 |
|
| Home | Marine Aquariums |
Freshwater Aquariums |
Planted Aquariums |
Brackish Systems |
Ponds,
lakes & fountains |
Turtles & Amphibians |
Aquatic Business |
Aquatic Science |
Ask the WWM Crew a Question |
| Please visit our Sponsors | ||||
Unhappy Volitans... soc. env. 6/30/07
Hello Crew! <Ali, Darren> Firstly may we say what a fab site you
have - very interesting & informative. It is our first stop when in
doubt of anything aquatic! We have as yet been unable to find an
explanation for our Volitan's problem though, so hence the query:
Bought the lionfish about a month ago, and he took a few days to settle
in but soon came round. At the same time bought a porcupine puffer,
trigger, grouper and leopard filefish - all small/young enough to
settle together but big enough not to eat each other! <Still... high
stress... and likely problems down the line here with this mix... the
Puffer and Trigger may well work the Lion woe... and good luck to it
and the Filefish getting food...> The only other inhabitants were 2
hermit crabs, <These too will disappear> and all were introduced
into the tank on the same afternoon, <Too much too soon my
friend> having come from the same shop and some had been sharing
tanks there. We lost trigger recently - think it was scared to death by
grouper as he had been harassing it. <Yes...> Last week or so we
have not seen Lionfish eat - he has previously had defrosted
silversides, krill & Mysis with the odd piece of squid, although
not brave enough yet to feed from us directly, but we have witnessed
him picking up pieces. He seemed to be acting a little strangely in
that he was resting on the coral-sand, and making himself a shallow
'hole' by fanning the sand away with his fins. <A bad
sign> Now though, his once prominently dark stripes have become
patchy. <This too... stress markings...> In the past couple of
days, he has developed a small luminescent lime-green patch on one side
just in front of the fin, and his proud display of healthy looking
'fans' have drooped completely. In general, quite listless,
breathing seems slightly more rapid and this morning he had
'wedged' himself under the edge of a piece of live rock.
Checked parameters, salinity etc - all within recommended ranges. We
have tried water changes with RO and done all we can think of in
respect of water quality without adding any extra chemicals/treatments.
Understand hair algae should not affect him, <Au contraire... this
life can mal-affect all... and/or the conditions that pre-dispose its
proliferation> but put half dozen turbo's in to help reduce that
anyway. LFS have limited range of frozen foods available, so will try
to get something online - any recommendations/additives we should be on
the lookout for? <Moving this fish... to another system really.
Ghost shrimp (live) would be best then to entice it to feed> Can you
give us an indication of what might be wrong & what we can do for
the poor little guy? Would hate to lose him for obvious reasons. Hope
you can help Thanks - Ali & Darren <Could be a few things
amiss... but the most glaring trouble is the placement with the other
life here. Unless this tank is a few hundred gallons... I'd be
moving the Lion, stat! Bob Fenner> Lion Fish tumor, little useful input 6/18/07 I have had a Lion Fish for over 2 years with great results......up until 3 weeks ago. He hasn't eaten since then. I've varied his food from frozen krill and silversides to rosy reds. <The last are trouble... see WWM re "feeding feeders"... same cyprinid/FW as fish food problem...> But I have just recently noticed that he had what looks like a tumor on his body where his side "tentacles" attach to his body. It bulges way out, unlike the other side attached area which is flat against his body. Have you ever seen such a tumor? <Rarely, but yes> Please help as he will not eat and I'm not sure how much longer he will live without food. All level of Ph and such have been tested and are normal. Thank you. V Mac <Not enough info. re the history and make-up of this system, actual test values, tankmates... Your best course of action is to read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/liondisfaqs.htm and the linked files above... When, where in doubt... water changes. I would expand and limit the foods list... NOT minnows... supplement HUFAs, vitamins... by soaking foods, direct addition. Bob Fenner> Our lionfish hasn't eaten in six weeks 6/18/07 To whom it may concern <Yo!> We have a lion fish, he is brown with stripes, he looks like the ones on your facts and question pages. he is 12 months old and we have no problems with him till 6 weeks ago, when he all of a sudden just stop eating. <Likely a Pterois volitans... sometimes "do" this> We even brought him live fish to eat <Not FW I hope/trust> and even they say in the tank until they die even then he was still not interested in them, we have changed his water and all test on his tank are good. <Which means what?> He is now banging into the side of the tank and hitting the top of the glass were we lift to feeded him, ive just remove the glass as he keeps hitting it and the sides of his tank, he is in a 4ft tank and he is the only one in the tank. <Likely blind/ed... from bright light possibly (no dark overhangs available...) and/or nutritional deficiency... Again, not uncommon> He dislodged his jaw over 2months ago and he put in back into shape by himself, we thought that might have been the problem, then he pick up and started eating after 2 weeks, so we thought he was fine, until 6 weeks ago and now he wont even eat, nothing interests him. We have try green prawns, krill and live fish for him, we even named Syd as he is part of our family, now we need to know is he going blind or is he dying if so what can we do for him, as my partner wants to release him into the sea to give a better chance of surviving. I hope you cant answer this ASAP as i don't want to release as he became one of the family, but i don't want to suffer either, so i need your advice on want we can do for Syd now. I would appreciate your help and he doesn't have any other diseases, he just wont eat, hitting the side of his tank and hitting the top of the tank full force were i have remove the glass so he cant hurt himself. Your's sincerely Theresa Pennell Australia ps your help would be great as i only have till 5pm today before my partner release him into the sea to give a better survival rate, <Please do NOT do this... not good for anyone... May spread disease, or perhaps worse, introduce a non-indigenous species...> then seeing Syd dying in his tank and not eating and hitting everything, please answer this email ASAP. pretty please as Syd has grown on me. thank you <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/liondisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Antennata Lionfish death, env.
