lionfish

I just noticed my lion fish has, what looks like, a raw spot near the base of his tail. He's not swimming well and acts like his tail is semi paralyzed.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
 
S

saxman

Guest
Can you get a couple of photos?
How long have you had the fish?
What kind of tank is it in (FO, reef)?
What are its tankmates?
What/how often do you feed the fish?
Water parameters ("good/fine" isn't the correct answer)...SG, Temp, pH, NH3, NO3
 
I'll see what I can do about photos.
tankmates : yellow tang, sail fin tang, green chromis and a 6 line grouper. along with assorted small hermit crabs, several snails, 5 emerald crabs and 3 small anemones. a 50 gallon w/ a wet/dry sump.
I've had it about 6 months.
reef tank. I feed them once a day on spirluna brine and frozen krill.
water parameters: Temp - 75° F, PH - 8.2, SG - 1.023, ammonia - < .25ppm, nitrite - 0 ppm, nitrate - 40-80 ppm. I've been having some real issues with nitrate. Water changes only help for a day or two.
 
S

saxman

Guest
So, is your NH3 zero or is the test indicating that there is some NH3 in the water? It should be zero.
I'm assuming you realize that any grouper and the sailfin tang are going to outgrow the tank, and depending on the species of lionfish, it might also outgrow the tank. Also, assuming we're talking about Grammistes sexlineaus (AKA sixlined soapfish), when stressed, this fish can exude a poison that can kill most or all of your tank. If your tank is spiking ammonia, it could be stressing the fish, which is dangerous in itself. Also be aware that this fish doesn't look nearly a pretty as an adult. As with many groupers, sixlines have an ornery tendency, and it just might be beating up on your lionfish since it's in direct competition for food. Speaking of food, the emerald crabs will be on the menu someday, as will the chromis.
Finally, you'll want to back way
off on the krill and feed your fish more variety (table shrimp chunks, SW fish flesh, squid, scallops, clams, etc). Krill has a number of issues associated with it such as high fluoride and zero vitamin C content, both of which can affect the function and formation of the fish's mandibular structures (often resulting in lockjaw), as well as high thiaminase, which inhibits the fish's uptake of thiamine (vitamin B1). Lack of vitamin B1 results in central nervous system disorders such as anorexia (cessation of feeding), seizures, clamped fins, and an early death.
The first thing I'd do to help the fish is dose your tank with Vitamin C...since it's water soluble, you can simply dose the water (we use Brightwell's per label instructions for tank dosing). If your fish is eating, you can feed it Vitamin C orally via its food...for this, you can dose as much as the fish eats in a meal.
 
The nitrate is high. I cannot seem to keep it below 40 ppm.
I'm planning on getting a larger aquarium so the sizes shouldn't be an issue.
The lion has already eaten two chromis so I'm not really worried about that. The six line appears to be doing well and has grown about an inch. I've had it and the sail fin about 3 months now.
I'll look into the foods and vitamins you recommended. I have some frozen silversides that I need to use.
Thanks for your help.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
The vitamins and the varied diet will definitely help his immune system and help him heal. How is the tail looking? Is the spot getting any better? You have to figure out if it was from aggression or an infection in order to help him out.
 
The raw spot is healing but his tail fin.is still skewed to his left. He also acts like his tail is partially paralyzed.
Would an.anemone sting cause this? I got to thinking afterward that the area he liked to hang in had a small one close by.
 
S

saxman

Guest
It's very possible...lionfish sometimes pick a coral, etc. to perch on/near...it may be attempting to perch on your nem.
What kind of nem is it?
I kept a lion with a large Cerianthus (tube nem) for several years with no issues, FWIW, but that doesn't mean the nem didn't sting your lion.
 
I'm not sure what type it is. Its one that was on a hermit crab. I've moved it to another area of the tank.
The lion seems to be recovering but doesn't seem to want to eat. I've tried krill and silver sides. I'll keep trying though. I hate to lose him.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Live ghost shrimp would probably be more enticing. You can add vitachem, Zoecon, or whatever vitamins you currently add, to the water with the shrimp before you add them to the tank. The lion will get them if his food gets them.
 
S

saxman

Guest
The red streaks kinda concern me, as that typically indicates a bacterial infection. Does it seem to be improving? Are you treating it?
Don't worry...lionfish can go quite a long period without eating, and large lions can go even longer than dwarf species, as they tend to lose body mass more slowly. As suggested, you may need to try some live food to get it to eat if it's not feeling well.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Looks bacterial to me too. You can treat this yourself with a better diet and vitamins, boosting the immune system. If it isn't improving though, you may have to QT and treat him with some meds.
 
I've QTed him, in a 10 gallon. As of right now, the open sore area appears to have healed OK. The tail fin still looks like part of it is missing and isn't straight with the body. He does seem to be a little more active the last couple days though.
I'm working on trying vitamins. Haven't been able to make it to my local shop to pick anything up yet. I work nights and they don't open until 10am.
I really appreciate all the suggestions and I'm gonna try them all.
 

sepulatian

Moderator
Watch him closely. A 10 gallon is kind of small for him. You don't want to stress him out unIess you don't have much of a choice. If the area isn't red then you won't need to medicate. See how he looks in a day or two and make sure he is eating. The torn part of the tail will grow back.
 
Unfortunately, the 10 is the only spare tank I had available at the time.
I'm still concerned about how the tail fin isn't lined up with his body. If I put him back in the main tank, I'm afraid he won't be able to swim very well. I'll keep him in the 10 til I'm sure he can go on his own.
 
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