immediate reply please !!

bobrob

bobrob

New Member
My lion fish ( 4 yrs old) has cloudy eyes & seems to be molting ? Lost a kale tang few days ago , & everyone else in tank is very active & seem healthy. I'm freakin out & would love a little input on why my lion is in this way . I'm no dummy & all my water levels are fine , calcium a little low but all coral is doing good . please help me someone , tell me he's just sick & will get over it !
 
1911_guy

1911_guy

Member
I would say the experts here will need ALOT more info to help you...
#1 Post this in the disease forum
List exact water parameters and anything that might have been done different within the past few days/weeks. Adding new fish, corals, substrate, LR, plumbing, additives, etc.
What are you feeding, how much, how often?
Post some pics too.
 
bobrob

bobrob

New Member
details are as follows , feed him live & frozen shrimp 3 days a week ( we know that lion fish have very slow metabolism & we have never changed the diet in 4 years. We have a 300 gal. & he has always been the happiest one in the community . that is why we are freakin out , he just seems really recluse & won't eat today . But , was a little worried about his color earlier this week , was really pale ( but active) , but now has his color back , but has cloudy eyes similar to that of a a porcupine puffer. I have tested my water 45 times tonite & all tests are fine ! All other fish are fine & eating well.
 
v-lioness

v-lioness

Member
A lion with cloudy eyes = bacterial infection.......
Shedding the cuticle would be normal if the lion has a bacterial infection, also look for Ich, lions will shed and develop cloudy eyes with Ich, but if there are NO signs of Ich than it is bacterial..... Hope that makes sense...lol
If your lion is still eating you can treat it in the display tank orally with k-mycin / Kanamycin, I use kanamycin and found it to work well.
Here is my method for treatment, I use 23mg per pound, the kanamycin I use is a powder, I use a feeding prong for spot feeding.
I use three small chunks of shrimp when doing this, the first chunk I inject with cyclopezee & vitamins for added nutrition, place it on my feeder stick. The second chunk, I cut a small slit add my kanamycin, pinch it closed, place it on my feeder stick. I use the third piece for stability and pinch all three pieces together, than feed.
I treat for 5-7 days orally, or if you are not comfortable with treating orally or if the lion is not eating, remove the lion, place in quarantine than treat the tank.
Kaye
 
v-lioness

v-lioness

Member
What kind of lion?
feed him live & frozen shrimp 3 days a week ( we know that lion fish have very slow metabolism & we have never changed the diet in 4 years.
Your lion needs more nutrition than brine shrimp, you lion needs a variety of meaty foods soaked in vitamins. It should be fed until there is a slight bulge in the stomach area.....
What else has you lion been eating?
Kaye
 
bobrob

bobrob

New Member
I really appreciate the good advice ! I actually thought i noticed signs of ich , but ended up being air bubbles from water being too low in sump ( i know , i'm an idiot , but we all have done it ) but... no signs of ich , but also seems like he is molting ( skin seems to be flaking off , but new underneath) I have never recognized or noticed a lion to do this . THIS IS WHY I AM SCARED !
 
bobrob

bobrob

New Member
The diet he gets is frozen shrimp 2 days a week & fedder fish ( rosies) once a week . Sorry if i didn't make that clear earlier , my bad ! everyone else snacks on brine , but he isn't phased by those little guys !
 
v-lioness

v-lioness

Member
Lions will shed and will not normally eat through the shed, they will shed when a parasite is present, a sign of poor health, stress, or even poor water quality. It is the cloudy eyes that have me concerned....
Kaye
 
v-lioness

v-lioness

Member
I would feed the raw shrimp chunks and stop feeding the rosies, they are just not healthy for your lion, in the long run they can cause many health issues.
Here is what I feed my lions: Raw Shrimp, Crab, Mahi Mahi, Shark Steaks, Cray Fish, Ocean Perch, Squid, Octo, Smelt, Flounder, Red Snapper, Frozen Silversides, Frozen Sand Eels & Scallops. I alternate my foods and all of my foods are soaked in vitamins.
Kaye
 
bobrob

bobrob

New Member
you are setting my girlfiend at ease a little bit but , as you just said , the cloudy eyes are what is bothering me too. I have tested every possible thing i can 10 times over & all is good . I have great water flow , but an unusual accumulation of red algae lately . But fish , urchins , stars , anenomes , corals etc . seem to be in great active health.
 
bobrob

bobrob

New Member
He is so frickin spoiled , silversides bore him . He will only eat what i can make look alive in the current. I never thought of using crab meat & i do have an abundance of mahi usually ( my buddy runs an offshore charter) , i do agree about mixing up diet , but at same time I also have felt that what i have been doing was working ( my last 2 vols were 9 & almost 7 yrs , way over expected - life span. & the 9 yr old only died by choking on a fricking goldfish ( vertical bone in spine).
 
v-lioness

v-lioness

Member
The lion needs to be treated as soon as possible, if you do not have a quarantine tank, you can use a separate container, just add tank water, a powerhead (make sure it has a guard or sponge to help protect your lions fins from getting damaged) and a heater. Since you only need to treat the lion for 5-7 days or feed the medication orally. The Kanamycin can be purchased from most LFS.
Kaye
 
bobrob

bobrob

New Member
he's actually looking better ( i think he knows i'm talking about him ) , I will set up a jail-tank in morning for him . Should I medicate using same diet , so he feels more comfortable , or introduce something all-together different so he won't recognize the meds? & btw , thx on the comment on my pride & joy , was really hard losing him , wing span over 16 inches , my almost 7 yr old was close to 14 inch wing span . life span is supposed to be 5 yrs in captivity & this 4 yr old is scaring me right now... hopefully all is good & i'm just over-reacting. better safe than sorry
 
v-lioness

v-lioness

Member
life span is supposed to be 5 yrs in captivity & this 4 yr old is scaring me right now... hopefully all is good & i'm just over-reacting. better safe than sorry
I think Frank Marini said it in a thread one day, I was surprised when I first heard 5 years average but some reach 7, not many reach 7 though, 9 is hard to come by. That was also one of my first thoughts when I seen your lion is 4 years old.
It can be tough dealing with a large volitan, I have one that is just big....lol That volitan is a good 15 inches with a large fins, two have stayed smaller (about 12 inches) they have been with me a few years, the fourth one in that tank has only been here about 6 months it had cloudy eyes, it was 7-8 inches and is now around 10 inches. That one is growing fast, reminds me of my large one.
I have one in my 90 by itself, it is a morph (about 12 inches), the fins were in bad shape and again cloudy eyes, it is aggressive and can not be placed with other lions, yet it can go with other fish species. If placed with lions, it bites them, nips the tips of their fins off, constantly harasses them and it killed a dwarf that was with me for years. This one is by far the most aggressive lion I have dealt with, it has been here 6 months now.
Should I medicate using same diet , so he feels more comfortable , or introduce something all-together different so he won't recognize the meds?
I would probably stick with the same diet for now, you do not want him spitting the food back out if it does not like the change. Let me know how it goes and good luck.
Kaye
 
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