6/16/07 Hello, I recently <How?> bought a Antennata Lion from
a fish store. It was fine the first night but, into the second day and
night it began to breath heavily and lose it's color, in the
morning it was dead. I took it back to the fish store, they tested my
water and said it was perfect and gave me a replacement. The
replacement lion was fine the first night and then started to display
the same symptoms. I did a massive water change and then decided to
write you for some insight. It is a 55gal <Too small> with live
rock/sand, 3 damsels, <Food> hermits, and snails. Both lionfish
wouldn't eat and then began to lose their color and started
breathing heavily. I would like some guidance in saving the lion or at
least preventing more deaths. P.S. the first lion died with it's
mouth wide open, not sure if that helps. <Likely simple low
dissolved oxygen... Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/index.htm
Scroll down to the Scorpaeniform fishes... re: Lion Systems... Bob
Fenner> Twitchy lion fish.... 5/25/07 Hello to the WWM
crew, I am writing tonight about my lion fish,
hopefully I have not missed what I am looking for in your
site as I have been searching for hours. Any ways my lion
has started acting strange over the past week, he is resting
on the bottom a lot more and he seems to twitch his lower
fins in the sand. It almost looks like he is shivering. He also
on occasion darts through the tank and acts as if he is
itching himself with his longer fins. His eating habits have
not changed, he is fed silversides and krill about every 3
days .I have had this fish for about 6 months and he
has been great. he is about 8 inches and his color looks
great. My tank is a 125 gallon with a 30 gallon sump and
protein skimmer. My lion is the only fish currently. I say
that because I just lost a copper banded butterfly that was introduced
only 2 weeks ago, and not quarantined. This fish had white
and black spots on his fins that I treated as ick in a
separate tank. <Here is likely the root cause...> He
past on after 2 days in hospital tank. I know I have made a
mistake there, but now I need a coarse of action to take
with my lion. <Your punctuation... where are the spaces...?> Just
last night I added a UV to try and rid any parasites in my
tank. My water is as follows: PH 8.2 Calc. 380
DKH 10 Ammo .25 ( normally hangs at 0 )
<Trouble also>
Nitrite 0 Nitrate 0 Phos 0 Sp Grav. 1.025 Temp 78 I
have some coral and around 160 pounds of live rock a 4 inch
sand bed and in my sump I have 30 pounds live sand, sea weed
and mangrove plants. Both tanks are well populated with snails
and crabs. I hope that is enough info for you to help.
Thanks you very much in advance for all your help, Jeff Hopp <The
medication exposure is almost certainly at root here. Likely this Lion
will recover... takes time... a few weeks. Bob Fenner> Injured Lionfish + 1 month without eating. Need advice please. 5/24/07 Hi! <Hello there> First off, great site - full of helpful information, but I can't seem to find anything that quite matches my case, so I'm dropping you a line. 4 weeks ago my lionfish acquired a sizable gash across the top of the head in the soft tissue between the "head plate" and the first dorsal spine. The deep gash went from one gill covering to the other and he was bleeding freely in the tank. <Yikes! Very bad situation... Fishes have very high "Packed Cell Volumes"... and a world of not much dissolved oxygen (often about 7 ppm... vs. ours of about 210,000... Need their blood, rest of their integument/slime systems to be intact to stay alive> I wish I could figure out how to attach the pictures I have, but it basically looks like someone took a steak knife and split the back of the head open. <Mmm, have seen similar injuries... Lions can really move at times... run into objects, jump out of the water, striking gear...> I later found a 2-inch peacock mantis in my live rock (which I immediately removed), but I am still unsure what caused this injury. The bleeding eventually stopped and under the advice of my local fish store, I treated the tank with MelaFix for 2 weeks. <Am not a fan> The Lionfish ate sparingly after this injury (he was a terrific eater of fresh frozen and freeze dried shrimp prior to this event), but ate his final piece of food 24 days ago. His wound is healing nicely (no discoloration or puss from the wound). I tried ghost shrimp and guppies - nothing is taking his interest. In fact, when I try to "pole feed" dehydrated shrimp, the live ghost shrimp will crawl up onto the face of my Lionfish to get the food!!! Water levels are fine, I check the ammonia, etc., every other day and change a portion of the water weekly. Anyway, his dorsal spines are depressed, laying along his back and he's noticeably losing weight (although I haven't massed him). I've contacted a few local aquaria regarding force feeding, and had I.V. feeding proposed as a suggestion. <Mmm... would not do this> Unfortunately, the aquarium that suggested this is too far away for me to bring in the fish (overseas). I was wondering if you had any suggestions for force or IV feeding? <Well... could/can be done... with extreme care with Pteroines obviously... but I would keep trying the foods you have been, with some changes... I would re-arrange the decor in this system, soak all foods in a vitamin and HUFA supplement (for attraction as well as nutrition), and make/use a "feeding stick" for the non-live items...