dwarf lion problem

[adam13]

Hey guys, any advice or knowledge would be greatly appreciated. I have a dwarf lion. His back is significantly lighter than it was when I got him a week ago. almost "bleached out" is this bad or normal? Also , my live rock puts out some sort of white milky material , what is this? Adam

 

[grouperhead]

What is pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate at? What is he eating? Anything in the tank bothering him? Bo

 

[adam13]

PH 7.9
ammonia 0
nitrite 0
nitrate 0
there is this whie slimy appearing substance that my live rock puts out when the lion sets on it. Other than that nothing bothers it. He is in with a baby snowflake, and they do their own thing. If anything the snowflake hides from the lion. The lion chooses his perch then the eel goes on the other side. thank for any advice you might have, Adam

 

[snakes'n'fish]

Sounds almost like your lion is loosing his slime coat. or he is getting a case of velvet. But it is hard to say.

 

[adam13]

Thanks, how do I replentish slime coat? I applied some stress coat to the tank and his color is back, but what caused the color to leave? I don't want to be putting the lion through needless stress. Is there somethjing I need to change in the water to fix this? If he has velvet would stress coat hide the symptoms or do you think it was a loss of slime coat. I really do appreciate the help.
Adam

 

[snakes'n'fish]

If his color is coming back after adding the stress coat i don't this it is any serious problem. The only thing i would do is bump the pH up a little bit to 8.2-8.4 But i don't think that is the problem. I guess keep a good eye on him and feed him tomorrow , soak his food in a little garlic before hand. It could only help. Other than that i am stumped on what the prob could be. Maybe the eel is picking on him a little, but i would not think so.

 

[adam13]

Thanks a lot for the help. I'm gonna go to the lfs. The guy who works there today is in love with the hobby, and really knows his stuff. I am going to take your advice and buff the ph up, and feed him. What does soaking food in garlic do? Since he is new, a week or so, he is still only eating live. I'm not sure if shrimp will live through a garlic bath, but I am going to try. What kind of garlic shoudl i use? thank a lot again, He seems to be hiding by the heater more than normal, maybe time to put in more rock, Ill try that too, thanks again,
Adam

 

[jumpfrog]

Another thought is that your lion is shedding his cuticle. They do this from time to time. It can appear like milky celophane. If that's the case it's just normal and will stop soon. The process helps them remove parasites and such.
As for garlic. I like the extract you can get from health food stores. You don't want the garlic oil as it isn't as good for the water.
Good Luck!

 

[adam13]

Thanks, I was wondering if shedding the cuticle will make him appear lighter on his back and tailfin, and darker(normal) on his area below the lateral line. He ate fine, but is still miscolored. He seems to be breathing heavier than normal. I want to curb this before it gets worse. Any ideas besides garlic? Thanks again,
Adam

 

[adam13]

My snowflake and my lion are both breathing really really heavily, in addition to less intense colors than usual.
amm 0
nitri 0
nitra 0
salinity 1.0235
I lowered the water level so my return is causing bubbles in case the O2was low. I have no idea what else to do. I really do not want to loose my animals. Any ideas would be appreciated. They both ate.
Adam