Food aversion?

[cmcoker]

I have a Yellowfin flasher erase in Qt. Saturday I was home late after a long day, and didn't defrost the fish food as normal. I broke off some LRS, smushed it my fingers and crumbled it into the hob filter flow. Wrasse started eating as normal, went to wash my hands and when I came back he was freaking out. Piping at the waterline, jumped several times and smacked into the glass. He then hid the rest of the night and looked like crap, stress coloration, heavy breathing.

Sunday he was still hiding, color looked better. I offered a few pellets during the day, (I have an auto feeder in the display that offers pellets though the day, and I feed frozen in the evening, so I try to make QT routine similar) he ate a few then went back to lurking around the fake plant.
Later offered some LRS, he would not take it and went and hid in a piece of pvc.

Monday, out swimming and acting pretty normal, took some pellets again. Offered LRS he went for it, acted lile he was going to take some then darted back to his hideout and watched the food float around. I thought this is weird, he's hiding every time I add LRS. So decided to try some hikari mysis, he came out and started gobbling that up.

Lights come on in a bit and I am going to try and video feeding and see if he repeats this behaviour. I'm wondering if he got a frozen piece and was struggling with it and that led to the freak out, and now associates the LRS as bad?

Does this sound crazy and I'm over thinking it or what?

 

[HotRocks]

Personally never encountered such a thing. #reefsquad may have some insight!

Do you thaw the frozen? Or just drop the frozen cubes in? Again I don't know if there is a right or wrong way, I was taught to make a concoction of several frozen items thawed, then supplements added and mixed by @4FordFamily then store in refrigerator (I prepare weekly) so I was just curious as I have never dropped a cube in either my QT or DT.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Could it be brain freeze from eating frozen food?

Although I just typed that, and remembered a friend use to feed the frozen little brick of mysis, and his lion would gulp the whole thing in one bite, no effect.

 

[DSC reef]

Never had that effect with LRS foods defrosted or frozen. Sometimes we thaw, other times I leave it frozen and stick it to the glass and watch the fish pick at it.

 

[dbl]

Certainly is a strange reaction. Curious if as time passes he will go back to eating as normal.

 

[4FordFamily]

That’s odd sounds like it’s associating the scent with a negative event. I’m not sure Fish are quite smart enough for that but it’s possible!

 

[cmcoker]

I usually thaw, I was just tired and in a rush to finish feeding the animals so threw in partially frozen. He would previously grab a chunk, chew, spit it out then eat the smaller pieces. So I wondered if he wasn't able to chew it or something until it thawed more.

I did think brain freeze as well, lol. I dunno what else is to account for the strange flip out.

He is still eating pellets and mysis, hopefully once he moves to the display he will eat the LRS when the other fish are. Maybe a little competition will encourage him.

Gonna try some LRS after dinner and see what he does. He was out at lights on and ate pelllets just fine.

Flasher Wrasses are weird, dramatic little fish.

 

[cmcoker]

That’s odd sounds like it’s associating the scent with a negative event. I’m not sure Fish are quite smart enough for that but it’s possible!

That's my thinking.. I've had fish get spooked of me when I've messed with the tank too much, or they start swarming for food when they see my wife with a food jar so I think they can form associations if the outcome is impactful enough.

They've even got that fish training kit to teach your goldfish to put a soccer ball in a net or swim through weave poles like an agility dog..

 

[Lasse]

For 5 years - I have always feed with frozen food. Just put the frozen artemia in the stream from the return pump - thats it. Never seen this but I´m sure that he/her have learned something and therefore show up
this behaviour. If a fish not have seen my net before – they are easy to catch the first time – but I have always only one try. Do I miss that – he/she will disappear as soon as it see the net.....

Sincerely Lasse

 

[cmcoker]

Link to feeding video
I start with pellets, then LRS [~12sec], then mysis [~1:45] if anyone cares to see. Not as pronounced hiding but definite changes in behaviour. And this is all in one sitting, I just paused to get the different foods so over like 5 minutes time.

 

[Lasse]

It has certainly learn a lesson

Sincerely Lasse