Houston I have a problem

[taylorab85]

I have had my marine tank for about 5 months now,(including 1 and a half months for cycle.It is a 35 gallon that I made because I work at a glass shop and I get all the materials for free.

Once the cycle was finished I slowly started to stock the tank, first I got a Porcupine Puffer,then a Heniochus, then a Yellow Tang (which died about 5 days after I got him .I was planning on keeping it a peaceful tank but I gave in and got a Humma Humma Trggerfish, then a Bursa Triggerfish, and then finally(this is where the problem started), a Volitan Lionfish.

As soon as I acclimated him to the new tank he seemed fine and active(somewhat) but he would'nt feed!!I tired starting him on silversides,krill,and squid(the same stuff they were giving him at the store) but he isn't feeding right.He is acting like he is hungry when I feed the others.He will come up to the top for food and when I present the food to him he stares for a little bit and then completely loses interest in it.I put it on a feeding stick and make it look as alive as possible but still nothing.It seems serious but this isnt even the worst of my problems,ever since I started to introduce these meaty foods into the tank the ammonia and nitrite have spiked uncontrolably.I have done multiple water changes and it still wont go down!!!I know that part of the reason is the left over fish particles but it couldn't do this much damage.

Anyway,could someone please give me some advice on feeding the lion and maybe some advice on the nitrite and ammonia.I t would be GREATLY appreciated!!!!!Thanks,Taylor

[MikeS]

Hi there

Well, to start, you have way too many fish in that 35 gallon, that is a big part of the problem with the ammonia and nitrates. With the fish you have in there now, you really need a tank on the order of 75-100 gallons at least! Those triggers will get pretty big, and a mature volitan lion will easily reach 12+ inches and have a fin radius larger than a dinner plate! I noticed you said that you made your tank with free materials, so for you it won't be as expensive to get the correct size tank! :D

If building a larger tank is out of the question for you, you could see if the LFS will take the fish back....if they are still healty, most LFS are good about taking them back....they might not refund your money, but they should give you store credit for the purchase price of the fish.

Does the lionfish have a sunken belly? Lions can go a suprisingly long time without food, so I wouldn't panic yet. When I kept lionfish, I used to have to "train" them to take frozen or non-live food. Odds are, the lion was on a live food diet at the LFS. You can call them and find out what they were feeding it. I would give the lion live ghost shrimp or guppies (guppies have low nutritional value, but since you will only be using them for a short time, it's ok ). Never use goldfish!!! Once the lion is eating the shrimp or guppies well for a week or so, start offering him the shrimp or guppies impaled on a stick. Once you get him taking them off the stick for a week or so, you can switch to a non-live food on the stick, like frozen formula 1 or doromin . After he is taking the non-live from the stick for awhile, you can just start adding the food to the tank. It takes a bit of paitence, but feeding him non-live food is much better for him, and much less hassle and expense for you...

MikeJS

I agree, you really need alot bigger tank

[taylorab85]

You guys are lucky if where you come from lets you return fish for store credit.If it was that easy for me I would do that right now with the lion, but the guy that runs the local tropical store is not a nice guy, he wouldnt even give me the name of his distributor. :evil: :evil: :evil:

I also am in the process of puting together (the peices), to make a 75 gal. tank.It will be a really nice one (1/2" starphire glass).I also would like some advice on this tank.Since I am making such a big leap in size I am kind of overwhelmed with decisions. :idea: Suggestions on everything would be greatly welcomed (GREATLY!!!)I have never dealt with overflows,protein skimmers, all that.An exact setup maybe would be the greatest help.Filtration wise, I am lost on it :? ,any parts I'll need please let me know.Lighting I think I can handle.PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!!

most guys guard the distributor's like fort knox. i have a whole sale liscense, business checks and i still can find alotof whole salers