Dwarf Zebra Lionfish loosing color

[Cole855]

I got this lionfish 3 days ago and he is acting normal and eating but today i noticed he is much lighter than when i bought him. Is it normal for lionfish to loose their color?

 

[beth]

Please give us info on your water conditions, specifically telling what your ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, salinity levels are? What is the size of your tank and the size of lionfish? Have you noticed any harrassment of the lion by other fish?

 

[Cole855]

Thank you for the fast reply!
Ph-8.0-8.2 color is very similar to both
Ammonia-0
Nitrates- 0
Nitrites-0
Temp-80
It is a 65 gallon tank with no other fish he is the first one I have added after cycling for a month with bottled bacteria, live rock and live sand. It is around 3 inches. I have two small power heads on either end of the tank could too much flow stress him out, he mostly sits on my rocks?
I have fed him 4 small ghost shrimp since I got him but I plan going to ghost shrimp. I may just be paranoid after loosing fish in my nano tank.

 

[Cole855]

Thank you for the fast reply!
Ph-8.0-8.2 color is very similar to both
Ammonia-0
Nitrates- 0
Nitrites-0
Temp-80
It is a 65 gallon tank with no other fish he is the first one I have added after cycling for a month with bottled bacteria, live rock and live sand. It is around 3 inches. I have two small power heads on either end of the tank could too much flow stress him out, he mostly sits on my rocks?
I have fed him 4 small ghost shrimp since I got him but I plan going to ghost shrimp. I may just be paranoid after loosing fish in my nano tank.

Forgot to include salinity 1.21

 

[beth]

Can you post a picture of him? Are the powerheads the only source of water movement? What about filtration? Is he eating well? Also, suggest adding other foods for him.

 

[Cole855]

I will take a picture in the morning. I meant to say frozen foods in the original post not ghost shrimp again. Do you have any recommendations on better live foods until i get him on frozen? The tank has a built in filter in the back with two heads connected to the return pump pushing water along with the powerheads. I have fed him 4 small ghost shrimp and from what i have read that seems to be a good amount for just 3 days please correct me if i am wrong.

 

[beth]

Does he refuse frozen? I've used fresh seafood from the seafood counter at the store for meaty foods. Nutritious and no refusals. If he is refusing frozen, try using a syringe and dangle a bit of the food off the tip in front of his face.

 

[Cole855]

It looks better in pictures but i did see him shedding when i first put him in tank could this cause some color loss?

 

[Cole855]

This is him when i first got him 5 days ago

 

[beth]

He does look a bit faded. Is he still eating normal? Keep a close eye out looking at eyes, gills, breathing, red streaks, etc. Do you have a quarantine tank? How often are you feeding?

 

[Cole855]

He refuses frozen food for now but as soon as I drop a ghost shrimp in he instantly eats it. I have been feeding him 2-3 ghost shrimp every other day depending on there size. His eyes are normal and I originally thought he was breathing abnormally due to faster gill movement (compared to clowns in my other tank) but I dont think he is after watching some videos and researching. He doesnt appear to be gasping through his mouth like a sick clown I had that died awhile ago. And no sadly I do not have a quarantine tank.

 

[lmforbis]

I’d suggest setting up a QT tank. It will help you keep disease out of your tank.

 

[beth]

Suggest you try as I suggested and pick up some raw seafood from the grocery, thaw, chop, then try coaxing him to eat using a syringe. He needs to eat daily.

 

[INAX]

I have two small power heads on either end of the tank could too much flow stress him out, he mostly sits on my rocks?
I do not have a quarantine tank.

 

[beth]

No, INAX. That should be fine unless your fish are struggling with the current. If you are having problems with your fish, please start a separate topic and give us specifics about your tank and the fish with the problems.