Clownfish not eating

contraband629

contraband629

Member
So I decided to get two clownfish on Friday morning for my newly cycled tanks. So far they are not eating. At first they completely ignored all food. Today however, they have gone after the food only to spit it out bite at it again and spit it out until it sinks to the bottom. I've tried to feed them mysis shrimp, formula 2, 2 different types of flakes, another combination of frozen food, and krill. So far they went for the flake once only to completely ignore it after tasting it. With mysis and formula 2 I've observed the spitting behavior. I'm starting to get concerned. I checked all my parameters and everything is where it should be with the exception of my nitrate being at 20ppm. I did a water change today but I'm slightly concerned. They seem healthy enough. I've observed that they like to hang out and sleep in the top right corner at night. During the day they hang out at the bottom right corner and when I have the tank lights on (for several hours) they swim all around the tank except for into the little cave. Sometimes when I approach the tank they retreat behind the rocks and slowly poke their heads out. Any advice?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Keep trying, they will eat. They are just a bit nervous. Two days is nothing to be worried about. Once they start eating, they will accept just about any fish food that you provide. Be sure to keep it nutritious.
Do you have any corals or anemones in there? If not then that is why they are hiding in corners. Don't worry about that either. They will find a spot that they like just fine. Give them time.
 
contraband629

contraband629

Member
Ok, I was a little worried there. No I do not have any coral or anemonies. I saw them eat at the LFS first before I bought them which is why I was a little concerned.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
I've had a tang that took almost 2 weeks to eat. Just glad he was really fat when I got him.
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by jackri
http:///forum/post/3120113
I've had a tang that took almost 2 weeks to eat. Just glad he was really fat when I got him.
Yep, I have had fish take awhile to eat as well.
Clowns do not have to have anything to host. They will be fine finding a comfy spot in the rocks.
 
scotts

scotts

Active Member
Just because you are putting food in your tank does not mean the fish know it is food. Try soaking your food in garlic juice, they like the smell and flavor of it. You can also try brine shrimp, it tastes good, although it does not really have very good nutritional value. Once they start eating then you can swtich them over to a better diet. I think you can get garlic juice in the supermarket for cheap, if not they will have garlic extract at your LFS, but it will be more expensive.
Scott
 
marchingbandjs

marchingbandjs

Member
Or you could bye fresh garlic and slice and dice it... Right?.... thats what i do atleast... And if he has tried that much stuff the chances are they have realized its food and just are not in the mood, try the garlic... in the end they are just stressed... try keeping the lights off more... and put some pvc tubes in so they can hide places(if you dont have places they can hid already).
 
contraband629

contraband629

Member
So today I tried flakes again and they went for maybe 3 flakes between the two of them. Then I tried just chopping up garlic and putting it in and again they had a few peices between the two of them. I suppose thats a small improvement but they still arnt eating as much as I would like.
 
contraband629

contraband629

Member
So when should I get worried if they dont continue to eat? I noticed its always bigger one of the two that eats even if its only a little. The smaller one I've seen it nible once or twice. Also, I think they've paired up because I saw the smaller of the two on its side acting like its having a seizure. Do they pair up this quickly?
 
scotts

scotts

Active Member
OK, first of all you don't want to chop up the garlic and put it in the tank. You just want to soak the food in the juice for about an hour or so. You should see if you can get some garlic juice at the grocery store. Also make sure when you feed your fish that you do not stick your face right near the glass to see if they eat. Feed them and back off a couple of feet, you will see if they eat from there. Also do not do a lot of fiddling around in the tank, let them get used to what is in there and let them calm down.
 
contraband629

contraband629

Member
Scotts, in case you are interested in knowing I soaked a cube of mysis shrimp in garlic guard for about an hour and they went nuts for it.
 
reice05

reice05

Member
sorry to hijack the thread but i recently got 2 gold stripe maroon and all i've been feeding them has been mysis and brine shrimp. i want to have a better mixture now that i seen in one of the post in this thread that brine doesnt have any nutritional value, whats a good mixture for them i dont like the flake food i like to feed the meaty stuff
 
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