> I've managed to shove food in his mouth via the "pole feeding" method, <Oh! Good> but at this point he's spitting everything back out - so I think we've gone a bit beyond the standard "hunger strike". If I must handle him to force or IV feed, what type of gloves would suffice to prevent being injured by his spines? <Mmm, actually... better to use well-soaked (to discount residual cleaner) white (versus colored) older cloth towels... to "hold back the dorsal and pectoral fins while manipulating such animals> I have dive gloves, but the joints are fairly thin. <These can be easily punctured... and the handling will further damage the fish with these> Any advice would be very helpful - my lionfish is such a terrific little guy, with an awesome personality (up until this event... his behaviour has radically changed to depressed and non-interactive over the past month). I don't want to lose him! Thanks, Kim <The food bolus must be pressed, inserted further back than the buccal cavity... past the obvious closure in the back throat... there are some backward pointing structures there that disallow live food organisms from escape... A plastic catheter, other tools... Bob Fenner> Sick Lion fish 5/20/07 Hello, thank
you for taking the time out to listen and help me with my
concern. I recently purchased a lion fish about two weeks
ago. I noticed today that he has some little white dots on
his fins. He is eating normally but is swimming upside down
at the top. <Mmm, these fishes do this sort of orientation at times,
but...> He also has a broken dorsal fin... I believe that is what it
is called. It is one of the long ones that stick out on the
side. My temp is 78, Ph 8.3, Nitrates
30, <Much too high... this is very likely a large
contributing cause of the trouble here... Needs to be addressed NOW>
Ammonia 0, Nitrites 0. Could I have
a problem with ick? <Could... but could be just the environment,
lack of filtration... driven nitrification...> Is it normal for a
lion fish to swim upside down at the top of the aquarium? <No>
Any suggestions or advise would be greatly
appreciated. Thank You! <... Please read
here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/lionsysfaqs.htm and here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm and the linked
files above. Bob Fenner> Lionfish injury - 4/7/07 Hi <, I> recently bought a lionfish bout medium sized. Hes <He's> still "new" to the tank but has eaten live food easily. He has a chainlink/snowflake eel, <Mmm, these are two different species...> Foxface, 2 juvenile banded cat sharks, <In how large...? Oh, I see this below> a blue hippo tang, and a v tail grouper as tankmates. Before I get jumped on for overcrowding all fish are small a 500 gallon is on the way <... and now?> and the filtration on this tank is capable of more then double the tanks actual size. <Filtration alone is not the issue> Either way he is always out in the open doesn't <doesn't... where are your apostrophes? Spell-checking?> run from noises or any fish that come near him and really doesn't seemed stressed at all despite his recent change of scenery. However, on one of his display fins for lack of the correct terms one finger of it is torn about half way its a very small tear but everything from that point up has turned almost blood red. <Happens quite often with the moving of Pteroine fishes...> He's still showing no signs of distress and is still swimming around enjoying life but I am stressing about it. <Umm, don't... not likely at all to be a problem... Will heal of its own accord in time... likely a few weeks...> The tear is extremely small and in a very hard place for an eel to have grabbed a nip so I honestly have no idea how he got it and really would attribute it to the shipping of him if it hadn't turned red about 3 days later. Anyway no one ive talked to so far can identify why this would be or what I can do for him. Please help. <Just time going by... but do get that new tank up and going... and do pay close attention to ammonia, no more than 20 ppm nitrate here. Bob Fenner> Multiple Lionfish deaths - extreme mystery -- 4/7/07 Hi guys,
<Hi John. Don't forget the girls too'¦> I
am hoping desperately that you could offer some insight to my recent
fish tragedies: four consecutive, completely mysterious Volitans and
Dwarf Lionfish deaths. First off, I will describe my setup. 25g,
<Much too small for a Volitans, borderline for
Dwarf. Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dwflionsysfaqs.htm > 4 month
old, eclipse lighting/filtration, 30 lbs live rock, 160gph powerhead,
good carbon and PolyFilter, 8 hermit crabs, 3 snails, and as of now no
fish. My first fish was a Panther Grouper who was very healthy and
happy for 2-3 months. <Also much too large of a fish for this small
tank. Research their long-term needs before buying.>
During my time with him I introduced my first Volitans Lionfish who
promptly died the morning after. Had the water tested and everything
was perfect. So, I put another one in and exactly the same thing
happened: he was perfectly fine for the few hours before night time,
the next morning he was dead. Water checked out again. A couple weeks
later the Grouper dies with his jaw locked wide open.
Still no explanation on that but the consensus seems to be he tried to
eat a hermit crab and choked. I spent the next three weeks making the
water PERFECT. Pristine conditions: pH 8.3, alkalinity 11,
ammonia/nitrite 0, salinity 1.024, nitrates less than 25, temp 76.
