13 inch Midas Cichlid Not Eating

[cokeisamidas]

Hello,
I have a 13 inch midas cichlid that I have had for 7 months. When I first got him he was in a 55, (I know it was too small) and he was very healthy. He would eat in front of me. I have moved him into a 100 gallon fish tank (by himself) 2 weeks ago and he is very active and if i do not pay attention to him he splashes water. How ever he does not like to eat in front off me any more. What could be going on? Thanks

 

[JK47]

Hello,
I have a 13 inch midas cichlid that I have had for 7 months. When I first got him he was in a 55, (I know it was too small) and he was very healthy. He would eat in front of me. I have moved him into a 100 gallon fish tank (by himself) 2 weeks ago and he is very active and if i do not pay attention to him he splashes water. How ever he does not like to eat in front off me any more. What could be going on? Thanks

What are you feeding, how often and how much?

 

[cage623]

I don't know why this would have changed but sometimes when you move fish they feel a little less comfortable in their new surroundings. Has it been doing this the entire two week span in the new tank or just recently? Also do you know that it is eating when you are not around?

If it for sure is eating when you are not there then you could maybe recondition it to eat in front of you. A few ways that might work for this are: 1. Don't feed it for a day or two and then see what it does after that. It might be hungry enough that it will not care who is watching. 2. Feed at normal times while you watch and if it is not eating after a few minutes try your best to remove the food. Again if it gets hungry enough it will change. 3. Feed and leave right away and then after a few days feed and move not as far from the tank, each day getting closer to the tank while it feeds.

No matter what you do the main concern is that it is eating and healthy. Do you think everything is fine health wise?

Lastly you could add some small dither fish and see if your RD feels more comfortable eating around other fish for some new reason. Or the 'competition' at meal time might make it eat as well.

The RD I had would at times become a picky eater for no reason. However I never really worried about it because the tankmates it had were all pigs so it never went more than a meal or two with out realizing that if it didn't eat quick and eat what I gave it, then it wouldn't eat.

Just some ideas. Good luck and keep us posted if there are any changes that you are worried about.

-Cage

 

[cokeisamidas]

Thanks I feed him usally 2 to three times a day but every now and then I fast him for a day so he doesn't get backed up. I feed him 1 cube of blood worms and 5-10 pellets cichlid gold. When he was in the 55 a month before I moved him he would eat cichlid gold but not the blood worms in front of me. He eats when i walk away from the tank.

 

[cage623]

Well at least he is eating and healthy. You can try some of the things I have suggested. They are all things I have either used myself or read on forum to be successful for cichlids with eating issues. Good luck and let us know how it all works out.

-Cage

 

[Jc1119]

Everytime Ive moved my Jd he refuses food for a day or so. For some reason it takes a lil while for him to settle in. Probably the same with yours, and if he's 13" I don't think he'll starve if you fast him for a day or so.

I bet he's just taking time to settle in to all the new space