Hello everyone,
This is my first post and I'm new on the forum. I've been lounging around for a while checking out people's posts and trying to gather information. I've always had a fascination with keeping freshwater fish as pets. I recently finally got around doing it by buying a 75G aquarium, power filter, air pump, gravel, etc. I also caught a small largemouth bass from my private man made pond (~ 1 acre) at a second house of mine. Well I caught several bass, but there's a long story behind this one.
I usually fish in public lakes for bass and one day I caught nothing but a small largemouth, he's about 9 - 10 inches. I decided to take him home with plans of putting him in my own pond. I left the poor fellow in a large sink for almost a week without food or shelter due to long hours at work and other issues. I noticed that when I caught him, his tail and fins were injured and worn down. I eventually put him in the pond and went out of the country on business for two weeks before returning.
Three weeks after his release into the pond, I catch this fellow again on with live bait and bobber with the plans of making it my pet. So I guess this guy is just plain lucky to have me get him again. I bring the bucket to fill it with clean water because the water at the pond is filled with algae. It's a hot summer day and the hose hasn't been used for a while so the water is practically boiling. I put the bass in there not knowing this until 2 minutes later i spilled some on my self. Quickly I replaced the water within moments of him pretty much dying because he was losing movement. I'm able to revive him again and bring him back home into that prison of a sink until I moved him into the bathtub the day after.
The night (yesterday) that I moved him into the bathtub, I bought my 75G tank and set it up. I put him in there and let him explore for a while. After a bit, I tried to feed him Canadian Nightcrawlers, but he wont even look at them, and then just hangs out on one side of the tank.
Next morning (which was this morning), I feed him another two worms, and I turn my back to use the restroom, and I swear I couldn't find the second worm (the first buried itself halfway into the gravel). So I dropped a third nightcrawler in and he just eyeballs it as it floats and squirms on its way downward, he doesn't eat it though.
So later today, I go to the store and buy some more gravel, some live plants, driftwood, and a couple fake plants. Also, I bought 20 comet goldfish and 20 red rosy minnows. First thing I did when I got home was dump the 20 minnows in and he immediately notices them and hits one. Then he hits another one but slams into the glass in the process. I dump the other 20 goldfish in but no response from him. So basically now hes got about 38 feeder fish in there with him. After him not having much activity after a while, I put in all the decorations and plants. He seemed a bit more lively after all that, instead of hanging out down at the bottom of one side, he tends to swim around occassionally, looking at the smaller fish, then swimming away.
So, after this long story, my question is, why isn't he eating? My guess is stress from the new environment, but I can't help but wonder, when I put him in that hot water, did I give him brain damage?
I will check back tonight after work to see how he is doing.
Cheers guys!
This is my first post and I'm new on the forum. I've been lounging around for a while checking out people's posts and trying to gather information. I've always had a fascination with keeping freshwater fish as pets. I recently finally got around doing it by buying a 75G aquarium, power filter, air pump, gravel, etc. I also caught a small largemouth bass from my private man made pond (~ 1 acre) at a second house of mine. Well I caught several bass, but there's a long story behind this one.
I usually fish in public lakes for bass and one day I caught nothing but a small largemouth, he's about 9 - 10 inches. I decided to take him home with plans of putting him in my own pond. I left the poor fellow in a large sink for almost a week without food or shelter due to long hours at work and other issues. I noticed that when I caught him, his tail and fins were injured and worn down. I eventually put him in the pond and went out of the country on business for two weeks before returning.
Three weeks after his release into the pond, I catch this fellow again on with live bait and bobber with the plans of making it my pet. So I guess this guy is just plain lucky to have me get him again. I bring the bucket to fill it with clean water because the water at the pond is filled with algae. It's a hot summer day and the hose hasn't been used for a while so the water is practically boiling. I put the bass in there not knowing this until 2 minutes later i spilled some on my self. Quickly I replaced the water within moments of him pretty much dying because he was losing movement. I'm able to revive him again and bring him back home into that prison of a sink until I moved him into the bathtub the day after.
The night (yesterday) that I moved him into the bathtub, I bought my 75G tank and set it up. I put him in there and let him explore for a while. After a bit, I tried to feed him Canadian Nightcrawlers, but he wont even look at them, and then just hangs out on one side of the tank.
Next morning (which was this morning), I feed him another two worms, and I turn my back to use the restroom, and I swear I couldn't find the second worm (the first buried itself halfway into the gravel). So I dropped a third nightcrawler in and he just eyeballs it as it floats and squirms on its way downward, he doesn't eat it though.
So later today, I go to the store and buy some more gravel, some live plants, driftwood, and a couple fake plants. Also, I bought 20 comet goldfish and 20 red rosy minnows. First thing I did when I got home was dump the 20 minnows in and he immediately notices them and hits one. Then he hits another one but slams into the glass in the process. I dump the other 20 goldfish in but no response from him. So basically now hes got about 38 feeder fish in there with him. After him not having much activity after a while, I put in all the decorations and plants. He seemed a bit more lively after all that, instead of hanging out down at the bottom of one side, he tends to swim around occassionally, looking at the smaller fish, then swimming away.
So, after this long story, my question is, why isn't he eating? My guess is stress from the new environment, but I can't help but wonder, when I put him in that hot water, did I give him brain damage?
I will check back tonight after work to see how he is doing.
Cheers guys!
