S.A. RAYzor Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 I have a new 10 gallon, it's been cycled and everything, but my two Apistogrammas (one male one female) REFUSE to eat. :grr: I've tried Cyclop-eez flakes, NLS and Spectrum Thera A. They are active al least, and will try to eat, but then just spit it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Prawn Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 It's possibly they are stressed, or maybe they just don't like it. I'm told that Oscars will eat anything that will fit in their mouth, but mine will barely eat anything but NLS Cichlid Formula. They spit out Community formula, and will take a shrimp pellet in their mouth but spit it out right away. I just hope they will eat NLS large fish formula, it's gonna be a long feeding time if they only eat Cichlid formula when they're a foot long! -Hideo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 Can you provide a bit more info. -What are your water parameters(exact numbers, ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,ph) - How long have you had these fish? -How long have they been in this tank? - Are they showing any other symptoms? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vapor Posted January 22, 2006 Report Share Posted January 22, 2006 Were they eating this same food before, or are these new types of food you are trying? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A. RAYzor Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Can you provide a bit more info.-What are your water parameters(exact numbers, ammonia,nitrite,nitrate,ph) - How long have you had these fish? -How long have they been in this tank? - Are they showing any other symptoms? Well, pH is 6.8, ammonia is 0 and nitrates are 0. :smokey: They are only not eating, but I think they just might be stressed (hopefully). I've only had them for two days, that might be a problem. @Vapor: it is new foods. I picked them up at Big Al's a couple of days ago. They are perfectly healthy from the outside... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Prawn Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Could be stress, some people don't even feed their new fish until a day or so after adding them. -Hideo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Where did you buy them from? If they are only 2 days in your tank I wouldn't really worry just yet. If it goes on for a couple more days then think abou tthe next step. Keep your water as clean as you can so they dont' have any other added stress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 A couple of questions, did these fish come from a tank with a pH of 6.8? Also, what size are they, as the 1mm NLS pellets may be too large for them, hence the reason for them spitting them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A. RAYzor Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 They're from Big Al's. They are about 3 cm right now, and the female is just slightly smaller. They can get the pellets in their mouths alright, but won't swallow. We tried some White worms today and they ate those. The male ate alot, but the female just ate a couple. I'm a little worried about her... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 At that size the 1mm pellets are too big. The fact that they can fit the food in their mouth doesn't mean they can comfortably eat it. I would suggest using the Small Fish formula. Considering all of the other recent posts about ill fish from that store, you might want to consider that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 If you already have the NLS, you may want to just crush what you have for now. But, look into getting the smaller size, and/or the Grow formula for the future. Whiteworms are a good food for conditioning, but probably won't be a good staple for long periods of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted January 23, 2006 Report Share Posted January 23, 2006 Its a good sign they will atleast eat the white worms. I'd keep a close eye on them becuase lately people haven't been having the best of luck with fish from Big al's. Does big al's lower the ph in their tanks? maybe they were just shocked at the ph change between the store and your tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zagz Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 I have a question that may be off base here but you said your nitrates are 0, what are your nitrites? Maybe there is a nitrite spike? Usually a cycled tank shows some nitrates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A. RAYzor Posted January 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 Thanks for all the help. Here's a basic rundown of my tank: 2 Marbled Hatchetfish 2 Apistogramma cacatuoides 1 Bristlenose Nitrites: 0 Nitrates: trace Ammonia: 0 The tank has been cycled, with media from another SA Chiclid tank (Rams). I don't know what Big Al's uses for their pH, but mine is steady. Thanks for the tips on feeding RD. and jvision; I'll definately try both. Thanks again for all the help. :bow: ~RAYzor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted January 24, 2006 Report Share Posted January 24, 2006 I seriously doubt that BA's tweaks their pH, which means your fish went from approx pH 8.0, to pH 6.8, in a rather sudden manner. That, and the disruption from being physically moved has most likely caused them a fair bit of stress. And yes, if you already have the 1mm pellets simply crush them up a bit so they will be easier for your fish to consume. Hopefully they will come around in due time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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