How to get a new fish to eat?

[Sonatine]

After wanting a marine tank for over 10 years, I finally set mine up (32.5gal) and have purchased my first fish, a black ocellaris clown! So excited. (S)He's tiny and adorable, and I just acclimated him this afternoon (I know I should have quarantined, but he's literally the only thing in the tank and space is tight in the apartment so I'm still working on a solution for that for future stock).

But, it's occurred to me that I don't actually know how to ensure that such a tiny fish eats in such a big tank (at least, big compared to his current size. I know it's hardly a >200gal tank or anything but it's the biggest I've had by far). I used a pipette to squirt him in the face with some spirulina, and he showed no interest; he was too busy displaying(?) at his reflection. I went ahead and moved a smaller rock in front of the reflective spot and he seems a little calmer, but by now the spirulina has dispersed and he's still too shy to go looking for it.

It's probably too soon to worry; I saw them feed him at the LFS right before I left so he can't be that hungry. He seems to be healthy; swimming well, color looks good, no signs of disease that I can see. Is this the sort of thing that resolves on its own once the fish settles in a bit more, or is there a certain point where I should start worrying?

 

[KrisReef]

Wait three days. Then, go to the grocery store and purchase a live clam or mussel. Shuck it and chop up the meat, guts and all, into tiny chunks. Put most of this in the refrigerator (or freezer) for later. Add a tiny amount into the tank and watch the fish eat. Do not squirt the food into the fishes face. Fish are not mammals, they don't eat that way. If you must use a pipette, put the end up current of the fish and let the current bring the food to the fish. Once it gets used to you and your feeding habits the fish may come to the surface to eat out of your hand.

 

[Sonatine]

Thank you! I was exaggerating when I said I squirted it in his face; it was more in his general area. But this is very helpful. I'm still getting used to how the current is carrying the food, too, but I'm sure it will get easier with practice. I'll try the clam or mussel in a few days.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Some eat right away while some take a couple of days depending on acclimation and water quality as well as any intimidation from tank mates.
Best enticer to eat is brine shrimp.
Other foods are:
LRS fish frenzy
mysis shrimp
Hikari marine cuisine
Formula 1 flake and frozen

 

[Sonatine]

I'll pick up a few other feeding alternatives. For now I've got spirulina brine shrimp (I misspoke earlier when I said it was just spirulina), and a type of pellet I haven't tried yet. It's good to know that there are plenty of options!

 

[KrisReef]

I'll pick up a few other feeding alternatives. For now I've got spirulina brine shrimp (I misspoke earlier when I said it was just spirulina), and a type of pellet I haven't tried yet. It's good to know that there are plenty of options!

My fish love SBS! It will eat when it's ready.

 

[ABQ_CHRIS]

Yep. I worry until I see a new fish eat. Sometimes it can take some time. I would be surprised if your clown skips dinner tomorrow.

 

[Tired]

Spirulina is far too small for clownfish. That's for filter-feeders. You'll want to pick up something that's a more suitable size. In future, you should find out what to feed something /before/ you get that something.

A good rule of thumb is that fish should have food chunks about as big as, or slightly smaller than, their eyes. Does vary depending on individual species, but it works for most of the non-weird-shaped ones.

Oh, and I'd suggest buying some brine shrimp cysts and a brine shrimp hatchery. Freshly hatched baby brine shrimp are highly nutritious and incredibly enticing to fish. They make excellent treats, and are the best way to get any small fish eating, if it's reluctant to eat. Probably not needed here, he'll likely start eating as soon as you offer an appropriate food (or tomorrow once he's settled in), but useful to have in general.

 

[Sonatine]

Spirulina is far too small for clownfish. That's for filter-feeders. You'll want to pick up something that's a more suitable size. In future, you should find out what to feed something /before/ you get that something.

A good rule of thumb is that fish should have food chunks about as big as, or slightly smaller than, their eyes. Does vary depending on individual species, but it works for most of the non-weird-shaped ones.

Oh, and I'd suggest buying some brine shrimp cysts and a brine shrimp hatchery. Freshly hatched baby brine shrimp are highly nutritious and incredibly enticing to fish. They make excellent treats, and are the best way to get any small fish eating, if it's reluctant to eat. Probably not needed here, he'll likely start eating as soon as you offer an appropriate food (or tomorrow once he's settled in), but useful to have in general.

I misspoke, I actually have spirulina brine shrimp. I knew that the clownfish was largely carnivorous, just mixed up the name. Sorry about that.

I'll keep the hatchery in mind!

 

[Tired]

Ah, that would make a lot more sense. I was a bit concerned there, picturing someone trying to feed a clownfish green dust and wondering why it wasn't working.

Spirulina brine shrimp is probably adult brine shrimp that ate spirulina before being frozen, which should work for him. Give him until tomorrow to settle in, then shut off your pumps for a bit and add some food near but not directly against him. He'll probably take it. If not, ask your LFS what they feed their clownfish.

Interesting fact about clownfish: they're all born male. If there are no females present, the largest and most aggressive clown in the group will turn into a female. It's called sequential hermaphroditism, and is relatively common among fish, at least compared to all the non-fish groups. Some groupers start out as males and turn into females when they get large enough, and some wrasses do a similar-but-opposite thing to the clownfish; they all start female, then a particularly big, tough one becomes a male as needed.
When adding another clownfish to a tank with an existing clown, it's best to assume that the solo clown is a female. Adding a clown smaller than the existing one means you're likely adding a male, which is what you want. Two males will fight a bit until they figure things out and one becomes female, but two females will fight relentlessly, which in a confined space means death.

