Lionfish help!

[stephenxbog]

Does this lionfish look healthy to you?
View attachment 20260331_095234_8E9AF68B-76F5-49C9-91DC-B44EE2201C63.mov

 

[vetteguy53081]

Does this lionfish look healthy to you?

No and check nitrates and change water and add air stone
Gasping very hard

 

[stephenxbog]

Does this lionfish look healthy to you?

No and check nitrates and change water and add air stone
Gasping very hard

It’s brand new water for a quarantine tank. I have a power filter hooked up. I dosed with general cure. He was doing that at the fish store and figured I could fix him up.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@littlefoxx

 

[vetteguy53081]

It’s brand new water for a quarantine tank. I have a power filter hooked up. I dosed with general cure. He was doing that at the fish store and figured I could fix him up.

He is in distress with the heavy breathing and is not normal and if it was like that at the store, likely a gill issue such as flukes

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Does this lionfish look healthy to you?

No - it is in very poor shape - breathing way to fast and very deeply, with fins sort of folded.

This could be a water quality issue (add an air stone as suggested, and test for ammonia) but it could also be a gill disease - flukes or protozoans.

 

[stephenxbog]

Does this lionfish look healthy to you?

No - it is in very poor shape - breathing way to fast and very deeply, with fins sort of folded.

This could be a water quality issue (add an air stone as suggested, and test for ammonia) but it could also be a gill disease - flukes or protozoans.

Is api general cure good to use or coppersafe?

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Is api general cure good to use or coppersafe?

That's the trouble - I can't tell you if it is protozoans or flukes. Flukes require General Cure (or similar) and protozoans require coppersafe. Using both together is an option, but very stressful....

 

[stephenxbog]

Is api general cure good to use or coppersafe?

That's the trouble - I can't tell you if it is protozoans or flukes. Flukes require General Cure (or similar) and protozoans require coppersafe. Using both together is an option, but very stressful....

I believe it may be a combination of flukes and something else unidentifiable because at the fish store there was another lionfish in with him and he was acting strange. It was slamming the surface of the water falling upside down and instantly turned so white it was almost clear like a ghost shrimp then a few moments later turned back to red and just kinda floated around.

 

[MadreeferNJ]

It definitely should not be breathing that hard. Good luck with treatment.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I believe it may be a combination of flukes and something else unidentifiable because at the fish store there was another lionfish in with him and he was acting strange. It was slamming the surface of the water falling upside down and instantly turned so white it was almost clear like a ghost shrimp then a few moments later turned back to red and just kinda floated around.

The fish were obviously in distress and I would reconsider any future purchases from that store

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I believe it may be a combination of flukes and something else unidentifiable because at the fish store there was another lionfish in with him and he was acting strange. It was slamming the surface of the water falling upside down and instantly turned so white it was almost clear like a ghost shrimp then a few moments later turned back to red and just kinda floated around.

One rule of thumb when buying fish from an LFS: if ANY fish in the same water as the fish you are looking at are exhibiting symptoms of a problem, don't buy anything from that tank.

 

[stephenxbog]

I believe it may be a combination of flukes and something else unidentifiable because at the fish store there was another lionfish in with him and he was acting strange. It was slamming the surface of the water falling upside down and instantly turned so white it was almost clear like a ghost shrimp then a few moments later turned back to red and just kinda floated around.

One rule of thumb when buying fish from an LFS: if ANY fish in the same water as the fish you are looking at are exhibiting symptoms of a problem, don't buy anything from that tank.

I figured he was salvable. The real kicker is they have a 5 day guarantee and wouldn’t replace it. The fish bowl in Searcy Arkansas