S.o.s.!!

[kootz]

HELP :( ...

My female flower horn fish is starving herself! She hasn't eaten in about a week already!

It started since the day i changed the water (last week)... I didn't change anything else that might have affected her so I think it might be due to stress coz i scrubbed the sides of the tank thoroughly and maybe i frightened her in the process...

I feel so sad to see her starving herself... I don't know what to do! Pls help me..

Some info:

The tank
- the tank is about 22" x 12" x 12"
- i don't add much decorative stuff inside, the base is filled with small pebbles and pebble-like coloured glass
- the tank's pH not changed
- the filter is not changed
- the tank is breeding mosquitos! <a problem i'm trying to rectify>

The patient
- female flower horn, about 5 inches long
- not eating, seems very weak, doesn't swim about, colour turned dull
- no other visible symptoms

The companion
- one male flower horn about 5 inches long
- fish are separated by a transparent acrylic sheet in the middle of the tank
- male fish eating normally and seems healthy

The diet
- normally some pellets made from silkworm
- occasional treat of live food - krill or baby catfish

PLS HELP...... I can't bear to see her die!
Thanks!

[wetmanNY]

The outside dimension of the tank is 22" and it's divided by a solid (?) acrylic sheet, right? so each fish has a little more than twice its own body length to turn around in, isn't that it?

And the basic diet is silkworm pellets? Try a high quality fish flake and live food every few days.

Mosquitos are breeding in the tank,which must be outdoors, and the fish are too depressed to eat the larvae?

I would be too.

[kootz]

I think the fish normally don't eat the mosquito larvae coz they hide in the gaps among the pebbles... not sure about that..

yepz i agree the tank is rather small, but i've been keeping them for about a year already and they seemed fine in their small space so i assumed it's alright for them...

seeing the female fish starve herself, i also thought that it might be she has lost interest in the pellets so i bought a can of whole, dried krill to tempt her but she still does not show interest.. :(

i will get live food for her tomorrow... i hope she'll start showing interest in eating soon or else she's gonna die....

*sob sob* :(

[Cloud-9]

I'm not familiar with the species of fish.

You can be patient and wait for the fish to die, or you can try something to correct the situation. In my experience, fish usually stop eating because of one of the following: parasites, ammonia exposure, or nitrate exposure. Parasites can be cured easily. Toxicity can be "reversed".

There's really no need to wait and see and play it cautious. I recommend that you medicate immediately. Get some medicine with metronidazole and put that in the water, according to directions. Methylene Blue would help the fish if it got exposed to one of the toxins mentioned above (I forget which). So, the best medicine would contain both metronidazole and methylene blue. I can't recall if a medicine is made with both ingredients together like that. But you can try this: Get Hex-A-Mit (metronidazole) and put that in the water. See if you get a positive reaction. Follow the course of the treatment. If it doesn't work, you can add methylene blue. Methylene Blue is easy to find. Both of these medications are very safe. They would not hurt your other fish or your biofilter.

I medicate all of my new fish in an isolation tank with metronidazole or some other anti-parasitic. I've also used Methylene Blue over the years with good success for treating infections. They are both reliable medication.

[Molino]

This might be a stupid question, but if the tank is seperated by a acrylic sheet is there a filter on each side of the tank? and if not are there holes in the acrylic sheet to allow for sufficient circulation?

[scott]

Seems like making someone live in a refridgerator box and asking them why they loose their appetite.

[ChilDawg]

Originally posted by Cloud-9
You can be patient and wait for the fish to die, or you can try something to correct the situation. In my experience, fish usually stop eating because of one of the following: parasites, ammonia exposure, or nitrate exposure. Parasites can be cured easily. Toxicity can be "reversed".

There's really no need to wait and see and play it cautious

No, no, no.

Medication without knowing what the problem is would be more harmful than making some wholesale changes.

The Flowerhorn is a large fish, and will eventually need a 125 or so in order to be kept alone. You need to get larger tanks right away, and change the diet. Silkworm pellets, while lucky food for the fish, are not sufficient. These fish are carnivores (look at the Trimac for true keeping instructions) and need food like cichlid sticks and possibly the occasional feeder.

By the by, the assertion that they had been fine until now holds no water. They have now achieved enough size that they need larger quarters. Until that point, they had not overwhelmed the biological filtration capacity of the tank. Try new tanks and new diet before considering medication. I think that you'll be happy that you did!

[Cloud-9]

I disagree with you very strongly on this one Chillydawg. The fish hasn't eaten in a week. He can probably change some of the water and see if that improves. While it is true that fish can live for a while without eating, one week is a long time. Given the current size of the fish and his tank, it seems the quarters are a bit tight. But if that were the only reason for the malady, then the other fish also would have refused to eat. Tight quarters alone would not make a fish stop eating unless it is to the extreme. This is not extreme yet. And you do not always have to know for sure the exact reason for what ails a fish before you medicate. If he is uncomfortable medicating then perhaps he should wait some more and see if the condition improves. I medicate aggressively and have not lost a fish that I put through medication.

[ChilDawg]

Each fish has only 6.6 gallons of water...I think that that might be cause for concern...that's why I'd go the other way. I'd rather know what is causing my fish to be sick before I medicated, but if it works for you to do otherwise, then continue what works I guess. :)

[Cloud-9]

I'm not familiar (owned) a Flowerhorn. Is it possible then that the illness might be the result of it being a hybrid? These fish are causing problems in Asia. Maybe kootz was unlucky enough to get one with health problems. They look awesome from the pictures.

[ChilDawg]

It is possible, but I think that the dimensions offered to the fish is of the utmost concern. Most FHs are reasonably healthy...the fish are causing problems here, too, as pure Trimacs are no longer widely available as some varieties of the Lou Han look exactly like the Trimacs.

[wetmanNY]

Good big water changes (~40%) every few days may restore the fishes' appetite, while you work out larger living quarters. You'll probably see a growth spurt when you get these fish into roomier quarters.

I don't think internal parasites is very likely to be the problem, when living quarters are so cramped.