Lionfish

DragonBallZ · #1 07-13-2009, 03:01 AM

Are lionfish scaleless fish?
i always thought they had scales, but i recently bought a 8 inch volitans lionfish about a week ago and it has been eating like a monster, but for some reason today it has all this filmy crap hanging off of it and floating in the tank. when it moves fast, lots of it comes off.

is it just because the fish is growing? kind of shedding its skin? or what is going on?

ive never heard of or seen this before

i have crabs · #2 07-13-2009, 03:15 AM

shedding the slime coat i believe, usually some kind of stress response i think, maybe take a close look for ich just to be safe, if hes eating thats good though lions quit eating fairly fast if something is wrong

DragonBallZ · #3 07-13-2009, 03:17 AM

yeah ich was the first thing i looked for...no sign of it.
and yeah it ate like 3 silversides and a prawn today a few hours ago.

waterchange maybe?

justinl · #4 07-13-2009, 03:48 AM

lions do this periodically. if it keeps doing it frequently, then there's a source of stress. otherwise it's normal.

DragonBallZ · #5 07-13-2009, 04:03 AM

okay thanks for the help guys,
that had me a bit worried....my tank was just wiped out a few months back by ich and i just put the lion in last week so i got a bit scared when i seen that haha

whatcaneyedo · #6 07-13-2009, 05:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by justinl

lions do this periodically. if it keeps doing it frequently, then there's a source of stress. otherwise it's normal.

+1

I've had a volitan for a few years and it does this every once and a while or if I've recently been fiddling in the tank too much.

DragonBallZ · #7 07-13-2009, 08:06 AM

ahhh
its probly because i was in the tank moving sand around last night then.
okaaaay thanks for the help guys.

i have crabs · #8 07-13-2009, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DragonBallZ

it ate like 3 silversides and a prawn today a few hours ago.

sounds like alot of food unless your lion is real big, i had a 14" lion a few years ago and thats about the same he would eat every 2-3 days

DragonBallZ · #9 07-13-2009, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by i have crabs

sounds like alot of food unless your lion is real big, i had a 14" lion a few years ago and thats about the same he would eat every 2-3 days

its about 10 inches and yes i feed him every 2 or 3 days

+ the silversides are just the small ones...maybe an inch, inch and a half. havnt moved up to the big ones yet