Gobie stopped eating

jeff williams · Apr 8, 2017

ive got a yellow stripped cleaner gobie who is in qt for ick ( treating with cupramine) been in copper 3 weeks now and stopped eating 2days ago. My water quality went south real quick a few days ago also nitrite went up to 5ppm and nitrate shot up to 160ppm been doing WC's to get it down. Now I'm aware I made a big mistake not checking water quality I screwed up but does anyone have a suggestion on how to get this gobie eating. I'm feeding marine medley mysis brine mix soaked in garlic he use to eat this good. looking for another suggestion on a food or additive that will get him eating again.

40B Knasty · Apr 8, 2017

My Randall's Prawn goby and 2 bumblebee gobies love a steamer clam or scallop. Go to the grocery store. Ask for a small one of each. It will cost about a dollar for the both of them. Take the clam. Just hold it under the faucet for 1m using hot water. It will open up. Rip out the stomach and brown protective layer. Take a razor blade to the meat and thin slice it and dice it into small chunks. Scallop is easier especially when frozen. Paper thin 1 slice. Cut it one way then the other. Over and over again. Use tank water in a cup to thaw it. Suck the water and meat up. Drop little chunks in.
One thing I want to mention. Your fish is probably in nitrate shock as well as being sick.
Garlic has mixed reviews. No specific proven vitamin beneficial to a fish. Use Vita Chem. It has vitamins in it. Lots of them. That is what your fish truly needs right now. Soak the food in it. Plus you dose the tank with it.
When bringing your nitrates down. The fish can also go into nitrate shock. As of right now. They are so dangerously high, being sick with ich, and plus the shock. I hope for the best for you and a lot of luck.

eatbreakfast · Apr 8, 2017

Fish eggs are almost universally accepted by finicky fish, San Francisco Bay Brand has capellin eggs in cubes and Asian food stores sell tobiko. Also, putting the food in flow can elicit a chase instinct.

Water quality is definitely playing a role. So try to clean up uneaten food so it doesn't compound matters.

eatbreakfast · Apr 8, 2017

I would also be willing to bet, that with organics as high as they are, that the ph and kh dropped. Copper is more toxic at a lower ph. I would suspect this more than nitrate shock.

jeff williams · Apr 8, 2017

That's guys I appreciate your help. The gobie never showed any signs of ick but my angle and Mollie both had it for sure and the gobie was in the tank with them so he gets the treatment also. I'm also thinking it was the water quality more so than the copper. This morning he at least come out and looked interested in food but still didn't eat. So I'm doing another WC and gonna try some of the food suggestions thanks

jeff williams · Apr 8, 2017

eatbreakfast said:
Fish eggs are almost universally accepted by finicky fish, San Francisco Bay Brand has capellin eggs in cubes and Asian food stores sell tobiko. Also, putting the food in flow can elicit a chase instinct.

Water quality is definitely playing a role. So try to clean up uneaten food so it doesn't compound matters.

How big are the eggs in tobiko this gobie is quite small about 1-1/4 or so