How to keep a fish alive until it learns to eat

[alprazo]

I just wanted to post a success story. I purchased a Rock Beauty over two months ago. I started tube feeds about 3 weeks after it arrived and while undergoing the praziquantil and chloroquine treatments. It never ate until about 1 week ago ( ~ 8 weeks) when it first started picking at some shad roe. I did three times a week tube feeds of a flake food solution until three days ago when I decided that it had a chance to make it in the display tank picking some frozen food but also it now had some algae, coral and sponge to munch. The treatment tank was bare and devoid of liverock. Two my amazement, it aggressively ate flake food last tonight. It is a little thin, but hopefully well on its way to recovering its ideal weight. I am certain that the tube feeds helped the fish survive the more than 8 week fast.

Here is a vid of it eating flake for the first time.

<iframe width="420" height="720" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/oFG-AZacOB8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

and a link to the tube feed post I created some time ago. It does work.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2138236

 

[namxas]

Nice job AP...we used to tube feed sick SH sometimes, so we know how tuff that road is.

 

[Monkeyfish]

How do you safely tube feed a fish?

 

[alprazo]

How do you safely tube feed a fish?

I posted a video some time ago that can be found in the link above.

With this technique, I feel pretty comfortable that I could have success with many of the very difficult species that refuse to eat.

 

[namxas]

AP,

Did you sedate the fish first? Just curious...

 

[alprazo]

Greg,

Yes, I use Finquel/tricaine. I now do it a little different than I showed in the video. I scoop out the fish in a plastic container, add the tricaine, it takes about 2 min to work, then I tube feed the fish and immediately return it to the tank. The whole process takes about 5 min.

 

[namxas]

AP,

I was wondering...I've used MS-222 as well as clove oil for tube feedings on SH. Again, nice job, and thanks for sharing your success.