Ornate bichir problem

[dirtydan]

Hey everyone I was wondering if somebody out there could help me with my Ornate bichir, He simply will not eat any foods I offer him I have tried red worms, nightcrawlers, Blood worms, dried krill, Hikari carnivore sinking pellets, feeder goldfish, and dried plankton, I have had him for about a week 1/2, any suggestions will help. O ya his tankmates are, 4 inch RTC, 11 inc silver ARO, 3 inch gold tiger DAT, and a phantom pleco, all seem to get along very well. So at this point I am stumped

[Oddball]

The tanks I have multiple polys in can be fed anytime since they compete with each other for food. My single poly tanks are fed just before lights are turned off because these single-kept polys prefer to feed at night. I suggest feeding the tank in the late evening but, keep an eye that the polys back and tail stay rounded which is an indicator that he's eating enough. Good luck.
If he doesn't feed, he may be used to live fish. Some of mine refuse any other food. If possible, get bait minnows or shiners. LFS feeders are not healthy and come from farms using very high copper levels.

On a side note, do you realize that your RTC will very shortly make a snack of your dat? A dats growth rate is a snail's pace compared to the growth rate of an RTC. By the short side of 6", your RTC will start eye-ballin' the dat as a menu item. My less than a year old RTC downed 4 1 to 1 1/2lb channel cats in the last week. The cats were all over a foot long and the RTC is barely 16".

[dirtydan]

Thanks for the input I do realize that the rtc will eat the DAT I am just trying to keep it in my 135 tank until it is large enough to go in my larger tank with my other RTC wich is about 1 foot and would make a snack of the smaller RTC

[piranha45]

Starvation has always worked for me. Took a certain senegal bichir a MONTH before he started eating cichlid pellets. I didn't give in at all; that little bastard was going to eat the same pellets everyone else. A month of being tough broke him down and I didn't have any problems with him again till I moved him to an uncovered tank whereupon he jumped to his doom.

[ashdavid]

Starvation has always worked for me. Took a certain senegal bichir a MONTH before he started eating cichlid pellets. I didn't give in at all; that little bastard was going to eat the same pellets everyone else. A month of being tough broke him down and I didn't have any problems with him again till I moved him to an uncovered tank whereupon he jumped to his doom.


he obviously did not want to eat pellets any more! :ner2: LOL :grinno:

[beblondie]

It possibly hasn't settled into its new enviroment.Mine are almost never seen during the day and only will eat when the tank is dark.It will eat when it gets hungry like most predator they can go for sometime without eating -Anne

[dirtydan]

Also the rear section of the Bichir seems to be losing its color it looks as though it is turning a dull grayish color, is this due to the fact that he isnt eating

[beblondie]

how big is it ?

[dirtydan]

about 11 inches but it was buetiful when I got it a week ago all yellow and black

[redtailfool]

Maybe its just getting used to its tankmates. Provide some cover for it and just give it time.

[CDM]

Try feeding it while tank lights off, see if it works. Mostly, it's not getting use to its new home yet. The color might vary with environment (especially color of the substrate). However, unhealthy bichirs do color faded. Keep monitoring it.

[dirtydan]

the discoloration seems to have rapidly gotten worse

[beblondie]

Try earthworms

[dirtydan]

I tried those to

[buddah101]

Why do you have cinderblocks in yur tank?
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=501/medium/20fish14.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=501/medium/20fish14.JPG)

[beblondie]

Do you have a pic of this fish or can you get one?

[The TRUST]

Hmmm it might just still be adjusting to your tank. I have had bichirs not eat for a month while adjusting to new conditions.

I have had gars that don't eat for 2 months while they are still adjusting.

[beblondie]

just my thoughts is it faded or is there a slimecoat issue making it look faded,
if you can set up a hospital tank and isolate the lil bugger-Anne

[dirtydan]

I dont think that it is his slime coat I looked at it up close and it just looks like his actual color is going away. The gray area started by its tail on the fishes back now it has spread almost to the fishes head.

[piranha45]

Why do you have cinderblocks in yur tank?
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=501/medium/20fish14.JPG (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/gallery/watermark.php?file=501/medium/20fish14.JPG)
they make good caves. there is only one real cinderblock in the tank btw.

and god only knows why you posted that in this thread lol

[dirtydan]

just got home from a trip to the bay area today and the bichirs gray looks even worse it looks almost white and now on top of that he has some red on the white spots

[beblondie]

Move to hospital tank and treat with kanacyn or kanamyacin or maracyin-2-Anne

[dirtydan]

Also do you have any info on gigas? I am thinking about getting one.

[Fishman8]

I suggest you give it time to adjust to its new environment especially with all those tankmates. don't give up, goodluck!