Lionfish in distress

[Jasonrusso]

I have a 1 year old Fuzzy Dwarf Lion. Over the last couple weeks, he has been acting weird. He didn't eat for a couple days, then ate a little, then didn't eat, etc. He hasn't eaten for about a week now. He has just been breathing heavy. Obviously, I've been worried about him. Other than the eating, he has been acting kind of normal. He moves around and just plants himself on different rocks (like lions do). His eyes are clear and his color looks good. I've been putting vita-chem in the water to help him because he isn't eating (I know that this may or may not be a waste). Today I found what is going on. It looks like he has a growth on his anus. Is he just constipated and needs to pass this? Is this something else? Is there anything I can do or is this just a waiting game?

 

[huma-huma]

Id venture to say hes plugged up. Whats his diet conisist of

 

[Jasonrusso]

Krill, Jumbo Mysis, Live ghost shrimp. Do you think he will pass it?

 

[huma-huma]

Id prob stop feeding for 4-5 days and see what happens. Keeping a fish well fed in a constipation issue isnt usually a good move. ( if theres a blockage why are we adding to it?) another reoccurring practice ive seen with successful treatments is to not resume full feeding once the swelling resides. You should start off little and slowly work the fish back up to full feedings. Again, this is what ive seen so far and relates strictly to constipation.

 

[huma-huma]

Id also take a look at sallys silversides, they are nutrient enriched specifically for lions

 

[Jasonrusso]

Well, I'm sad to say that it is too late for this little guy. He died last night.

That being said, I AM getting another one. I really liked watching him hunt down and stalk ghost shrimp.

I still would like to know what happened so I can avoid it in the future. I never fed him silverslides. He only ate frozen krill, mysis and jumbo mysis, and live marine ghost shrimp. There are a couple things I think may have been the culprit.

He might have had a blockage.

He ate "bad" shrimp. I bought them at a place I never buy fish, but I thought that ghost shrimp are usually not prone to disease. That being said, I am NEVER buying from that store again. They were the only ones who had the shrimp in stock at the time.

The guy at the LFS said he may have ingested an air bubble from the surface.

Either way, I don't think there is anything I could have done after he got sick. It is a helpless feeling when you see them suffering and there isn't anything you can do.

 

[woody390]

i'm sorry to hear that. hopefully have better luck next time. I have been doing some research on lions as I am planning on getting one for my new tank and they all say a varied diet is very important and that shrimp probably will not be a sufficent diet for an adult (not a dig in any way). for the next one I would go down the fish counter at your local supermarket and buy some fresh squid fish etc and feed that but mix it up a little bit. this isn't tried experience just from what I have read up on ready for mine

 

[Jasonrusso]

You are correct in saying that ghost shrimp are not that nutritious. However, I always "gut loaded" the shrimp before. Basically, I fed the ghost shrimp pellets or mysis right before so the lion got all the nutrition from the other food. He also frozen jumbo mysis and krill.

 

[huma-huma]

You are correct in saying that ghost shrimp are not that nutritious. However, I always "gut loaded" the shrimp before. Basically, I fed the ghost shrimp pellets or mysis right before so the lion got all the nutrition from the other food. He also frozen jumbo mysis and krill.

The only thing that concerns me is that PE mysis os the only overly nutritious item you were feeding him. Gut loading ghost shrimp is nice but unless you are fedding them for 2 weeks before, they really arent that much more nutritious than regular ghost shrimp. not saying by any means that this was your fault, just trying to help