Gulper hasn't eaten in a week, Help plz

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quasar

quasar

Piranha
MFK Member
Jul 16, 2012
947
142
76
Montreal, Quebec
Hey guys!


So I'm back with a question and need some advice.

Here is the whole story, a week ago i bought my gulper a dozen goldies as sort of a treat. I don't know what happened but the gold fish must have been sick and they all died within the day. My gulper never bothered to eat one. The gulper later developped a cloudy eye on its left eye. I immediately panicked. I cleaned out and rinsed the filters under the sink (i know it killed the bacteria but i didn't want to risk wtv killed the goldfish getting in there too), and put some melafix+pima. A week later the gulpers eye is fine and the tank is slowly restarting to cycle (using seachem stability to help). The aquarium in question is a 20g (90g is set up already but has a 12" and i don't want to take risks), it has an ati sponge filter, an ac 30 and an ac 20, and the gulper is about 4.5" long.

So now with the recovery and all the gulper still hasn't eaten. It either ignores food, snaps at it, or swims by it. Also the gulper sometimes swims in a circle against the glass (this i presume is due to the chem change from broken cycle).

I just want to know if this ok for a gulper or should i bea worried it is in danger of dying?
 
quasar said:
Hey guys!


So I'm back with a question and need some advice.

Here is the whole story, a week ago i bought my gulper a dozen goldies as sort of a treat. I don't know what happened but the gold fish must have been sick and they all died within the day. My gulper never bothered to eat one. The gulper later developped a cloudy eye on its left eye. I immediately panicked. I cleaned out and rinsed the filters under the sink (i know it killed the bacteria but i didn't want to risk wtv killed the goldfish getting in there too), and put some melafix+pima. A week later the gulpers eye is fine and the tank is slowly restarting to cycle (using seachem stability to help). The aquarium in question is a 20g (90g is set up already but has a 12" and i don't want to take risks), it has an ati sponge filter, an ac 30 and an ac 20, and the gulper is about 4.5" long.

So now with the recovery and all the gulper still hasn't eaten. It either ignores food, snaps at it, or swims by it. Also the gulper sometimes swims in a circle against the glass (this i presume is due to the chem change from broken cycle).

I just want to know if this ok for a gulper or should i bea worried it is in danger of dying?
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it should be fine hunger wise for a week yet, I'd focus on your water parameters for the immedicate concern
 
I'd focus more so on the fact that your entire batch of feeders died suddenly in the tank you have your gulper in. I'd be treating with metro if there are no exterior signs of any disease/parasites.
 
predatorkeeper87 said:
I'd focus more so on the fact that your entire batch of feeders died suddenly in the tank you have your gulper in. I'd be treating with metro if there are no exterior signs of any disease/parasites.
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Besides the cloudy eye on 1 eye there didn't seem to be anything on the outside. What is metro?
 
Just a correction for my story, not ALL the goldfish died. 5 of the 12 survived and were put into ny 90g where they were then devoured by my oscar (who is fine). I did not know this until last night, my brother was the one who fished out the dead ones while i was at work.
 
Sorry, I am a bit confused.

-- Is the tank, where the gulper is, cycling?
-- What are the water parameters?
-- What test kit do you use?
-- What chemicals did you add to the tank?

IMHO, feeders were not only unnecessary but also a Russian roulette. I'd never, ever use feeders unless saving a fish from death by hunger.

Feeders from an LFS is anything but a treat to any of our pets. It's not unlike giving the filthiest, disease-ridden and parasite-ridden dumpster mice to your pet cat as a "treat". If the cat survives the "treat", it lucked out, is all.

Metronidazole is a specifically wide spectrum antiparasitic medication with a side action of a mild antimicrobial.

Playing with temperature stresses any fish and should be thought of as bringing more good than harm before applied. I doubt it in your case. The gulper's been stressed plenty, it would appear.

A quick soak in garlic juice promotes palatability.
 
thebiggerthebetter said:
Sorry, I am a bit confused.

-- Is the tank, where the gulper is, cycling?
-- What are the water parameters?
-- What test kit do you use?
-- What chemicals did you add to the tank?

IMHO, feeders were not only unnecessary but also a Russian roulette. I'd never, ever use feeders unless saving a fish from death by hunger.

Feeders from an LFS is anything but a treat to any of our pets. It's not unlike giving the filthiest, disease-ridden and parasite-ridden dumpster mice to your pet cat as a "treat". If the cat survives the "treat", it lucked out, is all.

Metronidazole is a specifically wide spectrum antiparasitic medication with a side action of a mild antimicrobial.

Playing with temperature stresses any fish and should be thought of as bringing more good than harm before applied. I doubt it in your case. The gulper's been stressed plenty, it would appear.

A quick soak in garlic juice promotes palatability.
Click to expand...

The gulpers tanke was already cycled. But after soaking the filter media in regular tap water i had to start over. The parameters as of now are a 6ph, 0 Nitrite,0nitrate, X ammonia (i say x because its been going up n down due to new cycle).

In all honesty i was always told goldfish were like " cheeseburgers" for fish and were just unhealthy to eat as a staple. I had no idea they were that bad of a thing for fish to eat :s
 
So the gulper tank has been indeed cycling. I hope you are using ammo-lock or some such ammonia detoxifier. Gulpers are rather sensitive and normally won't survive in a cycling tank, not to mention it would not feed until the water's good, the stress is gone, and it is healthy.

*************************************************************************

Live feeders from an average LFS are produced and kept in quite poor conditions to make them cheap and affordable. Goldfish are especially dangerous because of their strong immune systems that are able to suppress various dangerous parasites and bacteria and viruses which, upon consumption, will make their predatory consumer ill or kill it.

Rosey reds and guppies are weaker, and hence, better in this sense but still horribly disease-ridden when available in masses.

I doubt you'd find a single expert on MFK who will support using live feeders from an LFS but I've been surprised before :) Quite the opposite, all or almost all of them will try to steer you away from the feeders.

Ghost shrimp are a bit better or so I gathered but still better to avoid.
 
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