Powder blue won't eat

[vdhillon2]

Hi,
I just got a shipment of fish in. My powder blue has been in the tank for about a week now. he's doing fine, but he looks thinner and shyer then the other i ordered. he seems like finiky eater. is there anything i can do to try to improve its feedings? i have been giving them seaweed regularly, dried flakes, and some frozen brine.
thanks

[weaselslucks]

try some mysis. mine cant resist them maybe soak them in garlic extract how is his color?beside at night. did you qt him. mine is just getting over a bacterial infection.

[vdhillon2]

I did not QT him, or any of the other fish. it was a large shipment that had multiple fish. What are mysis? are they like brine shrimp, because i just purchased some BS eggs today to hatch and feed...?
thanks

[weaselslucks]

they are shrimp like creatures but they are better then brine. brine are the candy of food. its like eating candy bars all day. you can get them froxen in a pet store the PBT is a veggie eater so try to give him mostly green things nori, brown and red alagaes formula 2 i belive it is. anything that is for tangs. you could also try broccoli and romaine

[SMOOTHIE]

How many fish at once did you add to your 75?

[vdhillon2]

I added 4.
I also have a nano that was empty that was stocked.
I give all of them seaweed, feed them some gracilia from my refugium, but it just seems that the PBT is not aggresive enough to get to the food. Everyone else eats it up before he gets in there.

[Macimage]

I started mine by rubber banding a folded up sheet of nori to rubble rock. You then wedge it between your rockwork because they are grazers and many times will not eat food out of the water column.

After the pb starts grazing on it, you can drop it onto the sandbed. I put two in the tank at each feeding to that the pbt has a good shot at grazing on it. You can also fold flakes and other types of food into it and they eventually get the idea that food floating in the water column is food.

Good luck,
Joyce

[adambaron]

What other fish did you add? 4 at once sounds like a lot in a 75. Powder Blues are sensitive fish and might be stressed out. How long did you acclimate him for? They are also very active fish. Mine uses every inch of my 180 so the 75 will probably be too small for him for any amount of time.

[Macimage]

I missed it was in a 75 gallon tank. You will have a difficult time with this fish even if you get it eating, as the tank is too small. I'd recommend taking it to your lfs for credit.

Joyce

[cthetoy]

I kept a few before in the past. The powder blues from the Indo are harder to get eating. Either they eat like pigs are they dont eat at all. If they dont eat nori or live macroalgae then its probably nothing else you can do. I always make sure they eat before purchasing Indo Powder Blues

The Powder Blues from Africa/Maldives are better colored and most of them will eat. I just obtained one last week still in the bag from my LFS and it ate pellets the next day.

[JENnKerry]

Is your powder blue picking off the rocks? If so, then it wont be long until he starts eating what you give him. It took mine almost two weeks before he started eating. Keep doing what you're doing.