Help Sunken belly L-18

[freshwaterfishing]

Our Golden Nugget will not eat. When we got him from the lfs his belly was in perfect condition. Hes in clean water, right temp, weve given him zuccinni and algea waffers. Weve had it for a good almost 2 weeks and it just wont eat and now its belly is really sucken in.
Please help

 

[freshwaterfishing]

anyone?

 

[BPags52]

Call the LFS and see what they were feeding it before you bought it.

All I can suggest is variety at this point.

I've never owned an L-18 but I've read on MFK that their primary diet as juveniles in the wild consists of some sort of biofilm that can't be replicated in aquariums (or something along those lines anyway...). I think this is why L-18s have a reputation for being sensitive and sometimes die young in aquariums.

But try other veggies/fruits/etc. Maybe water melon, or mango, or peach I hear good things about (as far as stimulating appetite). Goodluck

edit: and try adding the food after dark/lights out, it should be more active then.

 

[freshwaterfishing]

Thankyou'
any more advice?

 

[Noddy]

I've had the strange expierience with some plecos not eating until I found out that they weren't interested in the brand of algae wafers....
I bought Hikari wafers and they all liked them.
I reintroduced all the other wafers and tablets, and now they took those as well.
As a treat or the entice your plec try some bloodworms, he may take tose.

 

[Columbian Shark Catfish]

No pleco says no to Hikari

 

[freshwaterfishing]

Thanks for the info, now if it does start eating will the belly go back?

 

[Plec123]

yes eventually. you also need driftwood in the tank as that makes up part of the L018's natural diet.

 

[freshwaterfishing]

Great tip, ive herd that before but wasnt sure if it was a neccesity, but ill grab some tomorrow forsure.

 

[Plec123]

Great tip, ive herd that before but wasnt sure if it was a neccesity, but ill grab some tomorrow forsure.

that'll probably prove more helpful than changing the wafer brand, but try getting another brand and feeding one of each type of wafer, plus a cucumber slice, to just get him eating, and get some driftwood.