How much does a ocellaris need to eat so it wont die?

[Grebex11]

I have had my clown for 5 days now and the most he will ever eat is like 3 tiny little pieces of a shrimp pellet crushed up. These pieces are like the size of a grain of sand. He won't eat frozen brine, baby brine, or mysis. He also won't even touch flake food even if I soak the flake in garlic. He actually becomes less interested if I put it in garlic. He usually goes towards the brine but either doesn't grab it or spits it out.

I was wondering if this is enough to keep him alive? What else would you guys recommend I do? If I added another clown would he be more likely to eat? I know the last idea seems kinda "out there".

 

[elegance coral]

It's pretty common for clowns to not eat for the first few days in a new system. I would just keep feeding a variety of foods, like you're doing. Once they calm down and get more comfortable in their new home they usually get their apatite back. After 5 days though, he should be taking live adult brine shrimp if offered. Not the best food in the world, but about irresistible to clowns.

 

[Grebex11]

Got some Rod's food today to try that. He ate that a little more. He loved the little red pieces in there. I dk what it is though... looked kind of flake like. Definitely wasn't krill... Might have been really small bloodworms? I'm not sure.

 

[Grebex11]

I don't know of anywhere I can get live brine shrimp though.

 

[Grebex11]

haha correction in the title... "An Ocellaris"

 

[Mavrk]

It's probably eating stuff from the live rock. Or eating when you are not watching. Keep trying. They are pigs at heart, so it should eat soon enough unless there is an illness.

Like EC said above, it can take a while for fish to eat in a new tank. If it tries to eat the food and spits it out, then it is the wrong food.

Try New Life Spectrum Small Fish food. The pellets are small and tend to stay in the water column longer. My clowns always love them. In fact, my new Flame Angel sitting in QT was being a picky eater until I gave it that. Now it is starting to accept other prepared food (it did like the baby brine shrimp, but not as much as my clowns do).

Oh, and if he liked the Rod's food (especially the red), try cyclopeeze. I am guessing that was the part it liked. My fish all love that. IME, it brings out the coloring in clowns too.

 

[Grebex11]

I originally looked for the clopeeze but the dude at the LFS didn't have it I dont think and also said it was probably too small...

 

[rhdoug]

A lot of small pieces like cyclopeeze is better than a few large pieces all at once... Try some frozen foods like mysis shrimp.