frozen-food shock???

[rica5tully]

I have one damsel in a 55 (just getting started)

Tonight I fed him some frozen brine shrimp. There were ice crystals on it and it was rock solid. So I thawed some in my hand and tried to make sure it was totally thawed.

When I put a glob in the tank, he ate it and then completely flipped out. He went racing to the surface than behind the rocks (I've never seen a fish swim so fast) then he flared his fins and ended up upside down on the rocks gasping for air.

I just watched him and after about 5 minutes he turned right side up and now is swimming normal. But he's being VERY shy and won't really come out.

What could that have been? I've heard that if there are ice crystals in frozen food that can kill fish? Anything else you can think of? Otherwise he's totally healthy and eats like a pig...but I almost lost him tonight.

Thanks

[Kurt]

When I put frozen food in my tank I just hold it in front of the power head, it quickly thaws out and spreads throught the entire tank in seconds. I have had my fish eat large pieces of frozen food before though. Never seen them do strange things like that though. But often wondered that it cannot be good to eat a big chunk of the frozen stuff.

[Guy W]

are you sure you didn't have anything on your hands? do you smoke? I think that is more likely.

[M-pire]

I always pre thaw my food by putting it in a cup w/ some of the aquarium water. The fish know its feeding time when they see the food cup above. However, I am using frozen krill which are a lot larger than brine shrimp, so it might not be as practical to warm brine shrimp in water.