quit eating

[huma]

I have a 55 gal. fish only with a huma trigger, pork puffer, yellow tang, and a lunar wrasse and they quit eating about two weeks ago. My tank has a Mellimum 3000, berlin skimmer, 1 pwr. hd., but no live rock or live sand. It has been set up for about two and a half months and I cycled it with five damsals. I started adding fish about a month after it was set up. Added them about once a week. They all ate when I got them but now they really don't eat and they hide everywhere when I even walk into the room. I have all the frozen foods and flakes and even a veggie clip for the tang (he eats it a little). All of my levels are fine expect for the nitrites, they are high. I think it was from overfeeding. I am doing mnay water changes now and trying to get them back down. I am also feeding them only once a day(I already tried to go three days without feeding and it did not work they still did not eat). I just do not know what to do about this can you please help? Lastly, I leave a 50/50 light on 10 hrs a day. Sorry for the long message I just wanted to give a good background.

 

[beth]

Lots of info is good, so don't apologize. It does sound like you stocked too fast in a newly cycled system. You're doing everything you can do. You didn't say what levels your nitrites are at, but at any level, you should be doing water changes daily...yes daily, until the nitrites are down to ZERO. Undoubtably, this is the cause of your fish problem. But just to make sure, take a good look at your fish to make sure they are not suffering from disease, like ick. Do they have rapid breathing?? Rapid breathing in the absense of fish disease will be caused by the high nitrites. You could face some fish mortalities if you can't get those nitrites down to below .25.