<This all sounds very good.> This time to be safe I opted for the
Dwarf Lion because of my tank size. <Better choice.> As you can
imagine that same thing happened, he didn't last the night. So
today I got another, this time a bit larger (hoping he would be bit
hardier). I checked on him every 5-10 minutes and he wasn't
struggling but seemed quite agitated. Before he made it into the tank
he was occasionally swimming in odd positions; sometimes upside down.
He lasted maybe two hours. The store I buy from is very reputable,
supplying and supporting tanks for most of Atlanta. I drip every fish I
get for at least 2 hours and make sure the water they leave is
identical to the water they find in the tank. The Lions never had a
chance to eat but the Grouper had a healthy, varied diet: mostly a
'marine diet' called Formula One (which is known to support a
fish throughout its lifetime exclusively) supplemented
occasionally by ghost shrimp, frozen krill, and freshwater guppies.
Every expert I have consulted is completely dumb-founded. I feel
I've covered all the bases, I even grounded the tank before letting
the fourth Lion in. This is my first saltwater tank and I am becoming
very disheartened and am ready to give up completely. Any help would be
greatly appreciated. <Given the accelerating speed of their demise,
this sounds much like environmental toxins have built up in your
tank. The grouper may have lasted longer, as toxins may have
built up slowly while he was in the water and so he was more resistant
than the suddenly introduced new fish. Thoughtfully assess
the environment outside the tank. Consider if there is
anything in the air or on your hands that could be building up in the
water. Air fresheners? Dusting aerosols? Spray cleaners?
Fragrant candles? Anti-bacterial hand-soap? Any chemicals
like this can gradually build up in the water, and there aren't any
tests for them. If you can identify any potential
contaminants and eliminate them from future introduction, you will
still have to change most of the water. Larger water changes
can keep things from building up, and also help with the
nitrates. Read here about other toxic tank examples:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/toxictkfaqs3.htm Carbon can help
remove these types of chemicals, but only significantly if it is
changed weekly. A protein skimmer may help
also. Given the timing of the deaths and your good water
parameters and acclimation procedure, I cannot think of anything else
it could be but toxic water. Don't give up, it sounds like you are
doing many things well and hopefully you can identify the source of the
problem and correct it and then have many years of enjoyment from this
wonderful hobby. Consider selecting smaller (when they are
mature) fish or getting a bigger tank if you must have large
predators. Much available information here about system
requirements for many species.> Best Regards,
-John <Cheers, Alex> Lionfish problems!!! HELP 3/19/07 Hi, I have had a Lionfish for the last 6 months, who was doing wonderfully well. In the last week, it refuses to eat, and has been swimming from side to side in the tank for hours, like he had never done before. <Unusual behavior> I've tried hand-feeding it silver fish, krill, and raw shrimps. He just doesn't eat. My tank is a 92 gallon, and my lionfish is about 6 inches long. I have 3 tangs and one panther grouper. <Mmmm> It is a reef tank. Is it possible that he is outgrowing the tank? <More likely the tankmates> Or is it the beginning of a parasite or any disease? <Not likely> Please help, I love this fish! Thanks, Gary <The behavior is indicative of "something" bothering this specimen... that is obviously not bothering your other fish livestock... Likely the presence of the Chromileptis/Panther is "it"... If this were my Lion, I'd move it to another system to see if this "cures" the non-feeding and pacing behavior... and if you don't have such means, I'd trade in either it or the Bass. Bob Fenner> Lionfish Abscess/Tumor I must say I have searched your site for some semblance of my problem with my V. Lion by I was unsuccessful. My Setup: Recently went from a 55 gallon to 110+ gallon (6 months ago) 110 Gallon - all RO Water/Never Tap 1 Fluval 404 1 Fluval 304 <Mmm, am not a fan of such canister filters use in these sorts (larger, predatory fishes) marine systems> 1 CPR Protein Skimmer riding the back of a 10 gallon sump Nitrate - ~20 - 30ppm (water change overdue) Nitrite - 0 PH ~ 8.0 - 8.2 Ammonia - 0 Water Temp ~78 - 79.1 8 inch V. Lion Tomato Clown - large 2 Domino Damsels and 1 zebra (initially used to "cycle the new tank" thought they would end up as feeders for the Lion) Yellow Tang Wolf Eel - large Bursa Trigger - new and small Spotted Grouper - new and small <A real hungry mix... I would upgrade your filtration, including skimming... stat!> The tank runs great and looks and everyone seems happy, great water conditions, except for a small amount of red slime which was my fault, left the lights on a little too long; but to get straight to the point. I have had my Lion for about 3 years and a few months ago I found a growth (abscess/tumor like) under one the gills. I went to my local aquarium store and they recommended trying "Marine-Max" an Anti-Oxidant/Disease preventing Probiotic before trying anything else. <Ho boy...