new lion fish acting funny.!?

[marco]

I just got a black volitanlion fish. He was fine for the first five hours I had him, but now he's doing loops and his breathing is eratic. Then he'll lay there upside down for a while and then do a nose dive into the sand. I know that they do act strange at times like the upside down thing but the nose dive thing is bumming me out. Should I be concerned?.........................Thanx

 

[fmarini]

Yup...doing loop-de-loops is a bad thing.
Lionfish should essentially hang out facing down toward the ground or hiding, they don't lay upside down or do loop-de-loops. i would be concerned and I will ask you a few things.
1)- whats your water parameters?
2)- how did you acclimate this fish?
3)-is there anything you added in the past hrs to the tank?
4)-what was this fish doing at the LFS when you bought him?
5) what does the fish look like, dark coloratrion clamped fins, any bumps, cysts, discolorations?

 

[dubba-r]

Possibly the "nose dive" your referring to is when lions dart very fast to remove mucus/skin of their bodies. This typical happens when there is a change in water parameters and can signal a discomfort for the lion. But, they also do this to refresh their skins about once a month. More info though about your tank would be more helpful like Fmarini said.

 

[marco]

To late sorry to say. When I woke up this morning he was no longer with us. Thank you for your help