Green Terror, 33 days without eating

[Galactik]

So I have this Green terror that used to accept pellets but suddenly stopped. I believe he acquired a taste for live food as I noticed some of his tankmates had disappeared.

At the time he also had white stringy poop so I treated him for parasites and waited to see if he would eat. That went on for 2 weeks and because he would not accept anything else, I provided him 4 more Endlers to see if he would go after them, and he immediately went to town on those.

At this point I had a strong feeling he was also being stubborn about the food so I stopped feeding like and went back to pellets.

Now its been 33 days since then and I have not been able to get him to eat anything. Honestly im not sure what else to try and wanted to see what are your thoughts on this?

I have tried 3 different types of pellets, algae waters, shrimp, bloodworms, krill and all of the above mixed in with Garlic Guard. However, he does not seem remotely interested in anything.

Fish is still very active, good colors, starting to get a sunken belly but that's it.

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Hope he pulls through. I have male gt doing the same. Just stopped taking pellets and bug bites a month ago. He's crazy active like he wants to eat but won't take nothing and I've tried a few different pellets and even peas, nope nothing. My GT doesn't have stringy poop though.

 

[danotaylor]

I was gonna suggest Bug Bites to the OP

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Yea I tried and he used to eat the h3ll out of them but he won't take anything now, same as yours.

 

[Galactik]

Sorry to hear about your fish. Mine is exhibiting the same behavior, acts like he'll eat. But then, nothing.

Funny enough, mine was also on bug bites too, used to love them.

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Sorry to hear about your fish. Mine is exhibiting the same behavior, acts like he'll eat. But then, nothing.

Funny enough, mine was also on bug bites too, used to love them.

Now I haven't tried live food such as nightcrawlers or anything. I may try with frozen blood worms.
I did try dried frozen krill and nothing and definitely wouldn't take peas.

 

[Roger Mcfish]

If mine does a turn around, I'll let you know what changed because I've even tried not feeding for week.

 

[Jexnell]

Try thawing some blood worms in a bit of water. Then soak the pellets in that worm water. Now try to feed to said fish.
A fish won't just starve itself to death, you just need to be more stubborn than it and outlast it's hunger strike.

 

[robert_gorajski]

Feeding suggestion – thawed smelt (European smelt – Osmerus eperlanus)

In my experience, offering thawed smelt can be a game changer when dealing with cichlids that refuse to eat – including Green Terrors. This small fish, known in Europe as stynka, has a very strong aroma once thawed, which immediately triggers feeding behavior in my tank – even in otherwise uninterested fish.
If available in your region (or a similar oily fish like silversides), it’s definitely worth a try.
Depending on the size of the fish you're feeding:

• You can offer the smelt whole if your Green Terror is large enough to swallow it – this often works better than cut pieces.
• Alternatively, you can cut it into smaller chunks to make it more manageable.

Feeding the whole fish has additional benefits – especially the head – as it provides resistance during digestion and can help stimulate gut motility and re-activate the digestive tract after a long fasting period.

In the US, you might find frozen smelt in:

• Asian grocery stores.
• Fishing bait shops (look for unsalted frozen smelt),
• Online reptile/fish food vendors like RodentPro.

Let me know if you want pics or more info. Good luck!

 

[Roger Mcfish]

Try thawing some blood worms in a bit of water. Then soak the pellets in that worm water. Now try to feed to said fish.
A fish won't just starve itself to death, you just need to be more stubborn than it and outlast it's hunger strike.

I'll try it in a few.