> This seemed to work after a couple weeks of applications, but recently it has come back and it looks larger then before. The Lion eats well, is active and seems to go about it's day as if there is nothing wrong. So again, I started administering the Marine Max but this time it doesn't appear that it is effective. I do not have a hospital tank and I know better not to medicate the entire tank. Could you please enlighten me on the cause of this infection and possibly the remedy/steps to take to resolve this? A million thanks! Joe <I would try adding a marine supplement that includes vitamins, HUFAs and above all Iodide/ate... Look for such (Selcon, Microvit)... or mix a few of the mainstream manufacturers products that involve all these... I strongly suspect at nutritional deficiency, perhaps a goiter is at play here... and the use of the supplement the real means of a fix here. Bob Fenner> Funky Lionfish behaviour 12/6/06 Hi everyone, <Anthony> You were kind enough to help me out a couple of months ago with a Blue-cheek Trigger problem, so I figured I'd pick your brains a little more. I've looked through Google and your Lionfish section for something resembling this, but have found nothing. I have a (I believe) 10" Volitans in a 180 gallon tank with a few friends that have been around for a long time. Nothing has changed in the tank prior to this behaviour starting. What the Lion is doing is swimming around with his head above the water surface. <Not good...> Eyes, mouth... it's as if he thinks he's a crocodile or something. He's bumping into things, and is going into his second eek of being on a hunger strike. I did read something about a lack of aeration for other behavioural issues, <Yes... best first guess> and was wondering if him having his mouth above the surface is a means for him getting air? <This is a/the theory> Someone told me that it's a bad idea to connect the air-intakes to the powerheads. Can you confirm that? <Not an issue... very small bubbles are problematical, not ones larger than say 1 mm in diameter> I have 4 powerheads being controlled by a Wavemaker Pro in the tank, with plenty of live rock, excellent filtration and decent water conditions: 78 degrees, 1.025 SG, 8.2 pH, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrites, 5 ppm nitrates. I tried dropping some ghost shrimp in the tank to get him to eat, but got no response. His color & body look good. He's just acting like a freak. :) Thanks, Anthony <There are other probable causes for the observed behavior... next in line might be that this fish has "swallowed something"... like gravel, a hermit crab... and is suffering duress consequently... I would try adding a dose of Epsom Salt (see WWM re) and keep offering foods that this fish is known to accept... daily. Bob Fenner> Lion fin problem 11/29/06 Hi, I have a situation here. I don't know if this is a big problem or small problem. Today I fed my lionfish some krill but he got to excited (Volitans). He somehow ended up swallowing one of his pectoral fins since they are very big. I tried to get it out with a feeding stick but it's no use. Will the lion digest the fin? Will it kill him? Thanks, Ben <Wowzah! This one is an eager eater! I would make another effort (carefully) to extricate this fin from the fish's mouth... Get a friend to net the fish, raise it to the surface, use the feeding stick to leverage the fin out. Bob Fenner> Lion Fish Problems... fed feeders, poor env. 8/30/06 Hey guys, Looked through all discussions on Lion Fish diseases and could not find what our Lion fish has. We got our lion about 2 months ago and he is about 7 inches. We have him in a 125 gallon tank he was in there by himself until yesterday we added our emperor angel to the tank. <The Angel may pick on this lion> We feed him feeder fish two to three times a week. <Not a good idea... likely the principal cause of death of captive Pteroines> He always looked healthy and was very active. A couple of days ago my husband noticed that on the lions back by his spines some skin was missing and that two of the spines in the same area did not have any skin on them. Almost looked like two new spines were growing. We thought we would keep on eye on him. Today it seems that more skin is eaten away and one of the spines is starting to break off. Water conditions are good, no nitrites, nitrates, etc. prior to noticing this condition we did do a 20% water change. Could a drop in the PH cause any problems? <Yes> We are at a loss here as to what this might be? Bacteria Infection, Parasite, Internal Infection? Let me know what you think. Thanks for your time. Don & Lisa <Nutritional, environmental. Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/lionfdgfaqs.htm and here: http://wetwebmedia.com/lionsysfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Lion Dis... no info. - 8/9/2006 Hello, My name is
Angie and I found your e-mail on a website when I was looking for help
with my lion fish. I have only had him for 3 days. When I looked at him
today it appears that his right eye has a film over it. I am very
concerned about this. Do you have any advice for me? Please help I
don't want to lose my little buddy. Thank you Angie
<<Hi Angie. I'd love to help you, but I need more
information. How did you cycle your tank? What size is the
tank? SG? Ammonia? NitrItes? NitrAtes? pH? Any general set-up
information is helpful. Thanks. Lisa.>>
Sick Lionfish... env., nutr.... 7/18/06 Hey
guys, <And gals...> I have been going through every lion fish
article you have and have seen some good info. However I think I may
have something that I haven't seen. Here it is. I have a
lionfish that has been with me for 1 year now. I have a 55
gallon tank with 10 hermit crabs, 3 turbo snails, 1 Blue Tang, 1 Yellow
Tang <... this system is too small for these fishes...> 2
Hawaiian feather dusters and 1 green Feather duster. I have
a protein skimmer (odyssey) and a trickle filter to a 4 gallon bio ball
sump setup. There are also 2 power heads in there as well.
