Fuzzy Dwarf not eating or active?

[mechanic27]

Friday I bought a fuzzy dwarf lionfish from my LFS. He hasn't eaten or even really come out at all. He has just been hiding. Tested my water and everything is ok. My other fish are fine. He did seem to be a little more active after the lights turned off. Should i bring him back or is this normal for fuzzy dwarf lionfish. I need advice.

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

Is it in an aggressive tank? Whats the temp of your tank?

 

[mechanic27]

No its not an aggressive tank. The temp is 80 deg

 

[Jmck]

You dont want to have a lion fish in a normal reef tank. Lionfish are poisonous and can sting fish and also will eat any fish that fits in their mouth.

Onto feeding, lionfish can take up to 2 weeks to start feeding. My lionfish took 3 before he started taking food. so dont stress about food. Generally as well, lion fish will feed at night, because that is when they are more active, but feed them at any time. Just maybe feeding at night will yield a better result for his first time.

 

[Bifferwine]

It's normal for fish not to eat right away when they are first introduced. It's also somewhat normal for them to not be active. They've been through a lot of stress and usually take a little while to settle in.

Keep trying to feed him. He should come around eventually. Do you know what he was eating at the store? Sometimes you hear of them only eating live foods. If that's the case, then you are going to face a challenge getting him to eat.

 

[mechanic27]

The guy at the LFS said he was eating frozen mysis which is what i am feeding him. It sounds like he will come around. I will just keep my eye on him for now. Thanks

 

[Jmck]

You should really try to get him onto silversides, my LFS has lots of lionfish and said that shrimp does not have enough nutrients for them. So try and get him onto those, just cut them up to the right size for him.

 

[yote]

Lionfish are nocturnal in the wild.So yours probably just hasnt adjusted to life in a glass box yet.Give him some time.

 

[mechanic27]

You should really try to get him onto silversides, my LFS has lots of lionfish and said that shrimp does not have enough nutrients for them. So try and get him onto those, just cut them up to the right size for him.

Where can i get silversides? Are they available at LFS's?

 

[mechanic27]

He came out last night after i turned the light off. I put in some mysis and he didn't eat. Gonna keep my eye on him.

 

[BL1]

Your lfs should sell silversides, I get mine from petsmart

 

[mechanic27]

I have been doing some research on silversides. They seem to be larger then my fuzzy dwarf lionfish. My lionfish is only About 1 1/2". Are the silverslides gonna be ok for him?

 

[Bifferwine]

I think the silversides will be too big. You can try krill -- you can buy cubes of frozen krill at Petsmart or Petco.

 

[dcantucson]

Mine took almost two weeks before it started to eat, so don't worry too much. Mine, strangely enough, loves flake foods. It will eat frozen and pellets as well. As for a predator tank, Dwarfs IMO are fine in a regular tank.