Lionfish vs. Snowflake Eel

Gone Tidepoolin · 01/10/2017, 11:59 AM

They have been together for 2 years both of them are quite large.
This morning when the lights came on the lionfishs tail is shredded.
What to do? Will it grow back? Do I quarantine him?
The other fish in the tank are:foxface, lunar wrasse, jewel damsel and 2 hawkfish. The clean up crew is:3 urchins, sand sifting star and a fighting conch.
I am only guessing the eel did the damage.

stdreb27 · 01/10/2017, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gone Tidepoolin

They have been together for 2 years both of them are quite large.

This morning when the lights came on the lionfishs tail is shredded.

What to do? Will it grow back? Do I quarantine him?

The other fish in the tank are:foxface, lunar wrasse, jewel damsel and 2 hawkfish. The clean up crew is:3 urchins, sand sifting star and a fighting conch.

I am only guessing the eel did the damage.

I vote for lunar wrasse.

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Gone Tidepoolin · 01/10/2017, 12:31 PM

The wrasse is also large but this happened after the lights went out, the wrasse usually hides in the rocks at that point. The eel comes out at night.

PalaciosAn · 01/10/2017, 12:31 PM

It will grow back, keep and eye on the tank and try to see who is picking on him. You may strese them out even more by taking out the wrong fish.

cougareyes · 01/10/2017, 04:53 PM

My vote is the jeweled damsel, those guys are nasty. It will grow back, no need to qt unless it hit the meat and it doesn't look like it's healing on it's on.

anbosu · 01/11/2017, 11:40 AM

I would be pretty surprised if it was the eel. I would guess the damsel as well.

scooter31707 · 01/11/2017, 12:12 PM

I agree the damsel might be the culprit.

Gone Tidepoolin · 01/11/2017, 03:12 PM

Update.. the lionfish has lost color and doesn't want to swim. So I have moved him to a hospital tank and put melafix in it. I'm not sure he will live.
None of the other fish have any damaged fins.

cougareyes · 01/11/2017, 09:45 PM

Wow...please keep us updated.

Gone Tidepoolin · 01/12/2017, 01:45 AM

Came home from work and found him dead.
Still don't know who did it... he was almost 9 inches, the eel is approximately 14 inches, the lunar wrasse and foxface are about 6 inches. The 2 hawkfish are about 3 inches and the jewel damsel is bit size (lol) about 2 inches.

I'm now concerned about getting a new one until I figure out who the bully is.

scooter31707 · 01/12/2017, 08:34 AM

Actually when you shredded, do you think it could have been some infection or parasite? did you add anything new to the tank lately? Just checking all corners.

Gone Tidepoolin · 01/12/2017, 12:37 PM

Nothing has been added for over a year.
Only the tail was shredded, I was guessing the eel was attempting to pull the lionfish into the rocks. When the eel eats he thrashes and pulls the food into the rocks.
I feed San Francisco Bay brand silversides, so they shouldn't be a infection source.
I'm at a loss, I hand fed them both so there was not as much waste in the tank. The water parameters are good.

scooter31707 · 01/12/2017, 12:46 PM

Ok. IMO, I don't see that eel trying to mess with that Lionfish when there are safer and smaller prey in the tank. Also could have been the Wrasse nipping. Just my 2 cents.

Gone Tidepoolin · 01/12/2017, 04:18 PM

Anything is possible, especially since it was a sneak attack from behind!
The wrasse is aggressive, he also eats silversides.

01/10/2017, 11:59 AM	#1
Gone Tidepoolin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Sutter Creek, Ca Posts: 118	Lionfish vs. Snowflake Eel They have been together for 2 years both of them are quite large. This morning when the lights came on the lionfishs tail is shredded. What to do? Will it grow back? Do I quarantine him? The other fish in the tank are:foxface, lunar wrasse, jewel damsel and 2 hawkfish. The clean up crew is:3 urchins, sand sifting star and a fighting conch. I am only guessing the eel did the damage.