 

[Sonatine]

Ah, that would make a lot more sense. I was a bit concerned there, picturing someone trying to feed a clownfish green dust and wondering why it wasn't working.

Spirulina brine shrimp is probably adult brine shrimp that ate spirulina before being frozen, which should work for him. Give him until tomorrow to settle in, then shut off your pumps for a bit and add some food near but not directly against him. He'll probably take it. If not, ask your LFS what they feed their clownfish.

Interesting fact about clownfish: they're all born male. If there are no females present, the largest and most aggressive clown in the group will turn into a female. It's called sequential hermaphroditism, and is relatively common among fish, at least compared to all the non-fish groups. Some groupers start out as males and turn into females when they get large enough, and some wrasses do a similar-but-opposite thing to the clownfish; they all start female, then a particularly big, tough one becomes a male as needed.
When adding another clownfish to a tank with an existing clown, it's best to assume that the solo clown is a female. Adding a clown smaller than the existing one means you're likely adding a male, which is what you want. Two males will fight a bit until they figure things out and one becomes female, but two females will fight relentlessly, which in a confined space means death.

Yep, it's just the gut loaded brine shrimp. I was just remembering how green it was and typed spirulina instead.

I hadn't thought of turning off the filter, though. I'll try that too. He (for now) is already exploring a much larger area of the tank so I think it will be easier for him to find food.

And I had read that about clownfish hermaphrodism! It's so interesting. I figured he'd become a she eventually, and probably start biting me at that time haha. I'm just guessing male at this point, because it was kept with two other clowns, one of them much larger and clearly the female, at the LFS.

 

[Tired]

At this point, you should have a male, yes. I'm not sure how long it takes for them to transition when kept alone, or if there's a minimum size they have to reach first. It probably varies depending on species and individual.

Fortunately, fish don't have genders, and don't care what pronouns you use for them.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Live white worms or grindal worms will get practically ANY fish to eat! The only exception I'm aware of would be obligate corallivores. Plus you can culture them yourself so you save money!

 

[Sonatine]

He ate! Turning off the filter did the trick, since I could make sure that the shrimp ended up relatively close to him when I put it in. Didn't eat a whole lot yet but once I turned the filter back on he's been going after the bits that float near him so I think it will be okay.

Sure is a steep learning curve here. My past fishkeeping experience is limited to bettas, and clownfish behavior is very different. Reading it is one thing, but learning to see it and figure out what is normal is another (aside from obvious stuff like floating or listless behavior) is another! I think I might just be worrying too much.

 

[Tired]

Tada! Now just make sure to keep him nice and fed, so he can grow.

Clownfish and bettas do share one thing; a tendency to flop onto surfaces and lay there in weird positions. They sometimes sleep lying down and scare people who aren't used to fish doing that. It is normal behavior for them, the little weirdos. At least they don't lay on their backs like clown loaches.

 

[AydenLincoln]

My clownfish aren’t picky eaters and most typically aren’t. But your fish is probably way to stressed in the new environment to eat…when fish are stressed they won’t eat.

 

[Sonatine]

My clownfish aren’t picky eaters and most typically aren’t. But your fish is probably way to stressed in the new environment to eat…when fish are stressed they won’t eat.

I'm sure you're right. I know that logically, he's probably fine, just new and insecure. But I'm a bit of a worrier, and I can't help but wonder if a million things are wrong (what if he starves? What if he's actually sick? Should I have gotten two after all? and so on...). I'm sure both the fish and I will chill out over the next few days. Thanks for your reply!

 

[Rmckoy]

After wanting a marine tank for over 10 years, I finally set mine up (32.5gal) and have purchased my first fish, a black ocellaris clown! So excited. (S)He's tiny and adorable, and I just acclimated him this afternoon (I know I should have quarantined, but he's literally the only thing in the tank and space is tight in the apartment so I'm still working on a solution for that for future stock).

But, it's occurred to me that I don't actually know how to ensure that such a tiny fish eats in such a big tank (at least, big compared to his current size. I know it's hardly a >200gal tank or anything but it's the biggest I've had by far). I used a pipette to squirt him in the face with some spirulina, and he showed no interest; he was too busy displaying(?) at his reflection. I went ahead and moved a smaller rock in front of the reflective spot and he seems a little calmer, but by now the spirulina has dispersed and he's still too shy to go looking for it.

It's probably too soon to worry; I saw them feed him at the LFS right before I left so he can't be that hungry. He seems to be healthy; swimming well, color looks good, no signs of disease that I can see. Is this the sort of thing that resolves on its own once the fish settles in a bit more, or is there a certain point where I should start worrying?

After reading this post I have a few things come to mind .
to start . As many have and it’s possible . For that clownfish a 30 gal is the min requirement when mentioning its big . That’s a decent size for him to be happy and healthy .
Next . How long after adding water was she added to the tank .
im going to refer to the lone clown as a female as she will become the first to establish territory as long as the next added is smaller in size .
Adding another the same size or larger could end bad .

 

[Tired]

An ocellaris clown definitely doesn't need a minimum size of 30 gallons. They're not terribly active, and stay fairly small. Are you thinking of maroon clowns?

 

[Rmckoy]

An ocellaris clown definitely doesn't need a minimum size of 30 gallons. They're not terribly active, and stay fairly small. Are you thinking of maroon clowns?

No . in reference to their comparison of it being a large tank .