Lionfish not eating

[KING KONG]

I hv bought ammonia to 0. It ate all mollies but took a long time. Usually, it takes 4-5 min to eat them. I can see it's cuticles everywhere so I think it is shedding. I think I may give it some time. I also think I hv to live feed it for some time so I may be keeping some live food(like mollies and ghost shrimp)in sump(if they stay alive like last time). I am also having blue demsels in other tank which r there from 2 months so they also be disease free. I am still worried about that white bumps. I hv seen old photos, they were not there before. They r too big for ich and looks like a wierd cotton ball like growth and I noticed they r not flat. I am keeping an eye to see if they r growing in no. Or not but till now, they r same in numbers.

 

[lion king]

It's good he ate, and some live food will boost nutrition and give added benefit to his immune system. A cotton ball like growth as you describe could be lymphocystis, which I describe kind of like herpes. If it is that, it is not deadly but can become unsightly. While there is no cure it can be managed with good water conditions and good nutrition. Stress, poor water conditions, and poor nutrition are contributors. Keeping that ammonia at zero and offering live food should bring him back. Shedding is a response to changes in water conditions or an attack from diseaes, in this case I'll again point back to the ammonia.

 

[KING KONG]

It's good he ate, and some live food will boost nutrition and give added benefit to his immune system. A cotton ball like growth as you describe could be lymphocystis, which I describe kind of like herpes. If it is that, it is not deadly but can become unsightly. While there is no cure it can be managed with good water conditions and good nutrition. Stress, poor water conditions, and poor nutrition are contributors. Keeping that ammonia at zero and offering live food should bring him back. Shedding is a response to changes in water conditions or an attack from diseaes, in this case I'll again point back to the ammonia.

I was asking about these white dots, they were not there before. These looks like normal colouration but I hv seen old photos. Do u think it injured itself?

 

[lion king]

Are they raised, if not, it could just be a natural pigmentation. From here that what it looks like.

 

[KING KONG]

Thx everyone,It is eating well now but it is asking for food 2 times a day. Maybe it is not eating that much in single time that's why it is coming again and again.

 

[KING KONG]

Are they raised, if not, it could just be a natural pigmentation. From here that what it looks like.

I think it has lockjaw. It was eating again but now it is having problem in catching fish and sometimes opening it's mouth

 

[lion king]

I think it has lockjaw. It was eating again but now it is having problem in catching fish and sometimes opening it's mouth

One known cause for that is a diet high in thiaminese. Any shellfish and many of tge foods fed contain thiaminese. The main contributors that many feed would be shrimp, krill, and any lfs silversides other than the SFB brand. If you can get him eating a live diet of mainly of mollies there can be a chance at recovery. Any dead foods would need to minimum if not 100% devoid of any thiaminese.

 

[lion king]

The basis of thiaminese poisoning is the binding of vit B1. While I've had success with a live diet reversal, dosing vitamin B1 may also be an option. You could take human liquid vit B1 an inject it into foods like salmon, mussels, and squid. Mussels also contains a high amount of vit B1. Vit B1 is water soluble so is relatively safe.

 

[KING KONG]

The basis of thiaminese poisoning is the binding of vit B1. While I've had success with a live diet reversal, dosing vitamin B1 may also be an option. You could take human liquid vit B1 an inject it into foods like salmon, mussels, and squid. Mussels also contains a high amount of vit B1. Vit B1 is water soluble so is relatively safe.

Okk thx I will try to do it

 

[KING KONG]

The basis of thiaminese poisoning is the binding of vit B1. While I've had success with a live diet reversal, dosing vitamin B1 may also be an option. You could take human liquid vit B1 an inject it into foods like salmon, mussels, and squid. Mussels also contains a high amount of vit B1. Vit B1 is water soluble so is relatively safe.

Can 7-8 month old Lionfish(4-5 inches) hv lockjaw ?

 

[lion king]

Can 7-8 month old Lionfish(4-5 inches) hv lockjaw ?

A diet that mainly consisted of foods high in thiaminese along with other deficiencies like the absence of proper fats can show signs of decline within several months. Mature lionfish seem to be more sensitive to dietary needs. I routinely see lionfish living no more than several months to a year and half when their dietary needs are not met. This is just one possibility, if I remember correctly, did you also have high ammonia. Routine ammonia spikes can also present a health issue that would similarly resemble what people call lockjaw. This is also the timeframe when previous exposure to toxins can be an issue. When I've rescued lions with similar concerns, the first thing I do is feed a live diet, along with providing a tank with optimum water conditions. If they respond and start eating well and settle into a good routine, I start introducing the dead foods I would feed in their long term diet. If they don't start eating well then there's likely an issue I wouldn't be able to change, like a progressive or pre existing condition caused by toxins or unknown.

