Rainford's starving, what to try?

[Hawkdl2]

I've had him for 6 months now in a 9 month old 90 cube. I had originally stocked the tank with pods, but they seem to be nearly gone - though i don't know if he's been eating them or not. He sifts my 2" SB constantly and is not picked on by my Potters, Freidmani or Helifrich's.

Very rarely I've seen him take a piece of flake, but he normally ignores all prepared foods (mysis, pellets and two types of flakes).

I noticed today his middle looks emaciated and he disappears for periods of time. It might be too late to save him but does anyone have any ideas on what to try to feed him? If he needs pods, I'll try to get some.

 

[Arc Katana]

Some eat algae - mine used to love eating hair algae of all things. Try brine shrimp (live and soaked with a vitamin such as selcon) he just might eat that. Pods wouldn't hurt (and the rest of the tank will eat them too).

 

[AquaticFins]

I've had good luck with frozen Cyclop-eeze and live brine shrimp in the past for these guys.

 

[smoothdog]

Hair algae is a part of the Rainford's natural diet. If it is not getting algae in it's diet it will likely wither away.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/3/fish

 

[small alien]

try some nutrimar prawn roe. Mine loves it and it's pretty fatty. Most people do suggest it needs some algae to thrive.

 

[Hawkdl2]

Thanks for the link smoothdog. My LFS no longer carries live brine so its been hard to find any, and doesn't eat frozen brine or mysis. I plan to pick up a couple of alternative prepared herbivore foods tonight and will see if I can get some HA from a local reefer.

Thanks for all the tips.

 

[Jacob D]

If you can get some LR from a mature tank that will give him something to pick at for a little while. Some of them won't eat prepared foods. They do best in mature tanks with very fine sandbeds, film algae, and turf algae to graze. Your tank is a good size to support him, depending on comp. for food, but may not be matured enough. I don't necessarily recommend this, but if you vacuum an inch or so off the top of your sand bed to expose the microfauna underneath (assuming it is mature and has microfauna) he will fatten up instantly. Messing with your sandbed is risky though...

 

[Recty]

Thanks for the link smoothdog. My LFS no longer carries live brine so its been hard to find any, and doesn't eat frozen brine or mysis. I plan to pick up a couple of alternative prepared herbivore foods tonight and will see if I can get some HA from a local reefer.

Thanks for all the tips.

You can hatch live brine on your own very easily, it just takes a 2 liter soda bottle and an air pump/stone plus the brine shrimp eggs.

 

[d0ughb0y]

I have not actually seen my rainford eat any prepared food, but I always see him take a mouthful of sand and eject it through the gills. maybe its getting nutrient from the sand?

 

[Bonta]

Doughboy brings up a good point . Mines also hasn't touched prepared foods too. But my tank had this weird brown algae and he would pick on it all day and was strangely plump.

 

[Hawkdl2]

Mine sifts sand all day, and I've kept one very happy in a tank for several years before without feeding. I know they eat both algae and small inverts typically in thriving sand beds. However, I've never had algae in my tank and I guess the sand bed is too clean.

You'd think a starving fish would at least take a nip at passing food when it was offered.

 

[Jacob D]

I have not actually seen my rainford eat any prepared food, but I always see him take a mouthful of sand and eject it through the gills. maybe its getting nutrient from the sand?

That is exactly where it is getting it's food/nutrition. They are primarily sand sifters. I kept a rainford for about 4 years in a 75g reef with 3 inch sand bed, he never took prepared food. When I removed my sandbed I did it in stages and he became so fat it was ridiculous; I imagine because he only worked over the top inch or less and the layers under that contained higher levels of microfauna. I also caused some problems with my water quality during the sandbed removal.

 

[small alien]

prawn roe!!!!!!!

 

[jedheuer]

+1 on the algae. Mine was doing well eating hair algae in my old tank but I upgraded and scrubbed the rock clean of algae when I transferred. He got skinny until some of the algae began to grow back. He started grazing again and plumped right up again.