Lion Fish not eating (read other post regarding this issue) PLS HELP

[femmeartist51]

My Lion
fish is not eating. Unlike other post he has no wounds. My friend was feeding him dried krill. As I said no wounds, but the belly area is dark in color. Not his usual color. On both sides it is dark.

Regarding the fresh water dip. Read should b same temp and PH. Hows long to leave the lion fish in this fresh water?? His gills are kinda puffed out. Doing a water change now as the salt went up a little high. Was hoping this would help. If it is lock jaw, how can one unlock it. Will the fresh water dip help unlike it??

Thanks oh his fish mates are 2 clown fish and one yellow tang. The usually leave each other alone, the lion fish does go after the tang. So please advise, why would his gills b puffed out?? No redness anywhere. Hangs down at the bottom. One day my friend notice the lion fish upside down at the top. That was a week ago. Thought he was dead. He wasn't.

Need help soon, he will starve to death.

 

[femmeartist51]

Another note, he does open his mouth very little. I had put new water into the tank, with not salt over him/her hoping to make it angry and aggressive. That is when I noticed he was opening his mouth very little. Not like he usually does. Gonna put a pce of silver side in front of his face see if ticking him off will make him open his mouth. I want to save him he was a sm med lion and now he is huge

 

[dmanatee]

have, when you fed your lion silver sliders are you 100% sure they have been thawed all the way. I know from witnessed experiance that frozen food ingested can cause blockage. Also have you tried feeding any live food?

 

[beth]

Do not perform a fresh water tip of treat with medications at this. There is no reason at all for a freshwater dip.

How long has the fish had this problem?

 

[femmeartist51]

Hi, been about 4 days he hasn't eat. I know that isn't that long. He was always an aggressive eater. You come to the tank and is all over u to feed him. I usually thaw his food under warm water, don't feed him it frozen and break it into little peaces. A friend was feeding him dried krill cause we where out of silver sides. I had heard it can cause lock jaw. Not sure what type of live food to feed him. I know goldfish are not good. What kind of live fish should I feed him. He never had this darkness on both sides of his body just behind his fins. I raised since he was a small V Lionfish. He is now large. He might be in a hunger strike, heard they will do that. Also heard of lock jaw, which I am not sure what to do about that. Only reason why I mentioned fresh water dip,read somewhere, think on this site, that it can cause them or stimulate them to poop. Wish there was a fish laxative lol. I do want to save this fish. The old grump. So any help would be greatly appreciated thanks

 

[beth]

Just offer him some fresh chunks of quality seafood, perhaps attempting to feed him directly using a bird syringe. Can you post a picture of him?

Post your water parameters.

 

[femmeartist51]

Will try to get picture. What is a bird syringe and how can one attempt to feed him that way. I can get him somewhat fresh seafood. From supermarket. OK will post parameters. Water is fine, I will have store do the water testing. Just to make sure it is with fresh testing kit. Thanks will post again. Oh still not eating laying around. Not bothering other fish like he likes to do, He is about 10" long, the darkness has lightened somewhat. It is still there but lighter.

 

[silverado61]

Quote:
Originally Posted by femmeartist51 http:///t/397202/lion-fish-not-eating-read-other-post-regarding-this-issue-pls-help#post_3539607
Will try to get picture. What is a bird syringe and how can one attempt to feed him that way. I can get him somewhat fresh seafood. From supermarket. OK will post parameters. Water is fine, I will have store do the water testing. Just to make sure it is with fresh testing kit. Thanks will post again. Oh still not eating laying around. Not bothering other fish like he likes to do, He is about 10" long, the darkness has lightened somewhat. It is still there but lighter.
Make sure it's "Seafood". Nothing "Freshwater" from the market. It'll cause the same problems as feeding goldfish. Too much fat. Thaw your food naturally. Even warm water, I would think, partially cooks the food and the ice crystals would break down too quickly and lower the nutritional value. Just my thoughts on this.

Personally, I wouldn't trust a LFS to test my water. To keep their cost down they use cheaper testing kits which won't give the proper results and if they're busy, they might not read it correctly anyway. Or you might get a rookie and they don't do the test correctly or rush it and fudge the results. I always test my own water. Better safe than sorry.

Always learning.

