Should i be worried?

fernalfer · Oct 4, 2016

Ok i bought a Banghai Cardinal fish from my LFS. There was 7 in the tank all fat and healthy looking, so i picked one. Now he has been home with me for 5 days now and has not eaten. He seems fine and swims around but does not even try the food, just seems right by it. I tried feeding Brine and Mysis shrimp. Frozen plankton, emerald entree, and a mix of frozen food. I have also soaked food in garlic with no success.

He is in a QT tank with a starry blenny and they get along just fine. The starry is eating like a pig but not the Cardinal. They are on their first round of prazipro.

I need to know when to start to worry.

1. How long can they go without food?

2. what should i do if anything?

3. Is this normal behavoir for Banghaii Cardinal fish?

Speedy · Oct 4, 2016

They tend to like to be in shoals unfortunatly and do not always do well by themselves . Even in shoals there always tends to be one that dies for no particular reason . They are a bit of a weird fish. Possibly get another one or 2 .it may perk up when not alone

fernalfer · Oct 5, 2016

Speedy said:
They tend to like to be in shoals unfortunatly and do not always do well by themselves . Even in shoals there always tends to be one that dies for no particular reason . They are a bit of a weird fish. Possibly get another one or 2 .it may perk up when not alone

Well the only reason i did not get more then one because i read that they usually kill each other off down to 1 or 2 anyways.

fernalfer · Oct 6, 2016

UPDATE: so i went to the LFS and got live brine shrimp and after 5 days of not eating he finally went after those. I just hope this isn't all he will eat and having to go to the LFS will become a regular thing. No time for that.

helen ann · Oct 6, 2016

Glad he is eating.
Brine shrimp doesn't have much nutrition.
I would get some frozen mysis shrimp and when you toss in the brine toss in some mysis too.

fernalfer · Oct 6, 2016

helen ann said:
Glad he is eating.
Brine shrimp doesn't have much nutrition.
I would get some frozen mysis shrimp and when you toss in the brine toss in some mysis too.

I'll try that. When I tossed mysis in alone he would not touch it. Maybe with the live brine he may give it a try.

helen ann · Oct 6, 2016

fernalfer said:
I'll try that. When I tossed mysis in alone he would not touch it. Maybe with the live brine he may give it a try.

Yep ... try tricking him!

Desmond · Oct 6, 2016

Have you only fed frozen food ? what were they feeding him in the LFS ? have you tried flake or pellet. I have a single 1 in my tank and it eats like a pig.hope he starts eating for you

fernalfer · Oct 8, 2016

Desmond said:
Have you only fed frozen food ? what were they feeding him in the LFS ? have you tried flake or pellet. I have a single 1 in my tank and it eats like a pig.hope he starts eating for you

At the LFS they said they were feeding a mix of frozen. But the guy did say there was 7 Bangaii in the tank so he could not be sure the one i bought was eating. I figured they all were because every one of them looked fat and healthy. Mine still looks big and healthy, yet i've only seen him eat once in 8 days and that when i fed live brine shrimp. I'll try flake and pellet.

jsker · Oct 8, 2016

I like adding two drop of garlic oil into the food to make the picky eater, eat

fernalfer · Oct 8, 2016

jsker said:
I like adding two drop of garlic oil into the food to make the picky eater, eat

tried that. no dice. will only eat live brine. hopefully that changes.

Desmond · Oct 8, 2016

No luck with flake ?

fernalfer · Oct 8, 2016

Desmond said:
No luck with flake ?

Unfortunately no. He likes to watch it float right by his mouth tho.

Desmond · Oct 8, 2016

Is this a tank bred or wild catch ?

Desmond · Oct 8, 2016

Have you tried normal frozen brine ?

dmh41532 · Oct 8, 2016

I bought a captive bred one a while ago, for about six months all it would eat was live brine...every week i travled 70 miles one way for live shrimp, then one day it started to take frozen. I never got wild caught ones to st all

Desmond · Oct 9, 2016

dmh41532 said:
I bought a captive bred one a while ago, for about six months all it would eat was live brine...every week i travled 70 miles one way for live shrimp, then one day it started to take frozen. I never got wild caught ones to st all

Dam you must really have liked the fish. I would take it back to the lfs and swap out for one of the others.

dmh41532 · Oct 9, 2016

I actually bought it online, the lfs only sells wild caught ones, which would never eat

fernalfer · Oct 9, 2016

yeah mines wild caught. i've never really seen him eat except that once with live brine shrimp in 10 days and seems just as fat as when i got him. weird.......