Lionfish Problem (another one..)

C

CrazyLionfish

New member
Well the new diet of the lionfish, (krill, silversides, formula 1 cubes) has been doing great, also feeding every 2-3 days as well because he is so big (~13 inches). Sometimes he has went on hunger strikes (for about a week and has happend 3 times now in the last 3 years), so this last week he hasn't eaten anything and until yesterday looked fine. I tried feeding him all of those foods by dropping them in, by a feeding stick, and by moving them around to make them look "alive". The tank previosuly had ich and the tank suffered many losses (about 2 years ago) and our problem was fixed with a UV steralizer, all the fish in the tank have been in there at least 2 years now and very rarely do I see any sign of disease (maybe once or twice) and I then turn the UV steralizer on for a couple days. So, as of yesterday the lionfishs "transparent fins" (near the back), not his whole body, has ick on it!! I thought the ick had been eliminated from the tank years ago, but has it always been there, and the stress from not eating allowed the ick to adhere to him? I have the UV on and am hoping he pulls through, I know the best thing to do would quaratine, but I don't have a tank big enough for a 13 inch lionfish.

Any ideas on this problem?
 
I am very aware of that and am also aware that the tank size may have caused stress on the lionfish causing this to happen. But at this very moment, theres nothing I can do about that, I send the shedd aquarium an e-mail seeing if they would take him and am looking for people nearby to.
 
Update: once the lights turned on the ick on his "outer fins" is doing better, less and not as intense. However, the sump was a little low on water so lots of bubbles were coming into the tank and they seemed to adhere to his body, does this have somethign to do with him losing his slime coat? Or what? After I added more water, he kind of "jingled" around and a majority of the bubbles came off.
 
You are noticing less ick in the light because the ick settles on him at night. He will look the worst in the morning, then a bit better later in the day (unless of course he has become gravely ill).

Here is my recommendation - others may disagree (ick is tough to stop, and advice varies).

If you have no live rock, live sand, corals, other inverts, or eels in the tank, you could use copper medications. But my first piece of advice, before you use copper, is to lower your salinity to 1.014 (only if you do NOT have corals, other inverts). Lower salinity is far more stressful on the parasites than on most fish. In some cases, I have lowered the salinity to 1.010 for a few weeks to break this infestation. I caution you though that some fish have a tough time with 1.010. See how well he takes to 1.014 before you drop it lower.

Watch his breathing. Lionfish are among the least "emotional" of fish, and it is hard to tell sometimes how they feel. If he starts breathing a lot harder than usual, the infestation is getting worse.

Whatever method you use, mine or someone else's, you need to understand that it may take 2-3 months to control this. The critters lay eggs, and when you think the adults are all dead, new offspring emerge later on. You've got to continue treatment even after you think all is well, in order to kill any hatchlings that will inevitably emerge.

And I am not picking on you -- but to any newbies reading this, this is why you need to always put fish in a hospital tank for a few weeks before adding to a main tank. It's a lot easier to contain ick that way.

Good luck to you and your lion!

EDIT: the bubbles aren't causing anything bad to happen with his slime coat. And you should look in the Fish Disease forum for more ick treatments/advice.
 
This fish is stressing, your tank is just to small, please treat the Ich & find the lion a new home (Fast)........

If I was closer to you I would take it, check with a Local Reef Club or any LFS to see if they can take the lion from you.

Kaye
 
His breathing is still going at regular pace. I still to this day do not know which one of my additions brought ick into the tank, but I haven't had any outbreaks in the last 2 years until now.

I'm well aware VolitanLioness, but not many people nearby have tanks big enough for a 13 inch lion, or a tank that the lion wouldn't eat everything in it. Once he will recovers I will continue my search intensely to find a nearby responsible owner with a large tank (preferably 180) for my lionfish.

It is getting better each day (think the UV is helping), I do have LR in the tank and an anemone so copper wouldnt' be that good of an option. Hyposalinity may work, but that would likely kill the anemone and alot of stuff on the LR.
 
Another Update: Just looked at him now when the lights are still out, and his eye is a LITTLE cloudy, but it appears that most of the ick on his "outer fins" is almost gone or gone.
 
Soak the foods in heavy vitamins & garlic for your lion, that helped one of my fuzzys. I started to feed it small amounts of food a few times per day that were soaked in the vitamins & garlic, it helped with it's cloudy eye, it only took a few days to clear the eye up.

Kaye
 
Thank you very much for suggestions! Looked at him with the lights on now, has a little ick at random spots on his body, his body coloration is more normal then yesterday and breathing is still regular.
 
Sorry, have yet another update. My lionfish today and yesterday has just liked to "chill" upside down. He is acting normal and looks normal and he looks overall much better today, and much more responsive, but he likes to hang out upside down. I've heard of others people's lionfishes doing this, but mine had only slept vertically for the first few months I had it. Wonder why he started now.
 
Hmmm strange to start now but mine all do that....lol It's crazy to see but they just chill, I have one that spends most of it's time upside down & can eat upside down...lol That's the one that like's to spit water at me.....

I am glad to hear your lion is doing better.......

Kaye
 
Ok, he's still sick. I'm worried, he hasn't eaten in 2 weeks now. However, he still has remained with perfect coloration, still swimming regularly, isn't as sensative to light, still breathing regularly and still likes to chill upside down. He has few dots scattered randomly on his body and his eyes are 99% better.

He seems to keep getting so much better and besides him not eating, despite having a little ick, he is acting as he did before he got it. I just need to get him to eat!!!!!
 
Try live ghost shrimp gut loaded with flake food soaked in vitamins or cyclopezee, hope this will spark the lions intrest & hunt.

Make sure you feed the ghost shimp something nutritional before feeding them to your lion.

Kaye
 
OK Guys I made a hard and important decision on my lionfish.

I found a LFS that was willing to take him to try to cure him. They have a 225 gallon tank that was going to be an SPS tank, but since the owners eel that he has had for 7 years and 2 lobsters are in there they decided to put the lionfish in there. I brought him there on friday (man was he strong when we caught him) and went back today and he was doing pretty good. I think catching him with the net ripped off some of the tips of his outer fins and you could see on his venomous spines they were clear needles and you could see a line where the venom started, was very cool. And he had already eaten a damsel that was in that tank.

The owner has now decided to keep that tank an "aggresive" tank and keep my lionfish as long as he lives! The tank also lets a huge amount of current/bubbles in every few minutes which the owner said the lionfish was swimming in which helped get the ich off him.

:)
 
I am glad your lion went to a good home, they can be tough to find a home sometimes....... Happy to hear it ate!!

Funny you post this I was just thinking about your lion yesterday, wondering how it was doing..... Please keep us updated & let us know how it is doing...

Kaye
 
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