Anorexic Widows

[Cheeesed Angel]

Hello,

I got a new tank a few months ago in which I have 4 black widows. The seem fairly happy and are nice to each other and swim around happily enough but they NEVER EAT!!!! I have tried flakes, granules, some frozen veg and even these grain things that the guy at my aquarium makes himself and swears by but they arent interested. I feel like I am just waiting for them to die of starvation.

HELP!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-CA

 

[Rbishop]

Try frozen or live brine shrimp, bloodworms even. They generally are not that finicky of eaters. Black skirts are normaly pretty aggressive eaters actually. What are your water parameters?

 

[Native American]

That was my first question, too...water parameters. My Black Skirt "rescues" are voracious. They'll eat anything. An old standby that seems palatable to any fish is Hikari Micro Pellets.

v/r, N-A

 

[jm1212]

i ahve a school of six black skirts in my 20 gallon, and they range from the total pigs to the anorexic ones like you have.
2 eat so much that they look like they are going to explode
2 eat normal ammounts
1 doesnt eat as much as id like, but he is the smallest of the bunch
1 bearly eats. perhaps 1/2 a flake with each feeding. at least he is eating though. a couple of months ago he only ate once a week.

your fish will probably get better, but meanwhile use live foods like brine shrimp or frozen food like blood worms to encourage their appetites.

 

[Cheeesed Angel]

Thanks

Thankyou for your help I will get some of those foods. I swapped over the weed and for some reason that seems to have made them a little bit happier... they even ate yesterday! they are funny little fish.