did my starry blenny get stung ?

we just got back from vacation and i noticed my blenny hiding behind the live rock he/she is always out waiting to get food and accepted everything i would feed the other tank mates we have a lionfish and i was wondering if maybe it got a little close at feeding time and got stung and was wondering how a lionfish sting affects fish

 

I'd have to say most likely not.

My first question to you would be what species of lionfish do you have, and how large is each of the fish in question?

How long have you had each fish?

What are the other tankmates?

What size tank do you have?

Back to the sting...this happened 20-some odd years ago before peeps really knew any better (including myself):

I had the occasion to witness my full-grown picasso trigger become envenomated by my full-grown volitans lionfish. It was 1000% the fault of the triggerfish, as it tried to swoop in on a piece of food that was meant for the lionfish. It miscalculated and nailed itself on the lion's dorsal spines, and within 5 minutes, it was paralyzed to the point of floating helplessly on the surface of the water. Within 30 minutes, the trigger managed to fight its way to the bottom and wedge itself in the rockwork to remain submerged. The trigger died within a month.

If anything similar happened to your blenny, I gurantee that it was the blennie's fault. i also know that most algae blennies can get a bit nasty as they mature. If this wasn't the case, I can also see the blenny trying to pick at the lionfish (mistaking it as a rock that needs cleaning, and may have gotten popped as a result.

However, I suspect that if it has anything to do with the lionfish, the size differential may now be in the lion's favor, and blennies have a nice slender shape that cries "eat me!" to a hungry predator.

If you answer the questions I asked, we may be able to figure out what's up in your tank...

 

FWIW, lionfish will indeed point their dorsal spines in the direction of a threat, so it's possible.

Our dominant male blotched anthias decided it wanted to "try" one of our dwarf lionfish, and all the lion had to do was show its spines, and the anthias moved on, never to bother it again.

Are you target-feeding your fish?

 

You really shouldn't be feeding krill to your lionfish at all, unless it's very sparingly mixed in with other foods.

The krill's shell contains very high amounts of fluoride, which over time has a negative impact on the mandibular skeletal structures, which has been known to result in "lockjaw".

Additionally, the flesh of dead krill is extremely high in thiaminase, which inhibits the fish's uptake of thiamine (Vitamin B1). A thiamine deficient fish is likely to develop CNS (central nervous system) issues such as clamped fins, convulsions, and an early demise.

If your fish is accepting target feeding, you should try foods such as salmon, tuna, snapper, swordfish, silversides, table shrimp (uncooked), bits of clam, scallops, squid, etc. You can find all of these at your grocer's seafood counter or local fish market. Get what's on sale. In small amounts, these foods are actually cheaper than "fish food".

A varied diet = a healthy fish.

FWIW, we don't feed krill to any of our fish, as there are much better foods out there.

HTH