# Newbie Question - Feeding live fish?



## mnewcomb (Jul 17, 2011)

I'm looking into getting a dwarf lionfish for my first SW tank. I've been doing some research on them & see that it says to feed them the frozen silversides. I also read there is a wild lionfish population that is thriving off the east coast of the US. That led me to wonder what the wild fish are eating & seeing how I live on the east coast, I'm wondering if I would be able to supply this food for my future lionfish? 

Any thoughts?

Thanks!


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

mnewcomb said:


> I'm looking into getting a dwarf lionfish for my first SW tank. I've been doing some research on them & see that it says to feed them the frozen silversides. I also read there is a wild lionfish population that is thriving off the east coast of the US. That led me to wonder what the wild fish are eating & seeing how I live on the east coast, I'm wondering if I would be able to supply this food for my future lionfish?
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> Thanks!


Save yourself the future trouble and never feed live fish unless, you personally breed and raised it, or it has be in a QT tank for AT LEAST A MONTH AT LEAST. live food has no where near the nutrition as a quality pellet such as NLS (New Life Spectrum)


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

I had one and fed it Live Gold fish for over a year. And he got BIGGGGG. Only had to feed him 2 or 3 times a week. At first it was the small feeder fish, then I had to start feeding him the larger ones, and he was able to stomach 3 of those at a time.


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*fish*

as you may already know goldfish are not the most nutritious fishes to feed other fishes.and since you are talking about a dwarf puffer you probably wont need to large of prey.i recomend guppies as they are cheap and easy to breed in a small tank to keep you lion fed.you can also do mollies wich actualy like a bit of salt in there water so they live indefinatly in salt water.and dont forget krill and ghost shrimps.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

badxgillen said:


> as you may already know goldfish are not the most nutritious fishes to feed other fishes.and since you are talking about a dwarf puffer you probably wont need to large of prey.i recomend guppies as they are cheap and easy to breed in a small tank to keep you lion fed.you can also do mollies wich actualy like a bit of salt in there water so they live indefinatly in salt water.and dont forget krill and ghost shrimps.


 :thumbsup:


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*oops*



badxgillen said:


> as you may already know goldfish are not the most nutritious fishes to feed other fishes.and since you are talking about a dwarf puffer you probably wont need to large of prey.i recomend guppies as they are cheap and easy to breed in a small tank to keep you lion fed.you can also do mollies wich actualy like a bit of salt in there water so they live indefinatly in salt water.and dont forget krill and ghost shrimps.


 uh oh i ment to say lion fish but the same applies to puffers.


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## Caligirl330 (Jun 25, 2011)

nfored said:


> Save yourself the future trouble and never feed live fish unless, you personally breed and raised it, or it has be in a QT tank for AT LEAST A MONTH AT LEAST. live food has no where near the nutrition as a quality pellet such as NLS (New Life Spectrum)


I agree to not feeding live foods and to using a QT tank. I don't feed my Spotfin Lion live foods because I didn't want it to get accustom to it and then possibly try to attack a tank mate. I had mine in a quarantine tank for two weeks before adding it to the main display. In that time spent in the QT tank I taught her ("Stella" my spotfin lion :lol how to eat thawed frozens from tongs. Some dwarf lions will refuse to eat frozens at first, the smaller lion species seem to have a harder time switching from live foods. There are few techniques I have heard of and one is to tie food to a string and dangle it in a way like it is a live to entice the lion to eat it. I wanted to get a dwarf zebra lion at first but I couldn't find one in my area that was eating so I got the spotfin which is a little larger species that grows to 7 inches and I am super happy with her.


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

Caligirl330 said:


> I agree to not feeding live foods and to using a QT tank. I don't feed my Spotfin Lion live foods because I didn't want it to get accustom to it and then possibly try to attack a tank mate. I had mine in a quarantine tank for two weeks before adding it to the main display. In that time spent in the QT tank I taught her ("Stella" my spotfin lion :lol how to eat thawed frozens from tongs. Some dwarf lions will refuse to eat frozens at first, the smaller lion species seem to have a harder time switching from live foods. There are few techniques I have heard of and one is to tie food to a string and dangle it in a way like it is a live to entice the lion to eat it. I wanted to get a dwarf zebra lion at first but I couldn't find one in my area that was eating so I got the spotfin which is a little larger species that grows to 7 inches and I am super happy with her.


 This is true. If you can get them to eat frozen foods it will be cheaper for you in the long run. Some don't adapt to them.:thumbsup:


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## nfored (Mar 31, 2008)

if you can adapt to non live food there is ZERO reason to ever feed them live food especially gold fish. The maker of NLS kept Moorish idol for 3 years feeding only NLS until a huge power outage killed them, I would like to hear one person who kept a Moorish idol for even 1 year feeding it live food. Live food is risky has so little nutrition, there is just no call for it. You would be better off feeding prawn if you felt so inclined. fYI i don't feed my fish NLS so I am not an NLS fan buy, just a person who knows how bad live food is. you might get lucky for 3 , 5,6 years feeding live food but it only takes once to wipe out your entire tank, and most fish live much longer then you're luck will hold out trying to feed store bought live food.


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## badxgillen (Aug 20, 2010)

*umm?*

does somebody have a morish idol?am i in the right thread?and what is this NLS?


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

badxgillen said:


> does somebody have a morish idol?am i in the right thread?and what is this NLS?


 No on the Morish Idol. And very good question on the NLS, cuz I don't even know that one. Morish Idol tough one to keep though.


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## Caligirl330 (Jun 25, 2011)

LOL not sure why a Morish idol was mentioned...NLS= New Life Spectrum (pellets)


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## Reefing Madness (Jun 26, 2011)

badxgillen said:


> does somebody have a morish idol?am i in the right thread?and what is this NLS?


 Cuz he brought it up.:-D


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