Matalic Foxface

[Tajjo]

I just picked up a matelic foxface today from lfs, i put it in a qt with copper, it does have sand (is that bad/good?) it has been fine i got it around noon. After i got home from running errands i went to check on him and i assume from the light he turned colores but after a short while he went back to normal. After an hour or so in my fish room i checked on him to be sure he was still fine. His breathing is fine just changed funny colors again, now he is laying on the sand, so i grabed him with a net and he swam away. Any ideas. Should i put him in my display? I still need to re-qt my display fish, since an accident with ich. However im open to any and all suggestions.
Thanks

 

[Tajjo]

anybody?

 

[CyclistMT]

Foxface can/will change colors a bit depending on thier mood or enviornment. A foxface will be in camouflage mode if the tank has been in the dark and the lights are turned on unexpectedly.

Laying on the sand could be a sign of trouble but again, if the lights were off, it could be normal behavior. Do you have any rock in the quarenteene tank or other things for him to hide behind? If not, that will be causing additional stress. I have found foxface to be naturally nervous fish. Be careful putting your hand in there too. You know the have venomous spines right?

The sand in the QT tank won't be an issue as long as you ensure it stays clean. If you let it foul, it could cause you additional probems with ammonia spikes, etc.

 

[falco]

That seems pretty normal for a foxface in QT. I have a magnificent foxface and when something spooks him he changes color from white to brown/black. Also, mine sleeps at the bottom of the tank, just off the sand bed. I have had him for a little over a year, HTH.

 

[bj32482]

did he already have ich?


you should not use copper unless there is a problem...

 

[Tajjo]

Ok thanks guys i woke up this morning and everything is fine. I have a small overhang on to keep wast under controll. He's just swimming around now. There is a rock for him it is mounted in the corner, so he can go behind.
No he has now shown any sings of ich. But to be compleetley honest with you i have spent WAY TOO MUCH MONEY to go that rout again, where i ask will it be ok to throw in the display? And some say yeah yeah itll be ok, theres no ich. Next day BOOM they all have it! Then i lose a couple hundred dollars worth of fish and double it to buy em back so the wife wont notice. Just my $.02.
Everybody i know uses copper and hypo, works wonders. But to each man his own. Thanks for all the help guys.


Another question i have, Does the yellow on the mag. foxface fade as he gets older? Mine has yellow on all fins bright yellow.

 

[DNickell]

Think of copper treatment as radical chemotherapy. It may sometimes be necessary, but you sure don't want it as routine practice.

Have you tried using garlic soaked food? Mainly, just use time. Wait and see if there is a problem before you try radical treatments to cure it.

Also, Foxfaces change color all the time. Sometimes pretty extreme changes. They can be very pale, almost white to very dark and all patterns in between. Their mood determines this. Your radical treatment of him is not helping his mood, so he isn't going to look bright and happy until he gets settled in someplace akin to a safe place.

 

[Tajjo]

he has plenty of hiding places. Its just when I come into the room and he notices me that he plays dead and goes camo.

I've tried garlic and failed misserably, from what I understood garlic helps to boost their appetite. One of my lfs's qt's all fish in copper

 

[Tajjo]

he has plenty of hiding places. Its just when I come into the room and he notices me that he plays dead and goes camo.

I've tried garlic and failed misserably, from what I understood garlic helps to boost their appetite. One of my lfs's qt's all fish in copper, everybody I know whom buys from them all have healthy fish which all live and are thrown straight into display without contaminating the tank with ich, so I seems to make more sense to me just to copper qt all my fish.

 

[Justin James]

You should not treat any fish with any substance if there isn't a problem to correct. My motto: "if it ain't broke, dont fix it". As you were saying about having to remove your display fish and qt that will be useless since the ich is allready in your tank as soon as an ich infected fish touches the water. Your best bet is to just provide cleaner shrimp, neon gobies, and feed your food soaked in garlic extream. I've done this and I have many tangs including a blue hippo who now has no ich.