Dwarf Lionfish Help

[WitheredMantis]

Hi all, new member here.

I have a quick question about a fuzzy dwarf lionfish.

I’ve had my dwarf lionfish since January of 2019. He only eats live/frozen whole ghost shrimp and very, very rarely small guppies when i don't have access to shrimp.

For a few months now, I have noticed some changes from how he was when i first purchased him. He seems to be much less active, mostly sitting on the sand bed until i drop food in the tank. He will then swim up to the surface to retrieve his food, but seems much more clumsy when trying to suck it in. He has also grown much lighter in coloration. Is there any reason for this? I am afraid he may be ill. He is not nearly as active as he used to be, but still shows interest in food. He is easily outcompeted by my aiptasia filefish, so i have to make sure she is fed before i feed the lion. Most importantly, his tail fin is shaped weird. It was fine when i purchased him, but about 5 months in it seemed to fuse together. Im not sure if he has trouble swimming due to this and if that is why he is inactive, but im not sure if theres a way to fix that, either. It comes to a point at the end, it doesn’t not fan out like when i bought him.

Water parameters are all in shape.

The tank is a reef/predator tank with the following animals:
Snowflake Moray Eel
Aiptasia Filefish
Dwarf Lionfish
Caribbean Red Serpent Star
Hermit Crabs
Oysters
Gargonians
Kenyan Tree Corals
Macro Algae

The tank has been up and running since 2016, with the Eel and corals being the oldest inhabitant of 3 years old. Lion being second. Filefish was recently introduced about a week or two ago.

Everyone gets along fine.

Largest organism in the tank is the serpent star— each “leg” is about 6 inches long.

Thank you!

Charles

 

[beth]

Can you post your water parameters: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, salinity, and temp? Size tank? What do you use for water circulation? Also, if you can post a picture up of the fish and his tail area, that would help.

Right off I can say that his diet is not adequate. Any non-marine foods, such as FW foods would not provide an adequate diet for your fish. Try to ween him on to fresh uncooked frozen marine food. Pick up some shrimp from the seafood counter at the grocery store, or anything else he may go for. Smaller fish and leave it intact for him. You can try impaling the food on a feeding stick to offer to him. Try not feeding him for a few days if he refuses, then try again. It will be trail and error until you get him to accept dead food. Avoid the live food if possible until he's weened.

 

[WitheredMantis]

I have been trying for months with the frozen with no luck. He is very shy. Ive tried the frozen ghosts to try and get him to take krill. I use very long tongs to feed my tarantulas and other pets, and have tried attaching frozen shrimp/krill to those. No avail. He just ignores anything that doesn’t move/look like a full shrimp, and ducks for cover at the sight of my hand or anything foreign in the water. He is about 5” now. I use two powerheads on each side of the aquarium for circulation. I have a HOB reef octopus skimmer, and a canister filter and have since i set up the tank three years ago. Everything else is healthy and acts normally— its just the lion. Tank is a 55 gallon long tank. Its modeled after a lagoon. I will post parameters when i return home, as well as him with his tail. I don’t mind feeding him live food, but sourcing marine feeders is difficult.

Thanks!

 

[WitheredMantis]

And he does accept dead food. They just need to look like a whole shrimp/small fish. He will eat dead ghost and peppermint shrimp. But silversides and such are too large for him and seem to intimidate him. I don’t mind bulk ordering live saltwater shrimp and freezing them, but i have no where to source live saltwater feeder shrimp. Just the freshwater ghosts.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Could the lionfish get its nutritional requirements if i gut-loaded the ghost shrimp on marine foods before feeding them to the lion?

 

[beth]

Could the lionfish get its nutritional requirements if i gut-loaded the ghost shrimp on marine foods before feeding them to the lion?

That is better than nothing, but not good enough to fully benefit the lion. Have you tried a bit of starvation? Sway the food around to see if he'll bite? Stick it right at his mouth?

