Dead Fish
#21
Posted 04 January 2013 - 04:21 PM
But trying to coax them to eat is best by triggering their predatory responses meaning live movement.
Suggestion:
Do not feed rest of today and do not feed all of tomorrow (no offering them food) to build hunger and let settle.
Keep them in very very low light for today and tomorrow.
Buy or source some earthworms, maybe bunnings, and keep them cool.
On Sunday mid-morning cut worm ends at a centimeter long and feed sparing instantly.
Earthworms are quite visible and move vigorously.
Smell and movement of earthworms is the best you can try.
If they take worms, do not feed every second day for 4 days to keep up hunger.
After that cut salmon into worm shape strips.
If they get use to worms it's the hardest thing to wean fish off.
Worms are bad for Africans who ever is reading.
#22
Posted 09 January 2013 - 06:21 PM
I took your advice Buccal and went and bought an earthworm kit from Bunnings and they get very excited when I put them in the tank but whatever cut up worms hit the floor they dont want anything to do with it, they go up to it and see it wriggling but just dont eat it but when I drop some more in the smash it. I recently set up a rcs tank and I thought why not try chuck a couple in the bass tank aswell and they smashed them and were waiting at the top of the tank until I dropped them in so they must of loved them. I dont have enough rcs to keep feeding them but Im trying to breed them for live treats (pretty much for the amuesment). I did notice when a couple of them ate the rcs their blotchy pattern went away from about 5 minutes but then came back anyone know why or what the blotchy pattern even is ?
#23
Posted 09 January 2013 - 06:36 PM
#24
Posted 09 January 2013 - 09:27 PM
If they eat a few pieces of worm, leave it at that, keep them a little starved, it's best for sick or healing fish, be patient.
It seems they are hanging on, so they could be in healing mode.
If blotches disappear and come back it's obviously a fixated mood they're in.
Just enough food to stay alive each day don't push it, if food is unbeaten on bottom after 30 seconds of feeding, take it out.
If they are at all consuming, even the slightest of food, there is hope, just keep the tank a darkish gloom.
#25
Posted 10 January 2013 - 01:08 AM
#26
Posted 10 January 2013 - 09:21 AM
Edited by FrontyKwal, 10 January 2013 - 04:19 PM.
#27
Posted 10 January 2013 - 05:42 PM
Just patience.
If after a week and a half they are still not back to normal activities, put two or three little swordtail platy in there.
The platies that go for the food may help induce the bass to join in the food frenzy and follow like sheep.
This is called dithering.
Dithering is the use of a host for many types of beneficial reasons.
The platies are week so they can't out perform sick fish.
#28
Posted 10 January 2013 - 06:13 PM
I just need to try ween them off brine shrimp and bloodworms but I dont want to try yet because they are ill and Im scared if they just keep refusing other food they will starve themselves and die because they are already in a bad state. But yes what you said about the swordtail platys sounds like it will work good, the bass dont even notice food until 1 of them see's it and starts eating then they all start to do it, maybe with the platys there they will think they have competition and try eat whatever I put in there before them
I will update in a week or so and tell you how they are doing. Might grab some platys this weekend since I will be popping into a couple lfs
Cheers
#29
Posted 10 January 2013 - 10:15 PM
The reason for your problem is treating them to much and avoiding pellets to much.
Saying this, and not saying this is you, I'm just stating, that some people get stuck in their minds there is a big problem when there's no problem at all, sometimes things may not be so bad.
Wether stuck on worms, brine shrimp, prawn or fish bits or what ever you have to combine the pellet then ween back the undesired food.
Eg, take the frozen little cube of brine or worms and let it defrost.
Get one pellet of carni size not masi size pellet.
Cut up with razor blade into pin head size bits.
Mix it into the brine cube and feed.
Do his for a week.
Then following week add two pellets, then the week after that add three pellets and dice bits of pellet a little larger.
You get the gist of it, keep doing this till very little then no brine shrimp.
I have done this with ease with pbass before and stingray pups I bought from over east.
But it's patience, don't skip the steps.
These are alternative to starving when it's risky being already not in good shape.
The difference of growth in a pellet only fed fish is a staggering difference to a fish with a part pellet diet.
#30
Posted 11 January 2013 - 01:28 AM
anybody else had that sorta growth rate???
#31
Posted 16 January 2013 - 08:17 AM
Fonrty kwal - i feed my monocs from Dens batch, frozen blood worm and brineshrimp for about 4 months straight, as it was all they ate. as long as there eating when there small thats all that counts, plus frozen foods arent that dear, especailly if you buy the huge sheets of it and snap off what you need. as for pellets, when i had toi feed mine pellets i starved them, and feed a few different types of pellets to see what was advertising to them, im confident to say a fish shouldnt starve itself to death surely. as far as them being spooked goes, thats normal, mine used to hide all the time. Even now as adults there scared of me, unless im opening the coverglass or they see that little white cup which holds all the food before pouring it in.
Edited by Jules, 16 January 2013 - 08:19 AM.
#32
Posted 16 January 2013 - 09:22 AM
Im still keeping up with water changes even second day now, but when I do they start to get that blotchy pattern and freak out darting around and hiding and darting around again these guys must be super stressed from what they've gone through I think Buccals right when he said they might be borderline damaged
#33
Posted 16 January 2013 - 10:26 AM
The blotches are just stress showing as mood patterns on body.
Because pbass are smart they like routine.
They always take time to get use to any little change.
I think your on track.
But don't become obsessive with water changes ect LOL.
#34
Posted 17 January 2013 - 12:07 AM
well i better divulge the recipe... his dad has a good size dam behind his place and they get close on a 1000 gambusia first thing in the morning... and again in the afternoon... not many left between feeds...
power growing food
#35
Posted 17 January 2013 - 10:47 AM
As a kid my mate n i would walk around the local school lakes and catch 100s of gambusia at a time. Id quarantine them for a week and salt bath them, to feed to my fish and turtle at the time.
If i were to do it these days ppl would think im probably looking for something that i may have disposed of in there........
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