 

[femmeartist51]

The store said maybe it is a female and the darkness means she has eggs. Only problem is she doesn't have a mate to help her drop the eggs. I know koi go around the female banging her and laso banging her against the side of the pond so she could release them. Will she drop the eggs if she is a female with eggs. Or will she just become egg bound and die anyway

Oh found out that my nitrites are extremely high, like 1 per mill. So I did a 3rd of a tank water change. Gonna retest and get a new filter. My filter had died the pump did. Also my PH was ok

 

[silverado61]

Quote:
Originally Posted by femmeartist51 http:///t/397202/lion-fish-not-eating-read-other-post-regarding-this-issue-pls-help#post_3539617
The store said maybe it is a female and the darkness means she has eggs. Only problem is she doesn't have a mate to help her drop the eggs. I know koi go around the female banging her and laso banging her against the side of the pond so she could release them. Will she drop the eggs if she is a female with eggs. Or will she just become egg bound and die anyway

Oh found out that my nitrites are extremely high, like 1 per mill. So I did a 3rd of a tank water change. Gonna retest and get a new filter. My filter had died the pump did. Also my PH was ok
I've read that in most species of lionfish, the male pectoral fins have 6 to 10 stripes. The females rarely have more than 6 stripes.
Please correct me if I'm wrong Beth.

 

[femmeartist51]

I agree with the pet store not doing a great job with testing. I had lost or some stole my nitrite bottle and the booklet, so I plan on better a better test kit. Ordered one today. It is strange about a week ago I brought in my water and all was ok. Just a little high on Nitrates. I have had this tank up for 2 or more yrs, so cycling should of been completed. The guy at the store said, something must of killed my bacteria, guess he meant the good that I need. My filter, which hangs on the back of the tank had broken. So maybe that is what killed it all. So I have live rock, sand, and wondering or hoping I don't have do a recycle thing again. It should be ok right???

Ok thaw the silver sides, without using hot or warm water. We don't have a fresh fish store here, only a supermarket and all there fish is frozen. I guess shrimp which he loved is still salt water, just not fresh. Hope that will be ok, he or she loves shrimp, that might get her to eat something.

Oh her pectoral fins have 9. So not a female. That was just one thought

Do you think that the dried krill might of caused this?? Another thing, when I was siphoning out the water I took the hose and tried to annoy the lion fish. Well he does open his mouth. He got angry with me. That I assume is a good sign able to open his mouth. I am trying so hard to save this fish. Just not himself. I did the 1/3 water change, New filtering system. Not sure what else to do. Put in prime and something called stability. supposedly good for stopping new tank syndrome. Kinda of like stress zyme.

 

[femmeartist51]

Thought I would let you all know he is moving more. Also put in a new power head, well not new almost new, I cleaned it very well. He is swimming around now, but maybe should wait to feed him. Maybe wait until tomorrow. Ok he just ran his nose or mouth into a rock. Definitely a weird fish Will keep you all posted on how the lion is doing. Hopefully still king of the jungle, well king of the tank. lol

 

[beth]

The back filter breaking sound like your biggest problem? Is it running again? Did you clean it out when it got started again?

 

[femmeartist51]

I purchased a new one. So hopefully it will help, the lion to swimming around a lot more now. He does bump into things. I hope he didn't go blind. He is playing with the power head. Like to get into the wave of it, and let his pict fins move. So will try to feed him tomorrow. Oh the darkness has changed to lighter in color. Just hope he didn't go blind. Then how would I feed him. Guess with a long stick, well not a stick but might have to feed him. Thanks for your help will keep you all posted.

 

[beth]

You should be able to get a bird feeder syringe at the pet shop. Basically you can chop up your fish food and suck it into the syringe which enables you to target feed your fish.

 

[femmeartist51]

Great idea. I do think he is blind. In another post I read how Beth I think her name was. Beth said to take a net and silently place in thank. Well I did that and my lion just ran into the net. It didn't freak him out, he just with his head in the net sat there. I guess with the bird syringe, and if I place the tub near his mouth he might smell the food?? I hope so I am willing to feed him by hand, if necessary. Wonder if that very high nitrite caused him to have prob with eyes. Oh don't see any popped eyes, no injury.

Well after his swimming all over the tank, he is now again hanging at the bottom. Probably because he can'[t see and bumps into stuff. I was hoping his eyes would be better today. Think he is better in regards to his not hanging at bottom as much. Thanks will try to hand feed him silver side this morning hopefully he will smell it if he can't see it. Thanks again

 

[silverado61]

Can you post a photo of the patient?

 

[beth]

I doubt he is blind unless he has had a serious eye infection.

 

[femmeartist51]

Hi, put a pce of silver side on a thin stick put it in his face. He opened he mouth wide, but didn't eat it. He no longer comes to u begging for food. I doln't think he is blind, but might have difficulty seeing. He certainly doesn't want to eat. I guess when he wants to he will let me know.

Ok so how do you feed a lion fish with the bird feeder syringe, as you can't hold him. So any advice regarding that will help. I just hope he gets hungry enough to eat. Gonna try to post some photos of the patient.

 

[beth]

If he doesn't want to eat off of the stick, then I'd say he is likely ill and is not going to eat. Lets see the pictures, but my next suggestion would be to move him to a cycled quarantine tank for treatment with antibiotics. Do you have a cycled hospital tank?