Please post the water parameters, tank size, etc?

 

[WitheredMantis]

That is better than nothing, but not good enough to fully benefit the lion. Have you tried a bit of starvation? Sway the food around to see if he'll bite? Stick it right at his mouth?

Please post the water parameters, tank size, etc?

Tank: 55 gallon

Perameters:

Temp: 75-80
Ammonia: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
salinity: 1.024

I have tried starvation yes, and he almost perished. I had to take a critter keeper (small container for insects that has holes in the top) and keep him in there while in the larger tank for well over a week as he was so malnourished that he couldnt catch food. He slowly began taking (live) ghosts again and i eventually released him back into the tank. This all happened after he became inactive, though. My eel, file, and serpent star all take fresh chopped shrimp from the grocery store, but the lion only eats live shrimp or frozen dead small whole shrimp or fish.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Here is his tail. That is all it opens to. He was hovering above the sand in this photo as i spooked him when approaching the tank. He can swim, and is quick when doing so. He just isnt as active as he was months ago. He seems perfectly healthy besides his energy loss.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Here he is back on February 1st, 2019. You can see his tail fin was spanned out. It always had that tear in it, though. Not sure if thats his venomous barb, or if his fin was just ripped when i purchased him.

 

[beth]

Tank conditions look good and there are only 2 other fish in the tank so that doesn't seem to be the issue. What are you using for water circulation? I would not starve for more than 3 days--ever.

I'd say your problem is diet. Have you just tried to dangle dead food in his face? Don't know what else to advise in trying to get him to eat. What was he eating when you got him?

 

[WitheredMantis]

I have one powerhead on each side of the tank for circulation. He was eating live ghosts at the store. I have tried dangling food in his face— he simply takes off in the other direction. Maybe i can feed him dead shrimp, then one day just drop a cube of chopped shrimp in the tank and see if he takes it? Once he swallowed an algae wafer i was trying to feed my hermits— he promptly spat it out, but he seems to take interest in anything small that breaks the waters surface.

 

[beth]

Try some smaller shrimp that hasn't been cut up. Once he will eat dead foods, then you will open up the opportunity to expand the diet.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Try some smaller shrimp that hasn't been cut up. Once he will eat dead foods, then you will open up the opportunity to expand the diet.

Smallest he’s taken is frozen ghosts. Im thinking i could gut load ghosts, freeze them, and then feed them dead to the lion for now. Then when he seems to be beginning to regain his energy i can try to ween him onto frozen completely. Does that sound good? Any idea on his tail issue?

 

[beth]

At this point try anything. But likily the problem is that he wants to eat live, not that he insists on eating ghosts. Hopefully you have the time and patience for the long haul coaxing that will be involved.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Im sure ill have the patience to work with him lol. I got a mandarin dragonet to take frozen mysis once, im sure a lion wont be much more difficult. Maybe even easier. I might try to source marine feeder glass shrimp and gut load those if all else fails. Thank you!

 

[beth]

Once he does start eating dead food, try soaking it in zoecon or selcon. It is a very good supplement for fish; particualarly fish who are needing nutritional supplementation due to undernourishment.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Once he does start eating dead food, try soaking it in zoecon or selcon. It is a very good supplement for fish; particualarly fish who are needing nutritional supplementation due to undernourishment.

Should i soak dead ghost shrimp in the zoecon/selcon for now do get his nourishment back up and then start the weaning?

 

[beth]

If he will eat the dead shrimp then yes do the soak. But don't wait to try to ween because a diet of just one item is the problem and supplementation is not going to solve the problem by itself.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Right. I am just worried he will not be in well enough condition for him to begin the weaning. Hopefully if i gut the shrimp and he eats those he will be more open with other foods.

 

[beth]

Don't starve him at this point. Lets see how it goes.

As for water circulation, be sure that you do have good water movement going throughout the tank, and not just at the top of the tank.