fish have stopped eating...

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wright4lfe

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
May 30, 2005
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i have a tank full of bichirs that pretty much stopped eating. they used to eat just about anything put in the tank, now its a bite or two of a massivore pellet and thats about it. the water params are fine. water is changed regularly and i don't have this problem with any of my other fish or tanks. what are the main causes of fishes losing their appetite?

Thanks
Justin
 
Have you observed the appearance of their poo? Do they look thin lately?
 
Is this the first winter with these fish? Habits can change as the seasons do.
 
"Is this the first winter with these fish? Habits can change as the seasons do. "

its their first winter with me, but the temp in the tank hasn't changed. i keep all my tanks right around 77 degrees +/- 1 degree.

"Have you observed the appearance of their poo? Do they look thin lately? "

haven't seen them pooping and yes, they all look a bit thinner.
 
Hmmm...Try garlic as your first step. Get the Kent brand and put 3 drops on the foods. Too much is overpowering and can confuse the fish. If this does not work for 2-3 days, use flubendazole or levamisole hydrochloride. Ask your vet for the latter. Not many people are familiar about this one as it is obsolete in some places but nevertheless effective in destroying intestinal parasites.
 
sounds like a plan. i will give that a try tomorrow. should i put it on the massivore and hikari pellets or only on the shrimp/silversides after i've dethawed and cut them up?
 
Any food will work but I prefer the raw meats than pellets since the garlic will be absorbed better. Keep us updated and good luck.:)
 
okay-

put the kents garlic on both the massivore and the chopped up shrimp per the instructions. bichirs didn't show any more interest than they have over the last month or so. what is the next step. am i dealing with some type of internal parasite?
 
It does sound like internal parasites especially when they are getting thinner. Time for drastic measures. Treat with flubendazole or levamisole hydrochloride whichever med you can find.
 
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