How to entice clownfish to eat?

[robdog696]

I recently purchased a new clownfish. She is a large true perc, I believe female. She instantly took to my smaller true perc, and he stays by her side. Not long after, she took to my LTA, and hasn't left it since. She does not wiggle around in the anemone like my other true perc, but kind of lazily glides across it. She is not very active, is breathing a bit more heavily than normal, and will not eat. I have tried flakes, flakes soaked in garlic, spirulina, brine shrimp, brine soaked in garlic, I have tried putting food on the anemone so she doesn't have to chase it, and I have even held flakes in front of her. At times she has seemed unable to resist the instinct to chase the food, but does not eat it. Any help here would be greatly appreciated. I have never had a fish that I could not entice to eat.

 

[brad pitt]

if she is a little is a little bit more fat than u got her than maybe she is pregnant. my clowns never got pregnant but i have had fish when they are pregnant and dont eat. MAYBE she is pregnant im not saying she is 100%. she might be sick. post a message in the diseases section

 

[robdog696]

Thanks for the reply. Like the new avatar, Brad. I'll do some research on pregnancy and see if I notice any signs.

 

[hops523]

When did you get the new clown?Sometimes fish wont eat for a few days. Also, how did you acclimate her? Im sure she will come around eventually.

 

[robdog696]

I have had her for 5 days now, and I drip acclimated her.

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by Robdog696
http:///forum/post/2583521
I have had her for 5 days now, and I drip acclimated her.
It's very common for Percula not to eat for a week or two after being moved from their territory.

 

[robdog696]

Thanks Bang Guy!!! She seems a bit more active today, but seems to get spooked every time I feed the tank. Should I feed the tank less to allow her more time to calm her nerves, or more to get her used to me?

 

[hops523]

She will eventually come around. I would just feed however you fed the other before you got the new clown. I wouldnt feed your fish more, because you could over feed them, and really mess up your parameters.

 

[robdog696]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll try to update this thread if/when anything changes.

 

[robdog696]

I finally got my true perc eating. You'll never believe how. Purely by accident, honestly. I put a veggie clip with dried seaweed in the tank for my tang this morning. When I got home from work it was gone. I thought the tang had eaten it, but when I put a new one in, the clownfish went straight for it. Weird, huh? Has anyone else ever seen this?

 

[all108]

my true percs refused to eat for about a week and a half. I went to my lfs and he told me to use myesis. Worked like a charm. Now they eat formula 2 that I crush up for my other fish, and they wouldn't touch it before. They don't eat from the algae clip though

 

[schnutzzy]

I feed my pair of clowns frozen mysis. They attack it like it was candy.

 

[bang guy]

You can keep trying different foods and different ways of feeding a new Percula and it will probably start eating in a week or two.
Or, you can just not try to actively feed it and it will probably start eating in a week or two.
Whatever makes you the happiest. Just don't try to feed them a lot during the first week or all of the ignored food will foul the tank.