Help with volitan lionfish

[Ev8siveaz]

I am having an issue with my lion. I've had him for about a year. He's about 10-11 inches.



I feed him usually about 3 times a week. He eats selcon and vitachem soaked grocery store shrimp, silversides, and sockeye salmon.



This past week he has been acting weird. He's on a hunger strike. He hasn't had any interest in food and just perches on the back of the tank all day and night. I attached a picture. I did catch him laying in the sand early this morning but right back up there again as the day went on. Normally he is much more active and will lay in the sand, swim around and perch throughout the day. He also has some tattering on his tail. I have had him go a week without eating before but this different behavior and tattered tail has me concerned. Anybody have thoughts on what could be going on and should I do anything to help out or let it run its course?


I also tested my water
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 43
Ph: 7.8



Thanks in advance!

 

[Ev8siveaz]

@lion king you have helped me before with my eel and made the suggestion to feed them both salmon. Any thoughts?

 

[vetteguy53081]

I am having an issue with my lion. I've had him for about a year. He's about 10-11 inches.



I feed him usually about 3 times a week. He eats selcon and vitachem soaked grocery store shrimp, silversides, and sockeye salmon.



This past week he has been acting weird. He's on a hunger strike. He hasn't had any interest in food and just perches on the back of the tank all day and night. I attached a picture. I did catch him laying in the sand early this morning but right back up there again as the day went on. Normally he is much more active and will lay in the sand, swim around and perch throughout the day. He also has some tattering on his tail. I have had him go a week without eating before but this different behavior and tattered tail has me concerned. Anybody have thoughts on what could be going on and should I do anything to help out or let it run its course?


I also tested my water
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
Nitrates: 43
Ph: 7.8



Thanks in advance!

Assure the following have not become elevated:
Nitrate
Ammonia
Temperature
Salinity

Is it breathing normal or labored?
Is stomach bloated?
Anything unusual with skin such as Dots, loss of color ?

As a safeguard, Adding general cure to water sits well with them and will address a few issues.

 

[Ev8siveaz]

Assure the following have not become elevated:
Nitrate
Ammonia
Temperature
Salinity

Is it breathing normal or labored?
Is stomach bloated?
Anything unusual with skin such as Dots, loss of color ?

As a safeguard, Adding general cure to water sits well with them and will address a few issues.

Breathing is pretty slow, like usual. Nothing unusual there to me.

Salinity is at 1.024 which is what I usually keep it around.

Temp is starting to rise a bit. It's getting hotter here in the desert. I normally keep the tank at 77 and it is 78.1 right now. Doesn't seem too drastic.

Stomach does not look bloated to me and no signs of spots on his skin. He does seem a little darker than usual. The only noticeable thing is his tail fin is slightly tattered on the edges.

 

[j.falk]

Is another fish picking on it? Tails don't get tattered for no reason.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Breathing is pretty slow, like usual. Nothing unusual there to me.

Salinity is at 1.024 which is what I usually keep it around.

Temp is starting to rise a bit. It's getting hotter here in the desert. I normally keep the tank at 77 and it is 78.1 right now. Doesn't seem too drastic.

Stomach does not look bloated to me and no signs of spots on his skin. He does seem a little darker than usual. The only noticeable thing is his tail fin is slightly tattered on the edges.

If you can add general cure, will be of help and with tail.
Temperature acceptable.

 

[Ev8siveaz]

Is another fish picking on it? Tails don't get tattered for no reason.

It's possible. I didn't really think of this since he is way bigger than the other fish in the tank. His tankmates are mainly semi aggressive wrasses so It's possible one could be picking on him.

 

[j.falk]

Turn the lights off and watch the tank for a bit from a distance...see if anything starts attacking the lion.

 

[lion king]

Sometimes a hunger strike can be nothing to worry about, maybe a water quality change or issue, and possibly a shed. A lion of that size can be difficult, they are not as easily adapted to a captive diet, the year mark can start to indicate nutritional deficiencies. If no one has been nipping on his tail, tattered fins can be water quality or malnutrition. Which brand of silversides have you been feeding, most of the lfs silversides will contain thiaminese, shrimp also has thiaminese. You can try the food without the supplements or maybe even something live to entice him into a feeding response. Other issues that can arise at about the year mark could also be previous exposure to chemicals; copper, antibiotics, tank cleaners, and pest eradicators.

 

[Ev8siveaz]

Sometimes a hunger strike can be nothing to worry about, maybe a water quality change or issue, and possibly a shed. A lion of that size can be difficult, they are not as easily adapted to a captive diet, the year mark can start to indicate nutritional deficiencies. If no one has been nipping on his tail, tattered fins can be water quality or malnutrition. Which brand of silversides have you been feeding, most of the lfs silversides will contain thiaminese, shrimp also has thiaminese. You can try the food without the supplements or maybe even something live to entice him into a feeding response. Other issues that can arise at about the year mark could also be previous exposure to chemicals; copper, antibiotics, tank cleaners, and pest eradicators.

I know for a fact that he was in the copper tank at my lfs for months before I bought him. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? He has white spots on his fins and all over his body as of this morning. Also will leave his perch and twitch like crazy from time to time. Still hasn't eaten.

 

[j.falk]

White spots = ich

What is your tank temperature?

 

[Ev8siveaz]

White spots = ich

What is your tank temperature?

Right now the tank is around 78.

I did get him to eat a bit yesterday.

 

[lion king]

I know for a fact that he was in the copper tank at my lfs for months before I bought him. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? He has white spots on his fins and all over his body as of this morning. Also will leave his perch and twitch like crazy from time to time. Still hasn't eaten.

Ime lions from copper tanks don't survive very long, rarely more than a year, most times much sooner. At this point your new observation may be a factor, but healthy lions are usually very resistant to diseases like ich, and would not have stopped eating before visual symptoms. The effects of copper can damage internal organs which can present as organ failure, the effects also compromise the immune system and lions would then be more susceptible to diseases they would normally be resistant too.

Also lions that are collected at a mature size, many times don't fair well in the long run. Fish like lions can be very susceptible to nutritional defencencies, and larger mature lions will rarely get their nutritional met for very long. I more suspect the copper exposure as I have literally seen 100s of lions die within that year mark over the last 30 years.

There is no remedy for organ damage due to copper exposure. Treatment for ich would be hyposalinity, there's a sticky in the disease forum explaining hyposalinity. You could post a pic in the disease forum and the disease experts could give you a more detailed response on any treatment.