Feeding newly introduced fish

[Johnseye]

I've found that when introducing a new fish into the DT some fish are out-competed for food. The established fish are more aggressive in getting at the food quickly. My solution to date has been to over feed and slowly introduce the food. That doesn't seem to be enough.

It gets frustrating when after going through the QT process to find the fish you were excited about can't make it in the DT. I had a flame angel and coral beauty in QT together. They got along fine after a day or two introduction. After battling through ich and Cuppramine treatment successfully I waited another week to treat with Prazi. For no apparent reason, the day before I was going to do a water change, the flame angel dies. I'm guessing the Prazi stressed him. The coral beauty made it through fine. I waited another week after clearing the water of Prazi, then introduced him to the DT.

He seemed to do fine in the DT. The established fish didn't chase him, at least when I was watching. He was a bit shy, hung out in the rocks, nibbling at them. He would eat a little when fed but most of the food got snapped up quickly by the others. Then yesterday he was gone. He didn't come out when fed so I assume he's dead behind the rocks somewhere. I've lost fish briefly before in the overflow but he's not there. I had a similar experience introducing a copperband butterfly but he was chased by a tang so I saw that coming. It seems that some fish can be so timid they are afraid to eat and in turn survive.

 

[Martini5788]

Have you tried an acclimation box? I would also try 2 small feedings only a few minutes apart. Let the established fish eat first and then do a second feeding for the leftover fish

 

[Johnseye]

Have you tried an acclimation box? I would also try 2 small feedings only a few minutes apart. Let the established fish eat first and then do a second feeding for the leftover fish

I stage the feeding. Not quite a few minutes apart. The established fish are pigs, especially the melenarus wrasses. They literally take the bigger chunks of food out of other fish's mouths.


When you say acclimation box, do you mean like a breeder net?

 

[Martini5788]

It's actually an acrylic box with slits in it that hangs on the sides of the tank. I would put new fish in there for a couple days and then release them once the established fish ignore them and are no longer aggressive. A breeder net would work too if your fish aren't super aggressive and won't bite through it

 

[Johnseye]

Well the thing is, it's not that the other fish are being aggressive. They just out-compete the new ones for food. The new fish appear to be gun shy. In the QT they have no competition. I suppose I could keep them in an acclimation box so they get used to eating in the DT. They still need to learn to get their food quickly.

 

[Dmorty217]

I would suggest prolonging the QT process to fatten the new fish up to give them a better chance in the DT with the established fish. Other than that all you can do is feed more often. When I put new fish in my DT I literally will feed 7-10 times a day or more

 

[Johnseye]

I would suggest prolonging the QT process to fatten the new fish up to give them a better chance in the DT with the established fish. Other than that all you can do is feed more often. When I put new fish in my DT I literally will feed 7-10 times a day or more

That is great advice Dmorty, thanks. Knowing that frequent feeding like that helps I'll give it a go. The length of QT time is already very long.

 

[ca1ore]

I would suggest prolonging the QT process to fatten the new fish up to give them a better chance in the DT with the established fish.

+1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

An underappreciated, but equally important role for QT. I have had better success with hard to feed anthias since running them through a protracted QT (for feeding more than disease).

 

[Johnseye]

+1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

An underappreciated, but equally important role for QT. I have had better success with hard to feed anthias since running them through a protracted QT (for feeding more than disease).

So my QT time is typically 1.5 to 2 months. To me that seems long, but I suppose if the fish end up dying in the DT then it's not long enough.

 

[ca1ore]

So my QT time is typically 1.5 to 2 months.

That's good - I probably do closer to 2 months (which is 'protracted' compared t some folks who only do a week or two). Occasionally, longer. QT'd an Achilles tang for 4 months, but that's the long end.

 

[scooter31707]

you can try a getting a turkey blaster and squirt food in on side of the tank for the aggressive fish, while they are distracted on that side, on the opposite side squirt some more and see how that works out for you.