Ugggghh this is a long story so I'll try to be brief. Have a 65 gallon saltwater tank. One eheim pro 3 and also a magna filter and finally a reef octopus protein skimmer. Only two fish were in the tank. Porcupine and a sailfish algae blenny. Nitrates were high but unable to get them down no matter what. Suggested change from crushed coral to sand. During this time porcupine ate like crazy. All of a sudden stopped. He tries but goes for it and turns away. Anyway chnged from crushed coral to sand. Went to fish LFS and told me how to do it at one time. Said nitrates could be high because of cc. Did the change to sand , cleaned both filters and skimmer. Introduced some bacteria called see according to directions. Took water to be tested told me nitrates were fine that there were none. Porcupine still not eating. They said they sometimes do that. So I went and bought a Lionfish and Squirell fish and added them to the tank. So far so good. Lionfish ate a silverside first day in the tank and squirrel also. Pieces of course. Lionfish ate a whole silver side at soon as he saw it in the tank. Now its been about a week and the lionfish doing the same thing as the porcupine. Goes for the food but doesnt eat it. Did a water change of about 20 percent ammonis was a little high. Cannot figure it out. Someone have any ideas i would appreciate it. I am frustrated and do not want to lose those fish.
Fish not eating
- Thread starter Meelee
- Start date
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
High ammonia will hurt the fish. First priority should be to get that ammonia down. You can add a product like SeaChem Prime to detoxify the ammonia but it doesn't change the fact that the bioload is too big for your current bacteria level.
Most of those are fish that really need a much bigger tank. The porcupine and squirrel fish for sure, the lion depending on the species. The blenny is fine in a 65.
Most of those are fish that really need a much bigger tank. The porcupine and squirrel fish for sure, the lion depending on the species. The blenny is fine in a 65.
Hi thanks for the reply. I did check the ammonia , did a water change and it is coming down. However I think the bacteria solutionb the lFS sold me may have something to do with that. He told me to use that to put back the bio bed and I think that has contributed to it. I have always had 0 ammonia and 0 nitrites. Seems now everything is elevated. Sooooo I'm waiting and watching anxiously for things to level. Hope that's the issue. Again thank you for your help and response.
lmforbis
Well-Known Member
When you add more fish especially fish that contribute a lot of waste, all of yours do, they will cause your ammonia to go up. You should never add more than one fish at a time so your bacteria can catch up. Any ammonia in your tank is harmful to your fish I would strongly suggest buying an ammonia detoxifier to have on hand if this happens again.
I have an ongoing problem with my porcupine fish. Hes not eating . Been going on for at least a month. Water levels are fine. Attempts to eat but shy's away. Now he stays at the bottom hiding and when he sees me tries to eat. I have gone as far as holding him under and try feeding him with a dropper. Still no success. I see no differences in his body. Except I see at the end of his body to his tail fin a shade of red. I don't know if it has been there before. I tried every food you could think of and tried the garlic method. I wonder if there is a medication I could treat the entire tank with. Any info appreciated.
First thank you for your reply. His teeth are fine. I cant even see them when I try to feed him by hand. However I just looked at my squirrel fish and noticed like a very small pimple or something on his lower mouth. Now something else to worry about. He was a later edition to the tak though so if any fish were infected with something it woulkd have been the porcupine. Just dont know what else to do
Its the API kits but I took the water to two fish stores and everything and all the levels were good. Someone said test for calcium? But I don't think that would explain the way hes acting. Wondering if he had some parasite and if there is a medication that I could put in the tank.