Clownfish Not Eating

Discussion in 'New To The Hobby' started by KDtrey5, Jul 20, 2012.

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  1. KDtrey5

    KDtrey5 Coral Banded Shrimp

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    Hey guys! So today is day 3 since I bought my first fish, a clownfish! The problem is, he still isn't eating. About once a day I will float some flake food to see if he will eat, but he seems to go up to it, look at it really close, then just swim away. Im tired of taking his leftovers out because my water parameters aren't the best. My ammonia is under control. It has stayed at 0 and has never moved. I did see a little spike in my nitrite when I bought the fish. It went from 0, to .25, to .50. When I saw the .50 I got worried so I went to petco and bought some Instant Ocean Bio-Spira. I added that yesturday. Today, I checked it again and it remained at .50. So hopefully it will start to come down! ;) My nitrates are about 40 which I know isnt good but so far I only have fish and 4 hermits. Should I do water changes? Or should I just let everything be, then do a water change in a couple days? How soon do you think my clownfish will eat? He looks like he is getting skinny and I am worried. Oh and sorry I keep posting about this but I need some good answers!
     
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  3. N00ZE

    N00ZE Eyelash Blennie

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    garlic extract is good for stimulating appetite...
     
  4. jlongwell

    jlongwell Spaghetti Worm

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    Fish can safely go for up to a week without food. That's not to say they'll die after 7 days and 1 hour without food, either - they can live much longer, it's just not healthy. I wouldn't worry just because he hasn't eaten after 3 days. He's probably still a little freaked out from the move. I wouldn't really start to worry until it's been 7+.

    However, if he's "getting skinny" after 3 days, I'd be more apt to believe an internal parasite or mishandling by the LFS/supplier prior to purchase. A picture would really help, here. A fish shouldn't start to lose mass or have their stomach cave in after just 3 days without food.

    I should also note that by no means am I condoning feeding your fish once a week (not assuming you would, but there are people out there who might interpret my initial statement in that way). They can go for a week or more in extreme situations, but will slowly (and painfully) perish when fed so little long-term.

    As far as your parameters, the Nitrates aren't too troubling. Fish can and will survive Nitrate levels much higher than 40, though this is far from ideal. Obviously you want to bring them down, but this isn't really an emergency situation - no need to worry too much at this point.

    The only real issue I see is the Nitrites, which might indicate a little mini-cycle after the addition of the fish. What size tank is this and how much live rock/sand do you have? Assuming your biological fitration is adequate (that Bio Spira will probably help, I've heard great things about that stuff) everything should right itself shortly. Clowns are pretty hardy fish - I can't see a mini-cycle killing it unless it's unhealthy to begin with (which I would be more apt to attribute to LFS issues if you've only had it for 3 days).

    Bottom line, get us a picture of this fish :). If he looks fine, you probably don't have too much to worry about yet.

    Also, +1 to garlic.
     
  5. KDtrey5

    KDtrey5 Coral Banded Shrimp

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    His belly doesn't cave in so there must not be anything wrong with him. The tank size is a 20 gallon long with a little over 20 pounds of dry rock. I also have 20 lbs of live sand. The food has some garlic in it.
     
  6. jlongwell

    jlongwell Spaghetti Worm

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    That sounds perfectly adequate. The mini-cycle would definitely be my guess. Things should stabilize soon.

    Just keep feeding him regularly (and continue to remove uneaten food). You might also try a variety - perhaps some PE Mysis, brine shrimp (preferably soaked in some sort of supplement), etc. Maybe he just doesn't like the flakes?

    Either way, let us know how he fares :)
     
  7. N00ZE

    N00ZE Eyelash Blennie

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    You could use Selcon as a supplement.
     
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  9. KDtrey5

    KDtrey5 Coral Banded Shrimp

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    I have instant ocean brine shrimp in like a gel form. He ignores that and the flakes. Ill feed him later tonight.
     
  10. KDtrey5

    KDtrey5 Coral Banded Shrimp

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    When do you guys think I should do my first water change?
     
  11. SAY

    SAY Ocellaris Clown

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    i would definitely try some frozen mysis shrimp. The fish might not recognize the gel or flakes as food.
     
  12. cosmo

    cosmo Giant Squid

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    Do the water change just incase! If ya hadn't done one after the cycle, prob a good idea to get one done;)