Bangaii Cardinal Not Eating Help Plz

[philip_r5]

I recently got a Bangaii Cardinal for my 55 and he is in the same spot from sense i put him in the tank. This was two days ago. He doesn't seem to want to explore and doesn't seem to want to eat. The only fish I have in the tank other then him is a coral beauty and a cleaner shrimp. Not including the emerald crabs, zebra crabs, and the snails. I feed Mysid and he doesn't even go for it. How can I get him to eat and stimulate him more?

[amcarrig]

Cardinals are nocturnal so try feeding at night. You won't see much activity from them during the day. They tend to hover in the same spot until the lights go off which is when they go hunting.

[philip_r5]

So when the likes go out I should put a little mysid in there and hope he eats then? Or wait till the light have been out for an hour or more?

[amcarrig]

I would wait about an hour after the lights go out. That way, the other fish will be tucked in for the night and won't eat up all of the shrimp before the cardinal has a chance to get some. The cardinal might eventually learn to eat during the day so I doubt that this is something you'll have to do for long. I had one that not only ate during the day but also ate flake foods so it made my life easier. I would also notice it hunting and catching copepods after the lights went out. I realized that the fish had to go, however, when I noticed a cleaner shrimp tail sticking out of its mouth. They will eat decorative shrimp once they're large enough to fit them into their mouths by the way so keep that in mind.

[coral reefer]

You could try alternative food stuff and also add garlic to your water if the above doesn't work. Garlic(liquid) can be purchased at most pet shops as well.

[JustPhish]

Unfortnately wild caught cardinals seem to be very difficult to keep alive anymore. I suspect it's the way they are collected.

I would try feeding live black worms to it. It's definitely a favorite treat for banggais. If you can get them, then try live brine. While it's a terrible food source, it can at least elicit a feeding response. Then when you feed again you can mix in some frozen mysis with the live brine and hope he just has at everything. You can ween it onto better foods that way.

Good luck.

[philip_r5]

What does Garlic do for the fish eco ?

[amcarrig]

Originally Posted by JustPhish

Unfortnately wild caught cardinals seem to be very difficult to keep alive anymore. I suspect it's the way they are collected.

Any idea how they're being collected these days?