My male retric died yesterday. He just never ate, at least well.
The ray was skinny when I got him four months ago, but not terrible. He was Prazied and quarantined for two months in a 20 gallon until I got him eating and then moved into the 180. He never grew. My other retric grew noticeably every month it seemed, but not this little guy. I had him on live cherry shrimp, baby marble crays, and small pond/ramshorn snails in the 20 gallon. He wouldn't take worms at all, though I tried like heck. He was offered Hikari sinking carnivore and sinking gold, but wouldn't eat them. I raised his water temp. to 85 and added extra aeration hoping to stimulate his appetite, but he never did eat enough to get "fat".
I moved him into the 180 with the hope that he would see the other fish eating and would try pellets, or at least worms. Although he would join the "frenzy" that is feeding time in the 180, he would not eat, just glide over food or spit it out, no matter what it was. At night I would try to place food directly in front of him or nudge it under the front of his disk, but he would just swim away and not eat.
Two weeks ago he stopped trying to even eat live shrimp or crayfish and still wouldn't touch redworms. He was sectioned off into about a third of the 180 with egg-crate by himself, just so the severums wouldn't try to eat the food I was placing in the tank for him. The only fish that was able to cross into the ray's section was my young fire eel, but he didn't bother the ray or eat his food. Then yesterday morning he was dead. He was so skinny, he looked like a ray skeleton.
There was no food in the stomach when I cut him open.
What the heck caused this? Why wouldn't he just eat? The other retric I had ate really well, even from the beginning and I had no problems getting it onto pellets.
Tank stats:
180 w/sand bottom
82 degrees
two Filstar 3's and an Aquaclear 500 with Purigen
PH 6
Water change 75% to 90% every week
Tankmates:
3 severums
1 9 inch fire eel
15 red eyed tetras
The ray was skinny when I got him four months ago, but not terrible. He was Prazied and quarantined for two months in a 20 gallon until I got him eating and then moved into the 180. He never grew. My other retric grew noticeably every month it seemed, but not this little guy. I had him on live cherry shrimp, baby marble crays, and small pond/ramshorn snails in the 20 gallon. He wouldn't take worms at all, though I tried like heck. He was offered Hikari sinking carnivore and sinking gold, but wouldn't eat them. I raised his water temp. to 85 and added extra aeration hoping to stimulate his appetite, but he never did eat enough to get "fat".
I moved him into the 180 with the hope that he would see the other fish eating and would try pellets, or at least worms. Although he would join the "frenzy" that is feeding time in the 180, he would not eat, just glide over food or spit it out, no matter what it was. At night I would try to place food directly in front of him or nudge it under the front of his disk, but he would just swim away and not eat.
Two weeks ago he stopped trying to even eat live shrimp or crayfish and still wouldn't touch redworms. He was sectioned off into about a third of the 180 with egg-crate by himself, just so the severums wouldn't try to eat the food I was placing in the tank for him. The only fish that was able to cross into the ray's section was my young fire eel, but he didn't bother the ray or eat his food. Then yesterday morning he was dead. He was so skinny, he looked like a ray skeleton.
There was no food in the stomach when I cut him open.What the heck caused this? Why wouldn't he just eat? The other retric I had ate really well, even from the beginning and I had no problems getting it onto pellets.
Tank stats:
180 w/sand bottom
82 degrees
two Filstar 3's and an Aquaclear 500 with Purigen
PH 6
Water change 75% to 90% every week
Tankmates:
3 severums
1 9 inch fire eel
15 red eyed tetras
