Lion not eating/fin rot?

[rogersbw]

My lion hasn't eaten in a few days and that's quite unusual for this fish. I even tried live brine which he loves and no dice.

First things first: he's been in this ~100g tank for probably almost a year now. No new fish have been introduced since then, only some urchins, crabs, and snails. He shares the tank with a sohal (I think) tang and the aforementioned inverts. Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite all well within passable limits, pH is 8.2ish. I don't think it's water quality because inverts and tang all seem very healthy and active.

He almost certainly has some parts of his fins missing, but it's so hard to tell because his fins are so elaborate and always swaying in the current. I tried to get a few pictures but I had to use someone else's camera so they didn't come out great.



You can see a very odd looking "prong" on the far fin and where it looks like they're just rippling in the current, there are actual small bits missing. He also seems to have some red streaks in his fins, but that may just be him turning red because I'm annoying him.

Also, near his tail, it looks like some of his stripes are almost.. sliding around. They aren't as straight and dark as they used to be. The skin seems to be more translucent/white, too. He used to have much longer feelers over his eyes that are now just little nubs, which was the problem I noticed first before inspecting him and finding all the others.

I know that's a lot of stuff, but I tried to think of everything that looks wrong with him. Oh, and his eyes are clear.

[SAT]

I'm afraid I don't see anything in the picture so I'll have to take your word for the symptoms. The symptoms you describe could be caused by a variety of things, including water conditions, bacterial infection, parasites, and harassment. Maybe some more information might help... Do you see any signs of respiratory distress (e.g., rapid breathing)? How big is he? How long have you had him and how long as it been since the last addition to the tank? When did you first notice something is wrong? What has changed in the last month? What do you feed him (besides brine shrimp)?

I know your water conditions sound good, but I suggest a fairly large water change and throwing in some activated carbon. You never know when some unexpected toxin is in the water (maybe because something died in the LR).

Could you elaborate on what you mean by the stripes "sliding around"?

Do you have a treament tank available is you need it? It's a good idea to have one available in case you need it in a hurry. Also, I suggest having on hand some fresh formalin (e.g., Kordon Formalin-3) and some antibiotics (e.g., saltwater maracyn-two) just in case.

[rogersbw]

He does seem to be breathing heavily, yes. He is about 5 or 6 inches long. I've had him more than 18 months (and the tank has been up for many years). Some hermits and snails and a small urchin were added at least a month ago.

He used to be fed frozen krill but for the last few months my significant other has been feeding him cooked cocktail shrimp in the interest of saving money. I disagreed with this but didn't think it would really hurt the fish. Live brine shrimp are a more or less monthly treat.

The stripes are hard to explain. Toward his front they are more or less straight up and down with small natural variations but near the tail they seem to have gotten all wobbly and crooked. Whether this has happened to him as he grew up and I just never noticed until now or it is a symptom of something I don't know. Also, in the white areas between stripes it almost looks like i can see his flesh through the skin. It has diagonal lines in it like what you might see in a fresh filet of fish.

I went out and assembled a budget quarantine tank today, filled with water from the display tank. I went ahead and started treating him with Maracyn-Two after I noticed more angry red spots in his fins and near his tail. I have been lead to believe these symptoms are bacterial.

If you recommend treating with something else instead of or in addition to this, please advise. Also, is there anything I can do to entice him to eat besides using live foods?

Thank you for your help.

EDIT: I have been doing water changes for the last two days but didn't see improvement. Although I guess that may not be enough time, perhaps I was impatient.

[SAT]

I think the antibiotic treatment is a good try. If he fails to improve in the next few days, however, we'll have to try something else.

For nutrition, check out this article: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-1...ture/index.htm