The levels are as follows: Nitrates about 10ppm (just did
another 5 gallon water change to bring that back down to 0, <Mmm,
ten ppm. is not too "bad"... zero is not achievable here>
PH was low but that is back up to 8.2, nitrites and ammonia are
perfect. There was high phosphates and I have brought that
down as well. The salinity is at 1.022. <I'd keep
this nearer to NSW strength, 1.025> I used to feed the lionfish gold
fish but stopped that after warnings by your team. <Good> I
started feeding him silversides which he loved, I could see his color
get much better and he was also much more active as well as his wings
started healing. Well 2 weeks ago I was trying to feed him but he
didn't want anything to do with the food, kind of looked at it then
let it drop to the ground. <Feeding strikes are very common with
captive Scorpaeniforms...> I tried again 2 days later and have been
every day since (That should explain the nitrates). Well he
would let it just hit his head and do nothing. I have read
that these fish will go on a hunger strike but I think I am past that
now. I have got the quality of water back to good (and it
has been worse). Well he now looks like he isn't
breathing very well at all, very little movement in the gills. He also
seems very disoriented he will be upside-down motionless and then will
start moving but definitely not normal activity. He also
shed his skin the other night which I read they can do to get rid of
parasites and/or disease. <Yes, natural behavior> Well today I
was trying to get a good look at his eyes and his gills to see if I
could see anything out of the ordinary. Well on him there was nothing
but I came across something in the tank that may be a sign and may
not. I tried to get a picture but the resolution wasn't
good. SO I will try to explain. In the live rock
there are a bunch of little brown cylinder things smaller than a piece
of rice. Maybe 1 mm long if that. They are all over. They
are light brown in color. I don't think they are waste from the
fish since I have seen there waste before and it doesn't look like
this. I also have noticed 2 spots on the rock where there
are almost polyp looking things. They are about the size in
diameter of a Coax cable end (3 cm or so?) They are
white/clear and have a little darker spot in the middle. Almost look
like alcove of garlic or an upside down heart on the
rock. Also a little while back there was this weird
string like thing that was white with little balls going the length.
Almost like a pearl necklace but the pearls were separated more. DO you
have any clue what these are and how I can help my fish. Any
help would be great. <Mmm, highly doubtful that these
"critters" are problematical... Much more likely that your
Lion has/is suffering from a nutritional deficiency syndrome. I would
keep "wiggling" food in front of it... that has been soaked
in a vitamin/iodide supplement (these are made for this purpose
commercially)... and continue to seek out larger quarters for these
fishes. Bob Fenner> Thanks, Link Urgent: Sick Lionfish - Can You Please Help? Actually not urgent, not likely any need for help 7/10/06 Hi, <Morning> I am really hoping you can help me with my Volitans Lionfish. I have read through all of the FAQ's and much of the text on the site but have still not seen anything which shows the full picture of what is happening to my lionfish. <Let's see> We have had him now for 3 years and he is now 11 inches in length. He is in an aquarium of 400 litres / 110 US Gallons and has eaten regularly, either live ghost shrimp or frozen food without any issues. We have had a very hot period over the past couple of weeks and over the past 6 days the lionfish has refused to eat anything we have placed in the tank - whether live shrimp or frozen food. <Not unusual, and not a problem if the animal is otherwise in good shape> What is concerning is that he now has seem to have lost 'co-ordination' is the only way I can put it and is unable to swim around the tank but instead floats from one side to the other and spins around in circles as he seems to be unable to level himself. He is not breathing heavily and nor shows any external signs of distress. Water quality readings are within the required limits and have not changed recently i.e. have remained the same in the past year and have always been excellent. I am extremely concerned as the Lionfish is a well loved family pet and want to do anything I can to help him, as I fear he may be old - is there any way to tell this or sick and be on his way out. Can you please help me? Kind Regards, Dave <Mmm, is possible this is some expression of a nutritive deficiency... At any length, given the information presented, I would execute a large (25% or so) water change, leave the lights off for the duration... and continue to try the usually accepted foods... soaked for five, ten minutes ahead of time in a vitamin-rich supplement (these are made for this purpose in the aquarium interest). Don't panic... Bob Fenner> Sick lionfish, poor grammar, not reading 6/27/06 I have a 110gal tank with a six to eight inch red lionfish. The problem started about three to four weeks ago. The lionfish quit eating, then started swimming around during the day and night. He lost color plus weight. A week ago he started darting back and fourth across the tank. When this happened he broke some fins and ruffed up the skin. Now the mouth is red from hitting live rock and crushed coral. I have the following fish: Lunare wrasse, stars and stripe puffer, yellow tang, and a parrot fish <The puffer and Scarid are misplaced here> are all eating plus are healthy. 6/26/06 started treating with MelaFix [ should I keep using it ] <Of no use whatsoever> Doesn't float weird or swimming funny. please help <Where are the spaces twixt your sentences? Where is information re the water quality? Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/liondisfaqs.htm and the linked files above. Bob Fenner> Lionfish gone blind 5/14/06 Hi, My lionfish has gone blind. He at first became stressed out swimming into the live rock and sides of the tank. After a week he has felt his way around the tank to know where the rocks are and how long the tank is. He hasn't eaten for 3 weeks now. I try force feeding him white bait and green prawn meat but he coughs the food back out. He is shedding his cuticle once a week. My tank is 300 litres. Tank has been established for 2 years. Have had the lionfish for 18 months - 25 cm long. Nitrate is 80, <Much too high> Nitrite is 0, & Ammonium is 0. Phosphate is 4 after the last test. <Ditto> This is usually 0 and this is the first time its been above 0. PH is 8. Since the last test have done 30% water change. Previously we do a 25% water change every 3 weeks. There is no cloudiness in his eyes. No opaque covering over the lens or sign of a cataract. I also have a longhorn cow fish. Would the cow fish be secreting any poison? <Not likely... is usually an all or nothing proposition... all dead or not> Our domino damsel, and blue ribbon eel <Hard to keep> appear healthy and fine. Also have a sea urchin in the tank. His feeding history - was feed fresh water fish for the first 3 months but haven't feed him this since. Any thoughts on getting him to eat & the cause of his blindness? And can this be cured? Many thanks, :o) Caro <Is gone over on WWM... use the words "blind" and "Lionfish" in the Google search tool. Generally over-bright lighting and possible a nutrition component (avitaminoses)... but water quality can be a factor as well. Bob Fenner> Lionfish/Environmental problems - 5/8/2006 Hi there, We have a very sick lionfish and we're not sure what to do. We recently changed the water in his tank and removed him for a moment in doing so. <<There is no need to remove fish during water changes. Did you change ALL of the water??>> After this, he turned pale. We gave the water and him son aloe vera and 'anti-stress' (placed in the water) and it seemed to help, but now he isn't eating (hasn't for a week or so), his eyes are foggy, his tails are tattered and he seems to be 'off balance' (swimming sideways). HELP. Is there anything we can do to help him? He seems like he is in a lot of pain. : ( <<Test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. It sounds to me like he is suffering from ammonia poisoning in an uncycled/re-cycling tank. Get on partial water changes.>> I believe we have a red lionfish. Thank you. -Carolina <<Lisa.>> Lion Fish Fin problem 4/15/06 Hey there, <Hello> I have a lionfish for the past year now. It is about 5 inches long. I noticed that when I get it one of the wings (left side) had the web ripped or almost looked as though it was disintegrating. I chalked it up to new tank and possible power head meeting!!!. Well just recently I noticed that the other wing is doing the same thing. I have read that it should not be fed gold fish or other freshwater fish. <Correct> I have been feeding it those but I will immediately stop. I do feed it every other day with 1 fish. Is this the appropriate amount and timing? <Two, three times a week is about right> Oh and on the fin one of the spines was broken from colliding with a rock when it was feeding. <Does happen> It seemed to change to a darker color and also have a white bump where it looked like it healed. I assume this is normal healing ? <Likely so> Thanks for you help. Link <The loss of the "inter-spine webbing" is also natural... with age, growth... individually expressed, but a general trend. Bob Fenner> Lionfish's' dislocated jaws and Ich 3/10/06 Hello again, I am getting ready to set up my 140, but am trying to clear up an Ich problem in my 55 before I transfer the inhabitants. <Good idea> My 55 is a FOWLR, there are two 6" volitans that I've had since they were 2" and never a problem. 6 weeks ago I introduced a gold bellied dog face in anticipation of up grading to the 140. The 55 is going to be the qt so when I brought the puffer home I did not have a qt. Instead I did a fresh water bath.. I know... I know... A few days later the puffer was covered in Ich and I began fresh water baths for all three fish and over the course of three days lowered the sg from 1.020 to 1.009. Twice a day for three days I continued the fresh water baths with all three fish. Once there was no visual evidence of Ich on the fish I began counting to four weeks with the tank at a specific gravity of 1.009. Everything was perfect for the first week, all three fish were eating. At the beginning of the second week one of the volitans dislocated its upper jaw. <Likely from a physical trauma in this crowded space> I have kept several lions over the past two decades and this was a first for me so I rapidly researched it on your site and wrapped the lion in a saltwater wetted non-colored cloth I massaged the upper jaw back into almost perfect place. <Ah, good!> He began eating again with in a week. At the beginning of the third week the other lion fish dislocated its upper jaw but to a further degree than the first lion. (I have never witnessed quarrels among the tank mates. They sleep/rest with fins intertwined and when ever some new enters the room they intertwine their fins and drift through the tank looking like a giant lion fish.) <A threat gesture> The second lion's upper jaw has no flexibility, I have tried massaging it into place but it remains the same and she is not eating. Upon the four week mark with no visual signs of Ich, I began restoring the tank to a s.g. of 1.020. It has been four days with the tank at 1.020, I have introduced no new fish, no live feeders, no food that was not previously frozen for at least a week and today I found my puffer with traces of Ich <Yes... hyposalinity treatments rarely "cure" parasitic infestations... See WWM re...> and one of my lions with one or two specs. I did a fresh water bath on all three. My question is... Do I lower the s.g. again or do I nuke the tank with a modern medicine of your choice. I am willing to lose my live rock but would prefer not to use something that will imbed its self in the rock and make it unusable for a future reef. It is my understanding that copper treatments will do just that to live rock. Please help, I care deeply for these guys Jason <Mmm, well, first of all a 55 is too small for just these Lions, second, I would not mix a Tetraodont puffer with them... in the 55 for sure, lastly, the means to treat the crypt is posted on WWM... Bob Fenner> Sick Lionfish, incl. Monogenetic Trematodes
03/07/06 Dear Bob, <Chris> Lately my lionfish has suffered
from monogenes ( the worms that move around the fish and cause cloudy
eyes....looks like ick) <Yes.... Trematodes... direct lifecycle
types... can be real trouble...> I didn't know what they were
until it was too late because the lionfish was not scratching and it
continued to eat like a pig. <For others, and highly unlikely for
the last time, a/the simple pH-adjusted FW bath/dips that have been
advocated for so dang long, will/would take care of these flatworms...