01/10/2017, 04:53 PM	#5
cougareyes Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 713	My vote is the jeweled damsel, those guys are nasty. It will grow back, no need to qt unless it hit the meat and it doesn't look like it's healing on it's on. __________________ 30g wartskin angler with living color corals::: 125g juvi tank with blueline, clown, niger triggers; passer angel, and jeweled moray eel Current Tank Info: 210g fowlr: yellow belly dogface puffer, harlequin tusk, pinktail and pair of bluejaw triggers, majestic angel, orange shoulder and scopus tangs. one spot fox: 90g lps reef with an antennata , zebra and fuzzy dwarf, fu manchu lions, yellow mimic tang

01/11/2017, 09:45 PM	#9
cougareyes Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 713	Wow...please keep us updated. __________________ 30g wartskin angler with living color corals::: 125g juvi tank with blueline, clown, niger triggers; passer angel, and jeweled moray eel Current Tank Info: 210g fowlr: yellow belly dogface puffer, harlequin tusk, pinktail and pair of bluejaw triggers, majestic angel, orange shoulder and scopus tangs. one spot fox: 90g lps reef with an antennata , zebra and fuzzy dwarf, fu manchu lions, yellow mimic tang

01/12/2017, 01:45 AM	#10
Gone Tidepoolin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Sutter Creek, Ca Posts: 118	Rip Came home from work and found him dead. Still don't know who did it... he was almost 9 inches, the eel is approximately 14 inches, the lunar wrasse and foxface are about 6 inches. The 2 hawkfish are about 3 inches and the jewel damsel is bit size (lol) about 2 inches. I'm now concerned about getting a new one until I figure out who the bully is.

01/12/2017, 12:37 PM	#12
Gone Tidepoolin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Sutter Creek, Ca Posts: 118	Any thoughts? ? Nothing has been added for over a year. Only the tail was shredded, I was guessing the eel was attempting to pull the lionfish into the rocks. When the eel eats he thrashes and pulls the food into the rocks. I feed San Francisco Bay brand silversides, so they shouldn't be a infection source. I'm at a loss, I hand fed them both so there was not as much waste in the tank. The water parameters are good.

01/10/2017, 12:31 PM	#3
Gone Tidepoolin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Sutter Creek, Ca Posts: 118	The wrasse is also large but this happened after the lights went out, the wrasse usually hides in the rocks at that point. The eel comes out at night.

01/10/2017, 12:31 PM	#4
PalaciosAn Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Boerne, TX Posts: 50	It will grow back, keep and eye on the tank and try to see who is picking on him. You may strese them out even more by taking out the wrong fish.

01/11/2017, 11:40 AM	#6
anbosu Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Mount Juliet, TN Posts: 4,528	I would be pretty surprised if it was the eel. I would guess the damsel as well.

01/11/2017, 12:12 PM	#7
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	I agree the damsel might be the culprit.

01/11/2017, 03:12 PM	#8
Gone Tidepoolin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Sutter Creek, Ca Posts: 118	Update.. the lionfish has lost color and doesn't want to swim. So I have moved him to a hospital tank and put melafix in it. I'm not sure he will live. None of the other fish have any damaged fins.

01/12/2017, 08:34 AM	#11
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	Actually when you shredded, do you think it could have been some infection or parasite? did you add anything new to the tank lately? Just checking all corners.

01/12/2017, 12:46 PM	#13
scooter31707 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 4,971	Ok. IMO, I don't see that eel trying to mess with that Lionfish when there are safer and smaller prey in the tank. Also could have been the Wrasse nipping. Just my 2 cents.

01/12/2017, 04:18 PM	#14
Gone Tidepoolin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Sutter Creek, Ca Posts: 118	Anything is possible, especially since it was a sneak attack from behind! The wrasse is aggressive, he also eats silversides.