Sick full sized Pteris Volitans Lionfish

[Pteris_Princess]

Hi All, my most prized fish, Killer the Lionfish, has become ill in the past few days.
His colour has darkened and is very lethargic lacking energy, he is off his food and having trouble swimming.
I have treated the tank with sulphur in a double dose 2 days ago and there has not been much change in his condition, Im afraid he is going to waste away and die.
His only other sympton is small threads of mucous coming off him in various places, it is not severe just minimal. His eyes are slightly misted/glazed and does have a bit of a haze over his body when the light strikes him right.

All water parameters are perfect, inlcluding salt, PH was at 8 but I have buffered it back to 8.4.
I did a watere change recently but no differently to any other time. I think something "might" have been introduced by a new food that the other small fish were being fed on, no other inhabitants are sick, and there is nothing in the tank that could sting or release a toxin. I am also pedantic about tank hygiene by not sticking my hands in etc as he is worth alot of money and I have hand reared him from a baby (yes he eats from my hand!!!)
Your help appreciated.
Kaz

 

[cerianthus]

How old and how big? From my experiences, they do sem to produce slime to protect against external parasite. W/ assumption that you been doing it for while, check more closely for symptom and behavior changes such as rapid breathng.
Google for method of Hyposality treatments for such infection thus prepare for the worse. Hoping it's not serious outbreak. W/o knowing more about your tank, hard to recommend. Sorry, could'nt be more help. Cerianthus

 

[Pteris_Princess]

Hello, Killer is 3years old and 8inches long. His eyes have cleared and the threads of mucous have gone but he still cant swim right and is still dark in colour. He has lived in the same tank since he was a juvenile, it is a 3x3x3 cube with 20kgs of live rock in a corner, I also have supplied him a darker corner. He lives with a tomato clown, bubble tip anenome, coral beuty and scooter blenny.
No rapid breathing, his poo is very thin, and was bright green pellet poo in a string of clear mucous. Body is dark and he is lethargic, gills are normal. No appetite.
Any help appreciated
Karen

 

[cerianthus]

3 yrs is not that old at 8" long. Unless some routine maintenance was changed or added new fish recently, try to entice w/ live fish. Usually Lion will tradily go after live food. Any possibility of being stung by anemone? Just continue monitoring since the visual symptoms seems disappearing, i can think of any. Poo is thin because it's not eating as well rather than internal parasite.IMO.
please keep me posted. i am curious as well.

 

[cerianthus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14021321#post14021321 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cerianthus
3 yrs is not that old at 8" long. Unless some routine maintenance was changed or added new fish recently, try to entice w/ live fish. Usually Lion willreadily go after live food. Any possibility of being stung by anemone? Just continue monitoring since the visual symptoms seems disappearing, i can think of any at this time. Poo is thin because it's not eating as well rather than internal parasite, IMO.
please keep me posted. i am curious as well.

 

[Pteris_Princess]

My husband believes he is about 11 or 12 inches and that i cant measure for... sorry thats another conversation!
I am stumped on what to do from now and so is my LFS, so just a wait and see game now.
Thanks for your help.

 

[cerianthus]

LMK if still shedding slime!

 

[Pteris_Princess]

Hi All
Killer ate for the first time 2 days ago after I tied a Cocktail Prawn to a piece of string and towed it around the tank trying to make it look like a fish. Today, I got his favourite piece of Fish chunk and swivelled it around in the feeding net like I used to before he got sick, he came up an gracefully accepted it. Deciding not to overdo it, I will wait 2 days agian before feeding him. He is still a little weak and can be seen in the way he moves around the tank.

This has got me thinking that his illness was caused by overfeeding, on a good day he can eat 700g of meat. So I will now address his feeding schedule and eventually put him back onto foods gradually. I think I will also research a better diet that is more varied and better for his health and well being.
So any Lionfish diet tips will help!
Cheers
KM

 

[guille]

I care for a 10 inch Volatins, great fish and one of my favorites. I have no problem feeding anything to him. The one thing I am doing now because I'm hearing about "loc-jaw" with puffers and lions and a possable link to vitamins. I now have him eating Formula One frozen cubes with the gel binder. I just thaw it and dangle it no problems. I know hes getting what he needs. I feed shelled clams, silversides, squid, I do smaller feedings everyother day.

Hope this helps

 

[Pteris_Princess]

Definately a beautiful fish! But smaller meals make alot of sense, to avoid lockjaw I mighte give him smaller chunks of food also.