Dang! Okay.> I attempted to feed it medicated food several occasions
however it didn't seem to cure whatever was growing on the fish.. I
didn't learn what it was until my friend pointed it out and called
em monogenes. That night that he came over my lion had stopped eating..
So I gave him a 4 minute freshwater dip and then placed him into a
50gallon breeder tank with no substrate and medicated water with Copper
Safe and Formalin 2. I did the formalin 2 for 3 days and I didn't
see a whole lot of improvement <Might have been too late by then>
and then I followed up with three days of Tetracycline and 3 days of
half dose of Maracyn. The fishes eyes cleared up and improved 98% and
the monogenes all seemed to fall off. <Oh! Good!> The fish has
been in the quarantine tank for roughly 10days.. The tail that had tail
rot seemed to stopped rotting and it seem to remain the same size. I
saw the same conditions on Saturday. The tail looked like it wasn't
getting worse and the eyes looked pretty clear. However the fish
hasn't ate for 14 days. So I decided maybe if I move the fish back
into the main tank <...? Is this a/the source of the Trematodes?>
it would start to eat and heal up. I noticed that when I caught the
fish he gave me a hard time catching him and when I placed him in the
main tank its tail looked much worse then it looked on Saturday however
prior to catching it the tail seemed to be the same as it looked on
Saturday. Overall the rest of the body is in great shape. Its a 14 inch
lionfish and it has a huge home to live in. The tank he resides in is
240 gallon tank. I know you say the best way to get rid of a bacterial
problem is to have stable water. <Generally, yes... Given the
animal/s are "strong enough" otherwise> My water in my
main tank is testing just fine right now. Was I right for moving him
into back into the main tank? <Doesn't read like you had much
choice> What is the best way to win over a bacterial infection and
to get a fish to start eating again seeing the situation that I am in
now? Sincerely, Christopher Faiola <IF the animal can be made to
eat, eats, to "sneak" a broad-spectrum gram negative
antibiotic into its food would be my choice here. If not, to make a
bath of this, in concentration, and soak the fish in it for ten,
fifteen minutes (with aeration). Bob Fenner> Lionfish help ... Centropyge comp. - 3/1/2006 Hello Bob
<Wayne> I read until my eyes dried out trying to find the answer
to my Lionfish question. <Google on WWM, the cached view...> So
forgive me if I'm asking a repeat question. I have a 120
Gal, that I upgraded to from a 55gal, with about 50-60# of live rock,
Volitans Lionfish, Snowflake eel, Coral Beauty, 2 Yellowtail
Damsels. I also have 2 Condy Anemones, Devils Hand Leather,
Cauliflower Leather. I'm using a Berlin Skimmer, Orbit
4x96w 10K/Actinic lighting (switched from a Coralife 4x65), a 40 gal
refugium with a mag18 pump. I have a small powerhead that I
use to keep circulation going behind the rocks. So far
I've only tested for Nitrates, Nitrites, Ammonia, and PH, which are
a 0,0,0,8.2 respectively. <All sounds good thus far> I just added
the Berlin (5days ago), and was using a Skilter prior. <Heeee! Some
difference now!> I've had this tank running now for
about 7 weeks (upgraded from a 55gal which I had for 1
year). We've had the Lionfish now for about 7 months.
Here's my question/concern.. My Lionfish has recently (past 2
weeks, since we introduced the Coral Beauty) started to be extremely
active. This is just the opposite of what I'm used
to. <Yes... Centropyges can "pick" at
Pteroines mercilessly...> He usually hangs out in some
"caves" I made for him, and was relatively inactive during
the day. Ever since I got the Coral Beauty, the lionfish no
longer goes to the bottom half of the tank and is constantly facing the
glass and swimming against the current. He is eating well (I
feed him a combination of frozen shrimp, scallops, and flounder every
other day), and his black stripes are now slightly brown. I
noticed one of his eyes looks slightly "cloudy". <Good
observation> It's so subtle that I'm questioning whether or
not I'm just being paranoid. Paranoid or not, he is
definitely more active than I've ever seen him. Today, I
restructured the "seascape" and made more caves hoping that
he'll get back to normal. Should I be concerned about this
energetic behavior from my Lionfish, or am I being
paranoid. He has never been this active before. Thanks again
for all your help! Wayne <Only time can tell whether the Dwarf Angel
is directly pestering your Lion... If so they will have to be
separated. Bob Fenner>
|
|
|
Features: |
|
| Featured Sponsors: |
