Hospitality Award
Ocala Reef Club Member
305 Reef Club
Wisco Reefers
Midwest Reefer
Fish Medic
MAC of SW Florida
Rock Pool Reef Keepers
R2R Secret Santa 2023
My Tank Thread
My Aquarium Showcase
Assure you dont have elevated readings with ammonia and nitrate causing this as well as heavy breathing . They are susceptible ich- inspect them well.
Often IF there was an ammonia spike, it can shoot up yet settle to the point at testing time, its near undetectable.
What test kits are you using ?
As for rocks, stinging yes is a risk- Tis below will be your bset friend as well as aqua gloves.
Aquarium tongs:
Aqua Gloves ($20):
kenand
Active Member
What are those?
PraziPro and General Cure are medications to treat parasites our fish get (flukes are a kind of parasite).
Basically, if the lionfish don't eat very soon after being added to an aquarium, there's a good chance they have parasites and need treated before they die - if they have flukes, the recommendation is to treat with PraziPro; if they don't have flukes but aren't eating, the recommendation is to treat with General Cure.
I would try the live shrimp or guppies and see if the lions that haven't been eating go for it, but I'd also suggest picking up the meds recommended just in case.
If they eat the live, then you may just need to train them to eat dead/prepared foods like you're wanting them to (I quoted Jay Hemdal's methodology for training onto prepared foods in the "2 new lionfish" link above), but if they don't, then I'd suggest treating them ASAP.
kenand
Active Member
Thanks. Can you send a link for the meds?
PraziPro Parasite Treatment
Protect your fish from parasites like flukes, tapeworms, flatworms, and turbellarians in your reef tank. If you see symptoms of infection, we recommend removing all fish to a quarantine system for treatment. This is a very gentle and safe treatment, but can negatively affect desirable...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
General Cure Medication - 10ct Powder Packets
API General Cure is a medication that treats a wide variety of parasitic diseases including velvet, anchor worm, fish lice, hole-in-the-head disease (Hexamita spp. & Spironucleus spp.), and gill & skin flukes (Dactylogyrus spp. & Gyrodactylus spp.). It can be used in both freshwater and...
www.bulkreefsupply.com
kenand
Active Member
Buy both or pic one? And this is for the ghost shrimp?PraziPro Parasite Treatment
Protect your fish from parasites like flukes, tapeworms, flatworms, and turbellarians in your reef tank. If you see symptoms of infection, we recommend removing all fish to a quarantine system for treatment. This is a very gentle and safe treatment, but can negatively affect desirable...General Cure Medication - 10ct Powder Packets
API General Cure is a medication that treats a wide variety of parasitic diseases including velvet, anchor worm, fish lice, hole-in-the-head disease (Hexamita spp. & Spironucleus spp.), and gill & skin flukes (Dactylogyrus spp. & Gyrodactylus spp.). It can be used in both freshwater and...
If the lions don't eat the live ghost shrimp, then I would assume your lionfish are sick and need to be treated with medication (the lionfish, not the shrimp).
If your lionfish are sick and refusing to eat, it's most likely either flukes or internal parasites, and will require one of the medications above.
Flukes will generally be accompanied by other symptoms like cloudy eyes and swimming at the surface of the tank - flukes would require PraziPro to treat.
Internal parasites won't have visible symptoms like the cloudy eyes or swimming at the surface - these would require General Cure.
To treat the fish, you would make sure they're in a tank you can safely add the medication to (a lot of meds are not reef-safe and will kill inverts including corals), and you would add the medication to the water as recommended by the instructions that come with the meds.
kenand
Active Member
It's a fish only tank.
Then you could probably add the meds to the tank directly without concern.
You're welcome, and no - I'm not a veteran.
