volitan lionfish has stopped eating

[dustysum8]

Hey everyone,
I have had my volitan lionfish for a year now and he has done great in my tank. He is a beast measuring almost a foot from head to tail and has always had a great appetite. He shares a 75 gallon tank with a lemon stingray and i am confused why he has stopped eating because the stingray has been eating just fine. I just did a 15 gallon water change on thursday and i did another one today to make sure the tank has perfect water quality (salinity is at 1.022). I usually mix up his diet with frozen krill or silversides (soaked in vita-chem 5 days a week) so i tried a couple of goldfish to entice him to eat but that did not work. I was wondering if anyone knows how long a lionfish of his size can go without eating? Anyone know what can be wrong and what can I do to keep him from starving to death?
Thanks
Dustin

 

[nicetry]

A couple of things come to mind. The diet of this fish is sorely lacking. Krill is not a good staple food. The silversides are okay but to keep this species in optimal health, you really should be offering it more variety; chopped scallop, shrimp, pieces of boneless fish, etc.. Also, feeding 5 days a week is too much IMO. These fish can suffice nicely on 3 feedings a week. The most common problem with them in terms of health issues is caused from overfeeding. They can develop a blockage, which often results in an internal bacterial infection. Another common problem is the formation of a goiter in the throat, which blocks food ingestion. The fish may try to eat and might go after food, but is physically incapable of swallowing. These growths can sometimes be seen when the fish opens it's mouth wide so watch closely to see if you can find any obstructive growth in the mouth/throat. These are also caused by insufficient diet. Going a few days w/o food is not necessarliy a problem, but a healthy lion will not pass up too many meals. Does the fish look okay? Is the belly distended (bloated)? Is it active or lethargic? Please post actual numbers for your water parameters. Saying they're good says nothing. Elevated nitrates can sometime cause a lack of appetite in some fish. What's the pH at?
At this point, try some ghost shrimp to see if he'll eat that. Go with small pieces of varied foods, and feed only every 2-3 days. Have you been giving the lion goldfish even occasionaly? This might be a problem as well.
FWIW, this fish could do better in a larger system. If it's indeed a foot long, a 75 is not adequate IMO.