How long for new fish to eat?

[lcs]

I have a coral beauty that has only been in QT since Sunday and was only in at the LFS the previous Friday. It did eat there, but has yet to eat for me. It seems fat and healthy so far. It seems like an older fish, almost at 4" would be my guess. Am I right in thinking that s/he would be fine going without food for several days?

I have so far tried Hikari mysis and ON pygmy angel formula. I have Rod's as well, but I'm thinking it's not going to go for that either. At what point should I go for some live food?

What is everyone's experience with the dwarf angels?

 

[revaltion131]

Have you tried pellets or flakes yet? My Potter's actually took to pellets the second day but took a couple of weeks to take to frozen food. I recently got a wild clown pair (I know, I know) that I had a similar experience with.

Edit: Almost forgot, has it shown any feeding response yet, even if it's not actually eating?

 

[TripleT]

What was it eating at the LFS?

I'd try the Rod's, spirulina enriched brine, New Life Spectrum pellets, and cyclops.

Keep trying until you find something. And soak in supplements, especially if he's going to be finicky.

 

[lcs]

Almost forgot, has it shown any feeding response yet, even if it's not actually eating?

Not really, but then I'm not sure what I should be seeing. He swims around a lot, not quite frantic, but a lot.

I will give the LFS a call tomorrow and find out what they fed him.

I did try Rod's just a little bit ago. No dice. I do have cyclopeeze, I'll try that too.

I also have some formula 2 pellets that I haven't tried. I'll give those a try tomorrow. My carpenter's wrasse took to those right away as well.

Good thing I have all these kinds of food around - he's bound to eat something, right?

Thanks!

 

[2006]

I had a clown that was the 1st fish in the tank. After 3 or 4 days of trying all sorts of food I put another clown in with it. Ate right away with some competition in the tank.

 

[SMOOTHIE]

Keep the lights off and tie some nori around a rock to let him pick at it. Add some garlic to entice him and selcon for vitamins.

 

[lcs]

Keep the lights off and tie some nori around a rock to let him pick at it. Add some garlic to entice him and selcon for vitamins

Great idea! I will give that a try today first. Thanks!

 

[lcs]

Put a couple pieces of garlic soaked nori in in the early evening and I'll leave it so he'll have it to nibble on overnight. I also added a sponge filter to provide added filtration (in addition to an AquaClear with LR rubble), aeration, and circulation. He didn't seem interested and he's still a bit twitchy - almost always pacing along one side of the tank.

I did stop at the LFS and will also try what they were able to get him to eat - a mix of frozen mysis, brine and I think Marine Supreme. Hopefully the nori will be gone in the morning!

 

[29reef]

Most fish sleep at night and don't graze, it depends on the individual fish and how recently they were moved. I've never seen any of my fish active at night (anthias, tang, wrasses). It might be better to put food in durring the day when the fish has a greater chance of eating it. Leaving the light off durring the day may help with some stress for a deeper water fish but in your case I wouldn't worry about it too much. The fact that you got such a large wild speciment might work againsed you, as from what little I know about angels iirc as they age their diets become somewhat set and become more difficult to acclimate to aquariums. This may not be the case for your fish but I thought I'd mention it. HTH best to luck to you.

 

[twelvejewelz]

Id say go get a FRESH oyster and open it up and put it in the tank on a half shell. I guarantee 100% that the fish will devour it !

 

[jaa1456]

Use live brine shrimp to kick off the process.

 

[TripleT]

Also worth a try:

Ocean Nutrition Pygmy Angel Formula

Ocean Nutrition Pygmy Angel Formula Frozen Food Pygmy Angels Centropyge sp. (Flame, Lemon Peel, Coral Beauty, Potter's, Fisher's, Bi-Color, Atlantic Cherubfish, etc.) have a specialized diet in nature that is entirely different from the sponge diet of larger Angels (Pomacanthus, Holocanthus, etc.). Combined several species of Marine Algae & Spirulina, with fresh seafood's, and supplements & pigments to create the perfect formula for the health and beauty of these highly desirable aquarium specimens.

INGREDIENTS: Tropical marine algae (Caulerpa, Ulva, Hypnea, Gracilaria), kelp (Euphausids), krill hydrolysate, shrimp, squid, brine shrimp, spinach, salmon roe, peas, spirulina, fish oil, casein, lecithin, astaxanthin, canthaxanthin (for color enhancement). Vitamins: potassium ascorbate, beta-carotene, biotin, hydroxocobalamin (source of vitamin B12), niacin, riboflavin, thiamine HCL. Amino acids: methionine (dl-methionine), L-Lysine, taurine. Trace elements: calcium chloride, potassium iodide, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, magnesium carbonate, zinc sulfate.

 

[lcs]

I tried the Pygmy Angel formula as well, but will try again. I'm worried I might be throwing too many things at him at once maybe. Any special method for feeding those gel-like cubes?

 

[snorvich]

Water parameters in QT?

 

[lcs]

NH3 0
NO2 0
NO3 haven't checked in about a week
SG 1.025
pH 8.2
temp 78

I've been doing 2 gal water changes every couple of days with water that is about a week old. The tank is 10 gal.

 

[vwtanker]

Make sure you have some places for him to hide and settle down. We use pvc pipe pieces, keeps things clean, and if you have to treat the qt, it won't absorb stuff. Lights off is good at the start, turn on a soft almost dim one when trying to feed. Thaw out and break up the cubes into bite size pieces when trying them. Most of the time they will start on frozen brine shrimp. Mix it in some tank water and squirt it in with a pipette. It will float around the tank and look somewhat alive. It works for me, hope it works for you.

That is the longest I have ever heard a Khuli loach living! Mine have always jumped and I gave up years before AIO systems existed.

 

[lcs]

Just wanted to let you know that he is eating! Yay! I continued with the brine/mysis in the am and the Pygmy Angel formula in the evening. I saw him take one of the brine shrimp this morning and I noticed that the food that had been stuck to the foam on the filter intake was gone and I assumed he ate that, and then this evening he ate the Pygmy Angel Formula - I saw him eat one mouthful and then I left and when I came back the rest was gone.

Thanks so much for all your help and suggestions! I certainly now have quite the variety of food available for all my fish!

That is the longest I have ever heard a Khuli loach living!

I've always wondered what their life span actually was/could be. I originally had three - one disappeared and one managed to climb up the outlet of my Magnum 250 hang on filter and died in the spray bar that feeds the biowheel. Completely gross! The last one I have now actually looks like an old man - his whole face has a grayish, wrinkled look to it. He still eats well and thinks he can swim like a real fish! I'll be very bummed when he goes.

 

[basser1]

Success! :thumbsup:

Glad to hear your dwarf angel is eating! Getting a new fish to eat is almost as stressful for the new owner as it is for the fish! LOL!

 

[lcs]

Glad to hear your dwarf angel is eating! Getting a new fish to eat is almost as stressful for the new owner as it is for the fish!

Thanks! And you aren't kidding. This was the first time (it's my first salt tank) I've had to deal with this. He still doesn't get real excited when food is added, but that's OK. He looks like he's too busy planning his escape to eat. Heh.