panther grouper starving himself!!

[icon83]

Hey guys...I need some help :help: ...I got a small panther grouper about 3 weeks ago. My tank is fairly new and I only have one other fish, a damsel. I also have some crabs and snails. My pH is 8.0, there is a small amount of ammonia, and a small amount of nitrate that I'm workin on gettin rid of. Temperature is 80, salinity is 1.023, and there are 0 nitrites. The grouper acclimated fine and was swimming around and looking for food for the first 2 weeks. However, recently I noticed that he has not been eating when I feed them. He just lays either on the floor or on a rock. Since laying around is a characteristic of their natural behavior, this didnt really bother me until today when I noticed him on the floor laying on his side breathing heavy.

He looks really skinny and weak. Since I am trying to cut down on ammonia and nitrates, I only feed them a small amount twice a week. They are both very small fish. I alternate between freeze dried krill, flakes, and dried blood worms. Today I put a small piece of krill right next to him and he turned away. It seems as though he is purposely starving himself!! Anyone have any ideas??!
P.S. I have some soft corals and mushroom polyps which are all doing really well...So I don't know why this particular fish is having problems...Could he just not like what I am feeding him?? Please Help!!

 

[moby]

there is a small amount of ammonia, and a small amount of nitrate that I'm workin on gettin rid of.
How old is this tank? It sounds like it is still cycling. Since you have ammonia and nitrites, have you tested for nitrates?
This could have alot to do with this grouper not eating. Ammonia is very toxic to fish and some cannot tolerate it in even small levels.
Moby

 

[saltwater8]

Ok, don't flame, don't flame, don't flame........

A 29 gallon tank is way too small for a panther grouper...
In order to get your ammonia down you are feeding a fish that needs to be fed everyday only a small amount twice a week? :thinking:
Panther Groupers are pretty tolerant of less-than-ideal water quality.
A grouper will eat almost anything. It is their instinct to eat whenever food is available.
Provide them with a wide variety of meaty seafood such as fish fillets, shrimp, clams, scallops, squid, prawns, silversides, freeze-dried krill, or other comparable foods.
:happyfish

 

[icon83]

oh well...he just died

Guess it wasn't meant to be....I am still curious though...if anyone has kept a panther grouper, what do you feed him?? Is he an active eater??

 

[ophiura]

PLEASE I can only beg PLEASE do not get one of these fish for any tank under at least 175g, and even then....they grow VERY fast and it is often quite difficult to trade them in. This fish gets HUGE and it is just wrong, IMO, wrong that LFS sell them so small. It is misleading.
So if you happen to have a 175g tank somewhere else and are growing it out.....
The tank was very young for this sort of fish. No fish starves itself on purpose. They stop eating when stressed or sick, which can be from water quality or other issues. What were you trying to feed it??

 

[macjmc]

Mine eats about anything I put in the tank lol. I feed him a frozen mix and he eats huge chunks he is awesome!