Plz tell me Tricks for Getting your Fish to Eat! - Mimic Tang

[asonitez]

In 10 years of reefing m fish have died of..

Ich
Worms
Brook
Popeye
HLLE
Stress
Osmotic Shock
New Tank Syndrome
And most Recently Marine Velvet.

Today I add a new death. Starvation.

What I have been noticing (and maybe its my desire to try NEW FISH) is that I've been struggling with FEEDING in Quarantine!...

Last saturday I picked up (2 Lamarcks Angel's) and 1 Blue Eyed Mimic Tang. Not cheap fish... the Lamarck's angels are ~kinda eating... and I haven't seen the Mimic eat a damn thing. Both of them are spotless as far as diseases or bruises and all seem fat especially the Mimic.. just not eating.


Blackworms
Dry Sprulina (Hikari)
Green Algae
Red Algae
Hair Algae
Brine Shrimp
Cyclopeeze
Rods Food
Mysis Shrimp
Bread
Flakes


Nothing. Just stares at it. Before it die's I'm contemplating taking it back. I haven't seen it eat since Saturday. I never had fish NOT eat before.. and its very ODD. I have had it in since sunday in copper, which I know is a appetite suppressant.. but saturday night after acclimation I fed and it didn't eat either. I only dosed copper Sunday night. I'm thinking maybe I'll displace my yellow tang thats in my Frag tank and put this guy in there instead. Maybe he will livenup in a reef setting and start eating. If he does have a disease I can get him out of the frag tank very easily.

The other thing is why is this happening down south so much. I never had this problem with Mail Order/OGII/Feng others.. PETCO.... i mean eating is a basic requirement for fish. Even the sickest of fish will EAT.


Any tips on getting him to eat?

[Dr Colliebreath]

If I understand it correctly, you picked up the fish on Saturday, it didn't eat on Saturday evening or Sunday (or since), and you treated it with copper on Sunday. Is this correct?

It can take new fish up to 2 weeks or more to start eating. For the future, it is best to get the fish eating before treating unless there are obvious disease issues.

I would do a 50% water change immediately and put cuprasorb or something similar or even carbon in the tank to remove the copper. Then, I would keep trying frozen mysis and spirulina-enriched brine shrimp, plus nori or seaweed rubberbanded to a rock. The fish should start eating in a couple of days.

[ca1ore]

Even the sickest of fish will EAT.

I don't find that to be true at all! Sick fish, in my QT at least, generally do not eat and often healthy ones require a bit of settling in before they will.

Good advice to let a fish acclimate and begin to eat before dosing any meds - particularly if the fish shows no apparent symptoms. Also a good idea to see if a fish is eating at LFE before buying (though not possible for online obviously).

[small alien]

As he other two have said, you need to rethink your approach. I would get the fish eating first and then treat, not the other way around.

[Betta132]

I've had gobies refuse to eat for 4-5 days, even though they come out. That's perfectly normal.
You tried bread? XD That's unusual.