Anthia not eating

[Susan Edwards]

Lyretail male, in qt for a week, not eating today. Normally a voracious eater. Should I start metro/focus or prazipro or both? Female in qt with him. Lost one female already. 2 royal gramma's also in qt. No sign of anything else. Seen no poo so no idea there.

37 gal, light sand covering, hob filter/powerhead, fake plants and pvc

 

[Humblefish]

Is the male anthia the only one not eating? Have you tried frozen brine or live brine/blackworms?

 

[Susan Edwards]

Yes. He was eating just fine. Noticed he wasn't eating much last night. I feed 4 x's a day. Everyone has been eating since day one. Today is day 7. No treatments so far, just observation. Been feeding a mix of frozen foods: brine, myis--various types, plankton, about 5-7 different foods, including home made and larrys and rods foods.

No pellets or flake and yes, even live brine. I mix about 8 cubes in my squirt bottle (ketsup bottle) and squirt a mix. I also use dried black worms. Up to last night, the male has been a voracious eater, attacking all food.

Everyone else eating fine. Just fed, and same thing. He gets excited, faces the flow where the food comes but doesn't eat.

 

[Thales]

If everyone else is fine, I would wait on any treatment.

Is water quality ok? I wouldn't worry for a few days.

Anthias is both plural and singular, there are no 'anthia'.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I'm only worried as I had lost one of the females over the weekend. Did a 4 gal water change on Sunday. No ammonia whenever I test. Good to know on anthia/s I'm under warranty for another week but don't want to lose another fish if I can help it.

 

[Crimsonphoenix]

I'm only worried as I had lost one of the females over the weekend. Did a 4 gal water change on Sunday. No ammonia whenever I test. Good to know on anthia/s I'm under warranty for another week but don't want to lose another fish if I can help it.

I have a 36 bow with sump. I started with 3 lyre tail anthias 4 days out of the Indian Ocean. I fed them live brine for a week and then started on frozen mysis shrimp. After a week and a half they killed the anthias that was on the bottom of the pecking order. The largest one turned male with coloring and long dorsal fin. The two get along great now!

 

[Crimsonphoenix]

I am no expert, but I was told 36 gallons is too small for 3 anthias. I read that as a shoaling fish they won’t bother non anthias but the alpha will pick on fish 2 and 3 and fish 2 will pick on fish 3. In my tank they were fine for a week or two than they picked on fish 3 so much he quit eating, fish’s 2 would quit eating for days on and off as it battled for alpha than gave up. Not eating may in my opinion and experience may be due to their fighting for alpha.

 

[Humblefish]

@Susan Edwards The problem with starting a treatment is you don’t know what’s wrong (if anything). Symptoms of disease are not always obvious/visible. Have you noticed any of these behavioral symptoms of disease with any of your fish in QT?

• Heavy breathing
• Head twitching
• Yawning
• Scratching/flashing
• Reclusive behavior
• Swimming into the flow of a powerhead

 

[Susan Edwards]

No, on all of above. They all swim toward the water pouring down from the hob as that is where I feed and the food flows toward them. I think he ate some small pcs of food. He used to attack any and all food, no matter the size. he shows interest when food hits the water. Maybe just not as starved as when I got him? I'll try thawing some nutra and other small bits to see if he responds. And I did, and I think he ate some--hard to tell so I'll just watch him for now. Thanks for your time.

QT is still fairly new and I've taken the observation road and try not to treat unless needed.

 

[Humblefish]

@Susan Edwards FWIW; I have 4 female Ignitus anthias in QT right now. They’re very finicky. Unless its brine, there’s a good chance they won’t eat before the wrasses gobble all the food up.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I don't have any wrasses, just 2 anthias and 2 royal grammas. My concern was in the change to eating of the male. From a week of eating well to suddenly not eating as before. Nothing else seems wrong though. I do have a wrasse in the display though. I'll be getting 2 more females next batch, 1 to replace the one that died, 1 extra, unless the two I have, if they survive, will be fine as a pair and not a group.

 

[Susan Edwards]

well, the male seems to be hanging in there but the other female went into hide mode and I just found her gone. No obvious symptoms. Just like the other female. Yesterday she was eating like a little pig. couldn't tell if she was heavy breathing or just opening/closign mouth as she was in one of the pvc pcs. But I saw her moving from tube to tube. hours later, gone.