new fish still not eating

spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
i had ordered some fish from SWF.com and they all arrived fine, the fish did at least. I ordered a blackback butterfly, mandarin dragonet, and a firefly goby, also recently purchased a clown from my LFS
the dragonet is scooting around eating copepods off the live rock, super happy
its the other fish giving me issues
the butterfly and clown both swim like crazy when i feed, but the clown swims up, sucks in the food, then spits it out and moves on to the next moving piece, the butterfly sometimes does the same, but more often than not, just swims close, realizes what it is, then swims away
the goby doesnt even seem interested
ive tried flakes and brine shrimp, frozen and freeze dried, and ive tried raw shrimp and clams for the butterly
the fish seem interested and hungry, but dont like what im feeding them, ive tried garlic and that doesnt help, they just spit everything out no matter what i give
please give me some information, im practically broke and would prefer not to go buy new food, but if i have to, i will
ive never had almost everything not want to eat, this is no good
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
oh, and ive tried feeding with the lights on and off, no difference, levels are all normal, salinity is fine, heat is fine, tank is cycled, these are just the new inhabitants
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
How long have you had the fish? Maybe they are still adjusting...
What type of frozen are you feeding?
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Brine is only good for a side dish...can you get some frozen mysis?
Also they sell food specifically for a butterfly...you might want to try to get that?
 
indy2009

indy2009

Member
try feeding frozen Marine cuisine cut the cube in half when still frozen and cut each half into halfs again, put one half in tank, guarantee they will all eat it up.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
lol so cut into quarters, and put half in, or one quarter? but ya, that was suggested, guess ill go buy some of that, any other ideas?
like to make only one trip
 
indy2009

indy2009

Member
Originally Posted by spkdtch
http:///forum/post/2995611
lol so cut into quarters, and put half in, or one quarter? but ya, that was suggested, guess ill go buy some of that, any other ideas?
like to make only one trip
put 1/4 into tank frozen each time, also do you have marine pellets? Formula one frozen? I went through the same thing I had to try different stuff to figure out what they prefer. Brine,mysis. didn't want anything to do with them, also they enjoy bloodworms frozen.
 
wattsupdoc

wattsupdoc

Active Member
The clown hasn't eaten in two weeks? You said your levels were "normal" do you currently test for ammo, nitrite? I know you said you cycled, but 4 fish in two weeks....what size tank is this? How much rock? The new additions are probably just adjusting. Finding whatever they have been eating will solve this problem. Contact the vendor and see EXACTLY what they have been eating. I know SWF.com makes sure that their fish are eating. At least those that aren't super picky eaters. Which, may be the blackback, but definitely the firefish should be pigging out. BTW, brine is not a very nutritional food. Try mysis, frozen squid and I feed frozen blood worms, some say that's not a very good food, but my fish gobble it up and I've never had any problem. I also feed emerald entree and a frozen carnivore food by the same maker(Marine Cuisine). My fish tear that stuff up.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
all the fish except the clown came from swf.com, i test for everything just in case, ammonia and nitrites are both 0, its a 29gal there in right now, a QT, they will be going in the 55gal when they are eating
and no pellets, ive been meaning to get some and some formula 1 and 2, but waiting on a paycheck
 
indy2009

indy2009

Member
Great, you shouldn't have any issues, formula one has a binder in it, you can do the same as with the Marine cuisine, in the frozen state, I cut mine up and put it into a small tupperware container and take it out as needed.
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by spkdtch
http:///forum/post/2995650
i planned on getting the marine cusisine, blood worms, pellets, and formula one and two
Careful with pellets and flake foods...a lot goes uneaten and causes other issues
I only feed flake and pellet every couple of weeks..just for a change and only a tiny pinch
 
indy2009

indy2009

Member
Originally Posted by spkdtch
http:///forum/post/2995671
i have a decent clean up crew, but i do try to avoid using too many flakes, does leave a big mess
same here, I feed my tank 2X aday once in morning once in evening never have any leftover of anything. good luck spkdtch, hope this info will help you out, let us know how it goes..
 
505titan

505titan

Member
i had the same problem along time ago. my buddy said to try live earth warms and it worked like a charm just cut the worm in small bite size pieces. you can get them from walmart
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
im picking up blood worms, mysis shrimp, and marine cuisine tonight if they have it at *****, not sure if they do
as far as earth worms/night crawlers, i havent tried it yet, walmart is on the other side of town for me, so im debating just digging a hole and trying to find one on my own to test it :p
 
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