Clownfish stopped eating. :(

[j.falk]

I've had a pair of clowns for roughly 8 months now...grew them both up from 1/2 inch long babies and both have always ate like pigs. Hence why I call them my...piglets.

As of yesterday, the smaller of the pair has stopped eating. It still comes to the top of the tank and swims eagerly from side to side like it's hungry...but whenever I put pellets in the water, it tries to eat them and then spits them out. Nothing has changed with the food, it's the same New Life Spetctrum pellets I've always fed it. Noticing it yesterday morning, I also tried to feed it some frozen mysis and same deal...it acted like it wanted to eat it but then spit it out.

I'm at a loss as to what to do. I've never had a clownfish stop eating on me.

The issue I'm having with my tank right now is dinoflagellates. I've been fighting them for over a week now and I think I finally have them whipped as there are very little strands left in the tank as of this morning. Carbon is being run and changed out weekly...temperature is fine...the only major difference being that I haven't been doing my weekly water changes while fighting the dinos.

Any ideas?

 

[LadyMac]

Try frozen. How old are the pellets?

 

[j.falk]

Try frozen. How old are the pellets?

I already tried frozen mysis...it spits it out too. The pellets are roughly 3 months old. They were new when I purchased them.

 

[j.falk]

#reefsquad

 

[mta_morrow]

Dino’s in some cases can be toxic. I would do a big wc, keep running carbon and change it out regularly, and try some different foods.

Grab a live clam from your grocery store if you can and cut into tiny pieces. That’s what I feed every day. If the clown does not eat that, try soaking some mysis in garlic or Selcon.

 

[Sumbub]

Soaking in seal on or garlic usually entices them. Try that if you have them. Sometimes fish. And starve a few days without issues. Just keep trying.

 

[Sumbub]

Soaking in seal on or garlic usually entices them. Try that if you have them. Sometimes fish. And starve a few days without issues. Just keep trying.

Selcon too my auto correct is retarded.

 

[j.falk]

The garlic worked. It ate a couple of pellets just now.

 

[Dom]

Pellets are okay when using a feeder while on vacation. But I would consider changing over to frozen food.

Try a variety pack to see what they like and go from there. Switch it up.

Fish can get disgusted eating the same thing all the time. Give them some variety!

 

[j.falk]

Pellets are okay when using a feeder while on vacation. But I would consider changing over to frozen food.

Try a variety pack to see what they like and go from there. Switch it up.

Fish can get disgusted eating the same thing all the time. Give them some variety!

I was alternating between pellets and frozen mysis but for some reason neither of them will eat the mysis anymore.

 

[Sumbub]

I was alternating between pellets and frozen mysis but for some reason neither of them will eat the mysis anymore.

See if you life sells nano frenzy. They go nuts for it.

 

[Dom]

I was alternating between pellets and frozen mysis but for some reason neither of them will eat the mysis anymore.

Are the clowns the only two fish in the tank? If not, what else do you have?

How big is the tank? Please post your latests water test results.

 

[kireek]

Is it possible that the larger of the two is picking on the smaller one? Maybe this is causing stress and a poor appetite.

 

[j.falk]

I got it to eat. The garlic worked and this morning it ate just fine without using garlic.