lion not eating

[karun]

I have a volatins lion ( 6 inches) in my tank for about 4 months. Seemed to be doing quite well. I managed to get him to eat shrimps and other frozen food. I would feed him every 3 days. For the last 2 days he has not come out of his normal hiding place. I can see him and he looks fine but just does not come out. He has not eaten for 5 days. No change in the water parameters. Only addition in the last 10 days was a H magnifica anemone and 2 occelaris clowns.

The wierd thing is that I had a H. Magnifica anemone in my tank which died within a month of my adding the lion tank. It had also been in my tank for a few months and grown well but started to shrink when I added the lion and died soon after.

Now the reverse seems to be happening to the lion. Is there some strange connection? What can I do?


Karun

[Ninong]

Karun,

I sent an e-mail to Dr. Frank Marini and requested his input. He has lots of experience with lions.

Regards,

Ninong

[karun]

Ninong,

Thanks. I forgot about Frank Marini. In fact, I used his notes to get the lion to start eating frozen food.

Karun

[karun]

Another update. Today I got 6 guppies for the lion. Normally he would eat them in a flash and want more. Today he ate 5 and ignored the 6th one. Two hours later I found 3 guppies floating in the tank. He must have thrown up?

What can I do?

Karun

[FMarini]

Hi Guys:
sorry about taking so long, but i don't have a chance to frequent this board.
The lion...i suspect its sick. Since it has changed its daily pattern somethng is awry, so lets try to figure this out.
If you can give me tankmates, water quality parameters, and anything else which might be helpful.
When you say you fed him shrimp/fish flesh, was all of this fresh or frozen, no precooked shrimp w/ cayanne pepper on it, or heavy preseravtives??
You mention you feed every three days? how much?
What is quite telling is the lion regurgiated the 3 guppies from today. I'm concerned w/ what currently in the lions stomach which is making him sick? Are there any outward signs of problems?? heavy slime coat, darkened colors, white patches on fins???
More info to start please
frank

[karun]

Frank,
Sorry I have been travelling for the last four days. I expected to come back and find the lion dead but he seems to be better.
Water parameters:

Ph: 8.4
Alk: 2.8
NH4: 0
NO2: 0
NO3: 5 ppm

Other fish n 120G tank:
1 clarks clown 3 inches
2 occelaris clowns 1.5, 2.5 inches
1 regal tang 5 inches
1 foxface 5 inches
1 blue damsel 1.5 inches( I was hoping the lion would eat her but no such luck)
1 Scopas tang 2 inches
1 Koran Angel 2 inches

Volatin Lion 6 inches

1 carpet anemone and 1 H. Magnifica
3 feather duster

I fed the lion every 3 days mostly frozen fish/shrimps. The fish are 1.5-2 inches and I fed one every 3 days. The shrimps are about .5 inches and I fed 3-5 at a time.

The lion seems darker than normal and is hiding most of the time. Usually he would come out if I opened the cover but not recently.

Today he came out and ate one fish and went back to his hiding place. Seems okay. No visible problems.

Is it possible that he brushed against the H. Magnifica and got stung and now has recovered? The only addition in the tank has been the H Magnifica and two occelaris clowns.

Thanks for the help. I used your notes to get the lion to start eating frozen food.

Karun

[FMarini]

Karun:
my guess is that he ate something that has seriously disagreed w/ him. The more he digests it, the better off he'll be. At least he's attmepting to eat. I doubt he brushed againist the aneomone, as he should be showing sings of a burn(reddened areas or scale lifting). While anything is possible, I would place this option low on the list.
Now what concerns me is the tank mates. You really have a volitan lion in w/ all those food fish???
In about 3 months that volitans will be over 8" in 1yr the volitan willbe about 12-15" and as thick as a nerf football. The damsels should disappear around month 5, clowns a month or two after this. He should leave the angel alone, and the foxface i assume is also poisonous....
Guess you find this out in time.
Sounds like your on the road to recovery
frank

[karun]

Frank,
Thanks for the help. The lion seems much better. He is back to his normal behavior. I realise that the lion may eat some of the other fish. I have been trying to get the damsel out of the tank for a while. There were two and I caught and returned one. The other is too fast and so far too fast for the lion as well. The ocellaris clowns live the the H. Magnifica and barely stray 12 inches from it. I don't think they have even crossed to the other side of the tank.

Anyway I will seen what happens. I don't plan to add any more fish/invert to this tank.