Blindness....

[windwaterwaves]

I have a 15" lionfish I have had for around 8 years. He has always been active, and eats well. Hunts silversides and is very fast. In the last week he has gone completely blind, the eyes seem fine, no cloudiness, he just can't see. Feeding has been less than usual and I wonder if he was staring up at the metal halides too much looking for food.. ;(... I've been able to get him to eat a couple by holding them up to his mouth, but it's getting harder..

Any ideas? It takes a 5 gallon bucket to move him and is.. tenuous at best as he barely fits. I could set up a hospital tank with no light for a while...

Bumming...

Ray

 

[lizardarm]

I've got no useful input, but I'm sorry to hear about your fish; eight years is a long time. Hope Lee has a good answer for you.

 

[reef18ster]

Just in case, Lee might want to know water params and tank mates. If anything new was added to your tank during the time frame leading to the blindness. Just out of curiosity, how can you tell if the fish is blind, besides the lack of going for the food, if its eyes seem fine?

 

[windwaterwaves]

The tank has been pretty stable for a couple of months, no changes. Had high temps a week or so ago but he was fine after that, and I didn't lose any corals. There is a rbta, and frogspawn but I can't see getting stung or anything. Haven't water changed in a while or checked params (2 months, busy summer) but all seems good, everything is alive...

 

[WPH]

try soaking the silversides in garlic...I dont know but if the fish is blind it may be able to sense the foods presence if it was soaked in garlic.

 

[windwaterwaves]

I found him this morning, pale, breathing hard, and upside down on the bottom of the tank. I've righted him, and pushed him into another section. I'm thinking of moving him to another tank... Thoughts? Two other fish are fine, a clown and a large black spotted damsel.

 

[reef18ster]

Sometimes fishies leave us for no solid reason. IMO it wasn't blind it's time was just coming.

I'm sorry.

 

[windwaterwaves]

"Spike" took his last breath today, I righted him this morning, and he had labored breathing all day, moved him to a hospital tank, but he was to far gone. 8 Years of entertainment, on to a new generation of fish now... Now how do I dispose of a 15" lionfish with venemous spines...

 

[windwaterwaves]

In Memory of "Spike"

 

[leebca]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Is it true, what I'm getting, that all the fish was fed was silversides? No vitamin nor fat supplements?

These fish live beyond 20 years in captivity, usually. However their nutritional requirements are wide and varied, including eating marine crabs, whole marine fishes, and in the case of captivity, the need for vitamin and fat supplements.

 

[windwaterwaves]

He grew up eating jumbomin, after I switched to reefing about a year and a half ago I went purely with silversides as the jumbomin was quite a mess, it always left the tank orange as even the waste was colored. He always ate well, and never had any symptoms, just the blindness several days prior then death. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[WPH]

absolutely gorgeous fish "SPike" sorry for your loss...