Need Help Getting Fish to Eat

[deneed4spd]

I just got a Juvi onyx clown from Lake Superior club from the swap. It has its first strip and is starting on the 2nd. About 1.5 inches long from mouth to tail fin.

I have it in my 20g QT with PVC pipes, a HOB filter, and a MJ400. The sg is 1.025 and temp is steady 79 degrees. No ammonia. I know the fish is a bit scared because it used to be in a black tub with 20 other clown fish but now is alone. I am trying to get it to eat something but it isnt taking anything.

It was fed crush flakes, cyclopeze when it was raised.

I have tried feeding it twice a day to see if it will eat something. The foods I have tried are: NR Pellets (smallest ones), Adult Brine Shrimp, Crush Flake (some aqueon stuff I got for free), Food made at Kate's food making party, and Oceanic Cyclopeze they were giving out for free at the swap. I saw him nibble once or twice at the cyclopeze but thats about it. It seems like when I put in flakes or cyclopeze, he gets really excited by swimming around rapidly around the tank but doesnt seem to understand what is food. I have a lot of food on the bottom of the tank which I will do a water change tomorrow to siphon some out.

Any thoughts on what I should do different to get the little bugger to eat! Dont want to lose my first fish!

 

[thebkramer]

Just be patient He will eat.. just a bit scared now.. give him a few days to come out of his "coma" lol just put a pinch in daily til he starts eating :bounce1:

Edit:
If you can get the excess food out ASAP.. that would be best.. hate to see it mess with your water params... do you have a turkey baster to just suck it up??

 

[NewOne81]

you could also try soaking food in garlic

 

[deneed4spd]

Hmm Turkey baster sounds interesting. There is so much food, I might just have to siphon it out. Hopefully it doesnt scare the fish to much!

 

[IslandCrow]

As others have said, definitely clean up that excess food. As far as getting the fish to eat, soaking the food in a little garlic sometimes does the trick. You should be able to pick up some Garlic Xtreme or one of the other brands at your LFS or online. Is the brine fish you've used live or frozen? Live brine shrimp will sometimes get a fish eating as well. I had a really finicky blennie who would initially only eat live brine. Then I started mixing in some frozen brine. Next he started eating garlic soaked mysis. That took about a month. It was another month before I had him eating flake and pellet food. Clownfish are usually pretty voracious, but certainly can be initially timid.

 

[deneed4spd]

Yah, I have been trying to feed live brine shrimp but he just stares at them and then doesnt really eat them. I return couple hours later and I dont see any brine shrimp. I dont know if he ate them or if they got sucked up the HOB.

 

[snorvich]

How large is this clown? Generally frozen mysis will tempt them rather quickly. Definitely get excess food out of that tank.