Lion shedding?!

[Dean812]

I have a Dwarf Fuzzy Lion. I watched him today shake off his skin. When he swam away, a bunch of translucent psieces of skin that had the shape of his "turkey wings". It seemed like he was more colorful AFTER he did this. Do lions molt?

[HRSeay]

eeeeeeeewwwwwww....

[Dean812]

I know right! What in the heck is going on? If this is the only time this has ever happened in the history of turkey lions I'm in trouble.

[Ride928]

Yes, Lions do shed. The reason he appears more colorful is because the outer layer of skin was on it's way out. Adding iodine will help with this.

[KDodds]

Iodine will help the color or the "shed"? I'm aware that it is necessary for crustaceans but have never heard of it for fish. Are you suggesting greater concentrations than NSW levels?

[Dean812]

So when you say that Iodine will help with this. Do you mean that my iodine levels are so low as to make him shed? Or are you saying that iodine helps the fish TO shed? Im with Kdodds, I thought it was only beneficial for inverts and stuff.

So lions do shed or they shed when iodine levels are low? Confused.

[HRSeay]

If he shed, and looks okay still, then your levels are probably fine. Aniamls that "shed" or molt need iodine to do so properly.

http://www.reefs.org/library/article/e_edelman2.html

More info than you might need, so maybe just skim it.

[KDodds]

Doesn't tell me anything I didn't already know, other than he's wrong on his concentration, should be 0.06ppm. There's no reference to fish at all. Heck there's not even any hard allusion to how it's directly helpful to the animals he mentions in passing, crustaceans and corals. I think I'll stick with Fossa and Nilsen, Borneman, and Delbeek and Sprung for the best explanations of Iodine I've read so far.

[Dean812]

I think I understand this now.I guess if my Iodine levels were low then my lion wouldve had problems shedding. Thanks alot guys.

[saltycurofaseadog]

that reminds me of a little song i heard somewhere. goes something like.... when the lion sheds tonight... got a nice beat:D ... sorry... couldnt resist... first time i heard about this.. huh! never to old to learn...

[Mad Scientist]

I've never heard of a lion shedding? Are you sure he isn't dying of a fungus? Post this question in the aggressive forum.

[Mr Neutron]

You might want to post this in the Fish forum for more info. I'd say no to molting. I have a lionfish and when he moves suddenly the fins shed mucous. They are slow moving often sedentary fish and I believe this mucous collects on the long fins.

[Jerry W]

Lionfish routinely shed their cuticle. As they are a sedentary species, this coating helps protect them from various parasites. It's a bit alarming when you first see it, but it's perfectly normal.

[Dean812]

To those of you who are concerned that my lion is dying-Its ok, its normal. I've done some research thanks to some of the folks familiar with this process and YES they do shed their cuticle. He is just growing and in fact, because he is shedding whole peices of skin with no difficulty, it is an indication that he is healthy. When they have problems shedding and drag around large trailing pieces of skin without it letting go, is a problem. Thanks again to everyone that helped me understand.

[KDodds]

Does Iodine really have anything to do with the shedding?

[FMarini]

Quote
"Does Iodine really have anything to do with the shedding?"
Dunno... but you don't need to add any more iodine than what is naturally found in your replacement seawater.
I never added iodine in my life to my Fo tank and had 7 species of lions for a long time.

Shedding is common in sedentary fish, and the cuticle is what you saw shaken off. In Dendrochirus (like dwarf fuzzies) the cuticle is darker and flakier than Pterois species in which a white mucusy vail is shed -much more scarely looking.
Read the lionfish info sheet, its explains this. http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/fm/feature/index.htm
frank

[Dean812]

FMarini-Thanks! Really good article about lions!