REDTAIL CATFISH NO APPETITE

[Darius]

I currently have 2 redtail catfish around 3.5-4.5 inch long and one common pleco around 3 inch long in a SUPER TEMPORARY TANK of 55 galons.I just recently bought them 5 days ago.Im a new fish keeper and I didn’t know that the tank needs to be cycled before putting any fishes inside so i do 25-30% water change every other day.On the first day i got it,i gave it a small piece of shrimp and a small piece of chicken and it ate it no problem.Second day,i fed it small pieces of shrimp and it both only ate one piece.The next day i changed the water 25-30% and after tht i tried feeding the fish and it completely didnt eat the shrimp i gave and it also rejected chicken(i know u shouldnt feed chicken as a staple food) .The same night,i tried feeding it prawn and it wont eat but it was showing interest so I decided to just leave the pieces of prawn in the tank.I don’t remember how much i put in there but the prawn was still there when i woke up(i know that u shouldn’t leave food in the tank but I thought the RTCs would eat them).Today i bought some bloodworms and they actually ate some but super little.Is my fish just settling in or something is wrong?May i also add that one of my rtc is always hiding in a mini cave and one is always near the filter cause the slightly bigger one is territorial and also my pleco keeps on smacking and biting my smaller rtc but hopefully my rtc can grow bigger faster so that he could defend against the pleco.I would appreciate the help.Thanks

 

[kno4te]

Would start by checking ur water quality with a api liquid test kit that’s not expired. Would try not to feed daily till the water has been properly tested. A non cycled tank with daily feeding of a fish that produces large amounts of waste will not eat well. So get the water tested first. Avoid chicken and only use a pellet or cut up fish. No food that people eat. Catfish will hide and most fish will take shelter when in a new environment. There’s some new tank syndrome going on as well. Post some updates as it goes.

 

[Darius]

Would start by checking ur water quality with a api liquid test kit that’s not expired. Would try not to feed daily till the water has been properly tested. A non cycled tank with daily feeding of a fish that produces large amounts of waste will not eat well. So get the water tested first. Avoid chicken and only use a pellet or cut up fish. No food that people eat. Catfish will hide and most fish will take shelter when in a new environment. There’s some new tank syndrome going on as well. Post some updates as it goes.

Thanks for the reply bro.Im going to get a api test kit very soon and i got some bloodworms with me and they actually devoured 3 cubes but still i’ll have to check water quality and all.I’ll post some updates once i buy the test kit.Cheers

 

[EntoStentor]

You need to add bacteria to the tank. I recommend this is everyone, and it is one of the bacteria treatments you can get. It's called FrtizZyme Turbostart 700 and has 15 times the amount of bacteria most other treatments have. Your tank will be cycled in 3 days.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

I'd not feed at all until I know the test results. The more you feed, the more they produce the ammonia, which in turn will sicken them and kill them. If they are not thin, they will be fine for at least a week easily, longer too, without feed.