Recently I added my pickerel to my 29 gal. The one is eating and fine while the other just lays on the bottom and I am constantly pulling out half digested fish that it pucks up. They have been in there over a week and a half. I am wondering if it just have problems adjusting so I dimed the lights today any other advice? should I take the feeders out the tank?
Sick grass pickerel
- Thread starter MultispeciesTamer
- Start date
It's probably way overfed. Never keep tons of feeders in the same tank with these fish. It's never a good idea in general with any fish.
Take the feeders out and leave the fish alone for a couple of days. If it recovers, keep feeders in a separate space, and feed only what you fish can eat in one sitting once a day. We suck small feeders up into a turkey baster with the small front end cut off one at a time, and drop the feeder in near the pickerel. They learn incredibly quickly to watch you for food, and will stalk/strike food readily when you put it in the tank.
Take the feeders out and leave the fish alone for a couple of days. If it recovers, keep feeders in a separate space, and feed only what you fish can eat in one sitting once a day. We suck small feeders up into a turkey baster with the small front end cut off one at a time, and drop the feeder in near the pickerel. They learn incredibly quickly to watch you for food, and will stalk/strike food readily when you put it in the tank.
I would tend to agree with wattamelon. Keep feeders in a separate tank, feed til each pickerel eats only 1 or 2. I feed mine every other day. As the pickerel holds down its food, you can gradually increase the amount that you feed and decrease the interval.
How large is the pickerel?
How large is the pickerel?
4 inchs I dont know if I agree with keeping the feeders out all together. Good news tho it apears it has eaten today, and its up swimming around. Maybe it was dimming the lights that did it as they were much brighter then the last tank.
Good to hear its doing better.
You may still want to consider keeping feeders in separate tank. I've had a few disease incidents from feeders. But also if they get used to hitting the feeders as they are dropped in the tank it may make it easier to convert to shrimp later.
You may still want to consider keeping feeders in separate tank. I've had a few disease incidents from feeders. But also if they get used to hitting the feeders as they are dropped in the tank it may make it easier to convert to shrimp later.
Mine will strike at shrimp and chew on it for a few seconds and spit it back out for the blue catfish to clean up, there still thinning my convict infestation down.
I planned to keep them them on feeders but that is a good idea I shall give it a try after they eat all the feeders left in the tank
Why do you think it's a good idea to keep feeders in the same tank? Fish overeat and die, feeders nip fins, feeders make mess and screw with water condition parameters...what GOOD reason would you have to keep them together, other than you don't want to put in the effort of feeding your predator by hand more often?
the only reson not to is they make a mess and screw with the water conditions I dont feel the others reasons you stated are a factor. I have never had a fish die from over eating (but it does happen with certain species). Fatheads dont tend to be fin nippers and I think one that gets that close to them will become food first. I like to see them fat and healthy and not have to be trained to take food when I am there, thus they can fend for them selves if I am not home for a few days.WattaMelon;3482118; said:
Screwing up the water quality, particularly in a small tank, should be enough of a reason not to do large feeder dumps in the main tanks.