I have a SRD, bout 4.5-5 inches. Had him about 5 weeks.
Tank parameters
Ph: 7.6
Am: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Temp Currently 82.7
55g tank (plan on going 125 when he gets bigger) Do 50% water changes twice a week. Bare bottom tank, only a terracotta pot, big sponge filter, 4 inch air stone, and heater in the tank.
The shop I got him from was feeding him big fella extreme. I already had grandsumo waiting for him. He ate that fine for about a week. After posting here prior other foods were suggested to optimize health. Purchased blood red parrot + by hikari, and new life spectrum ultra red. He loved the parrot food, wouldn't touch the ultra red. Ate well typically 4 pellets once at morning once at night. I would tend to give the sumo in mornings and parrot at night.
He eventually started not eating the sumo and only the parrot food. Then after about a week he wouldn't eat the parrot food either. Held off feeding for 3 days and tried again. Wouldn't eat sumo. He ate 2 pellets of parrot food only at night. Temp was 79 though all this. Then he stopped eating completely again. Increased temp to 82. No changes, went out yesterday and got hikari cichlid gold. Puts it in mouth and spits it out. Thought maybe it's too hard so I soaked 2 gold and 2 parrot pellets for about 15 min this morning. Wouldn't touch either.
I ordered Xtreme big fella, and Excalibur (original) online this morning. Be here in about a week. Xtreme cause that food has history with him so hoping it fixes the issue and I got Excalibur cause I've heard good things about it and figured it give it a shot since nothing seems to be working.
He's still very active. Sometimes he lets me pet him sometimes he goes crazy biting me, I have a ping-pong ball that I out in the tank and we boop it back and fourth to play. He constantly does backflips and likes to swim upside down in little bursts. Typically when he does eat the parrot food it's red/white string/red/with string. If he ate the sumo it was same but brown instead of red.
I've read online the white stringy could be sign of him shedding intestine lining due to digestive system being irritated.
I refuse to give him frozen or live food. High risk of parasites, and in my history with other fish once they have that stuff it's a pain to get em back to pellets so I won't even go down that road with this guy.
Anyone have any ideas of what else to try? Just starve him until new food arrives? He always seems to be searching the surface for food but won't eat anything I give him. Like I said he's still full of life but trying to be proactive before this turns into something more serious. Thanks for your time.
*Edit: forgot to add the primary filter is a fx4, the sponge is just supplemental filtration.*
Tank parameters
Ph: 7.6
Am: 0
Nitrite: 0
Nitrate: 0
Temp Currently 82.7
55g tank (plan on going 125 when he gets bigger) Do 50% water changes twice a week. Bare bottom tank, only a terracotta pot, big sponge filter, 4 inch air stone, and heater in the tank.
The shop I got him from was feeding him big fella extreme. I already had grandsumo waiting for him. He ate that fine for about a week. After posting here prior other foods were suggested to optimize health. Purchased blood red parrot + by hikari, and new life spectrum ultra red. He loved the parrot food, wouldn't touch the ultra red. Ate well typically 4 pellets once at morning once at night. I would tend to give the sumo in mornings and parrot at night.
He eventually started not eating the sumo and only the parrot food. Then after about a week he wouldn't eat the parrot food either. Held off feeding for 3 days and tried again. Wouldn't eat sumo. He ate 2 pellets of parrot food only at night. Temp was 79 though all this. Then he stopped eating completely again. Increased temp to 82. No changes, went out yesterday and got hikari cichlid gold. Puts it in mouth and spits it out. Thought maybe it's too hard so I soaked 2 gold and 2 parrot pellets for about 15 min this morning. Wouldn't touch either.
I ordered Xtreme big fella, and Excalibur (original) online this morning. Be here in about a week. Xtreme cause that food has history with him so hoping it fixes the issue and I got Excalibur cause I've heard good things about it and figured it give it a shot since nothing seems to be working.
He's still very active. Sometimes he lets me pet him sometimes he goes crazy biting me, I have a ping-pong ball that I out in the tank and we boop it back and fourth to play. He constantly does backflips and likes to swim upside down in little bursts. Typically when he does eat the parrot food it's red/white string/red/with string. If he ate the sumo it was same but brown instead of red.
I've read online the white stringy could be sign of him shedding intestine lining due to digestive system being irritated.
I refuse to give him frozen or live food. High risk of parasites, and in my history with other fish once they have that stuff it's a pain to get em back to pellets so I won't even go down that road with this guy.
Anyone have any ideas of what else to try? Just starve him until new food arrives? He always seems to be searching the surface for food but won't eat anything I give him. Like I said he's still full of life but trying to be proactive before this turns into something more serious. Thanks for your time.
*Edit: forgot to add the primary filter is a fx4, the sponge is just supplemental filtration.*
