HELP-blockage of the gastrointestinal tract?

[TerryB10]

This is not uncomon in lionfish in captivity at all. Two things can cause the blockage. The most common is caused by feeding them too often or too much at once. The food can't get digested quickly enough and it litterally rots in thier stomach causing a bacterial infection. Never feed a lionfish until it is bunlging from all the food and do not feed it more than three times a week max. The other less likely possible cause is a goiter (tumor like growth) in the throat caused by too little iodine in the diet. Lionfish eat small crustations and some fish when they can catch them in the wild. The crustations supply a good amount of iodine to their diet.
Both causes are treatable, but unfortunately it is too late for this fish. It makes me sad that I can usually tell a long term captive lionfish immediately on first site by thier apperance. If they have not been fed correctly they become pale and the fin growth is stunted and/or deformed. Most people do not feed them correctly and they die within a couple of years. Pitty, this fish is capable of surviving DECADES in captivity. I had one for 14 years before it had an accident and broke it's jaw striking at live prey. Another good reason not to feed them live food. Feed them in dim light so they can see better and are not as likely to break thier jaw on a rock while striking at food. A correctly fed lionfish has a more beautiful coloration and long flowing finnage as an adult than as a juvi.
Terry B

[aliendomain]

Russel,

First let me say that I'm sorry about your lion. In the past I had kept a number of Morays that I had for years. I fed them mostly frozen foods with some live glass shrimp. One week I could not get any of the shrimp so I figured a comet would be a good substitute. Two days later my 2' goldtail had a large bulge in its side and it was dead a few days afterward. I should have known better, considering at the time I worked at a LFS and I was one who suggested not to feed comets. They can easily get caught in the tract of a predator (saltwater or fresh) due to the spine in their dorsal fin.

If you decide to get a new lion do everything you can to stay away from feeding comets, black mollies are a good substitute that you can breed yourself if the fish needs live food.

Again, sorry for your loss.

AlienDomain

[russel]

Thank you all for the help and good suggestions. I think that the biggest mistake that i made was using a comet. I normally had used rosies. this week i went to the stores and no one in the area had any. I thought i could just get by on comets. It was actually the second time that i had fed him a comet. Mistake. I think that for now i will be happy with my percs because at least they are not nearly as finicky as he was with food. It will prove to be a great break from the worries and time consumption that it took to feed him.

Russel