 

[KING KONG]

A diet that mainly consisted of foods high in thiaminese along with other deficiencies like the absence of proper fats can show signs of decline within several months. Mature lionfish seem to be more sensitive to dietary needs. I routinely see lionfish living no more than several months to a year and half when their dietary needs are not met. This is just one possibility, if I remember correctly, did you also have high ammonia. Routine ammonia spikes can also present a health issue that would similarly resemble what people call lockjaw. This is also the timeframe when previous exposure to toxins can be an issue. When I've rescued lions with similar concerns, the first thing I do is feed a live diet, along with providing a tank with optimum water conditions. If they respond and start eating well and settle into a good routine, I start introducing the dead foods I would feed in their long term diet. If they don't start eating well then there's likely an issue I wouldn't be able to change, like a progressive or pre existing condition caused by toxins or unknown.

Ammonia is staying at 0, I am checking it regularly both with my kit and also taking samples to lfs. Don't know what happened, It routine was like 1 day dead food and 1 day live food.

 

[KING KONG]

Update- lionfish is doing well but now it has stopped eating dead food. Don't know why everytime it get scared when i offer it dead food. Though, it will be fine for me to feed it live food

 

[littlefoxx]

Update- lionfish is doing well but now it has stopped eating dead food. Don't know why everytime it get scared when i offer it dead food. Though, it will be fine for me to feed it live food

My volitan is super weird about me watching him eat dead foods. He will sit on a pile of food when it falls and wait until I leave to start eating where as my fuzzy doesnt care if I watch her eat. Im glad your lion is doing good I love these fish so much

 

[lion king]

Update- lionfish is doing well but now it has stopped eating dead food. Don't know why everytime it get scared when i offer it dead food. Though, it will be fine for me to feed it live food

Volitans seem to be good overall for accepting dead foods. What are you offering him, he may refuse the food that you offered previously, as he sees no value in it. Animals are different isns this regard than humans, This is very common with the other lions and other scorps in general, as well as anglers and other ambush predators. Sometimes you can get a restart by basically starting from scratch, retraining with dead food using and offering something different. How are you offering it to him, just by dropping it in or with a stick or tongs.

 

[KING KONG]

My volitan is super weird about me watching him eat dead foods. He will sit on a pile of food when it falls and wait until I leave to start eating where as my fuzzy doesnt care if I watch her eat. Im glad your lion is doing good I love these fish so much

It again goes on hunger strike leaving mollies again

 

[KING KONG]

Volitans seem to be good overall for accepting dead foods. What are you offering him, he may refuse the food that you offered previously, as he sees no value in it. Animals are different isns this regard than humans, This is very common with the other lions and other scorps in general, as well as anglers and other ambush predators. Sometimes you can get a restart by basically starting from scratch, retraining with dead food using and offering something different. How are you offering it to him, just by dropping it in or with a stick or tongs.

I used to handfed it but again it is leaving mollies. I tried giving it from a feeding rod, dropped but from beginning, it would run away when i do it. Now i think it's not lockjaw as it is yawning like before. I think it's just being a picky eater or it may not be hungry but it's weird that it goes on hunger strike after eating for a week.

 

[littlefoxx]

It again goes on hunger strike leaving mollies again

Lol my fuzzy never would do that! She gets her food then goes and snatches all the other fish food during all feedings lol. She is obsessed with PE mysis. Literally chases all of it down in the tank which ticks my trigger off olo

 

[lion king]

I used to handfed it but again it is leaving mollies. I tried giving it from a feeding rod, dropped but from beginning, it would run away when i do it. Now i think it's not lockjaw as it is yawning like before. I think it's just being a picky eater or it may not be hungry but it's weird that it goes on hunger strike after eating for a week.

Occasional hunger strikes is a sign of the nutritional deficiency issue we have been talking about. That;s how it starts, since he has been eating there is still a chance for recovery. Including mollies is a good move and limiting or eliminating tiaminese all together, so no shrimp or krill. Try offering some wild skin on salmon, only San Francisco Bay brand silversides, squid, mussels, scallops, clams. They may not any of those foods, or they may, but these are good dead foods to include for a volitan. You can stuff New Life Spectrum algae max pellets into chunks of food or feed them to mollies or ghosties for gut loading.

 

[KING KONG]

Occasional hunger strikes is a sign of the nutritional deficiency issue we have been talking about. That;s how it starts, since he has been eating there is still a chance for recovery. Including mollies is a good move and limiting or eliminating tiaminese all together, so no shrimp or krill. Try offering some wild skin on salmon, only San Francisco Bay brand silversides, squid, mussels, scallops, clams. They may not any of those foods, or they may, but these are good dead foods to include for a volitan. You can stuff New Life Spectrum algae max pellets into chunks of food or feed them to mollies or ghosties for gut loading.

It is doing the same behavior when it does for a week when it was new. It begs but when i offer, run away. I hv tried silversides too but it is not taking interest. It chases mollies but when it misses it's targets, it return to rest. Can i feed it some blue demsels which r in my other tank? They r there from months. I want to feed them coz some mollies starts to die within 15 min but demsel will give it a plenty of time.