Help...fish aren't eating.

[zippy]

I received a male and female N.pulcher on Saturday. They are the only fish in my 25 gallon tank. The tank has been cycled. I haven't seen them eat since I brought them home. I've been (attempting to) feed them "cichlid gold" pellets. I attempted to entice them with some frozen blood worms, but they didn't seem interested (that I could tell). The fish are pretty shy. I keep the lights dim. The tank has some silk plants, wood, rocks, and caves for hiding. They've both found caves and they do come out periodically. I am new to keeping these types of fish. Does anyone have suggestions on alternative types of food or any other way to get these two to eat something. I'd hate to lose them.....

Here's a picture of one of them.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[liv2padl]

it's normal for cichlids to take a couple of days to a week to get used to a new environment. if your water chemistry is about the same as what they came from, i'd not worry yet.

 

[SnakeIce]

It is not a problem that they are not eating, at least not short term. Back off and spend time near the tank to let them get used to you before you start fiddleing with their environment again.

Currently they have the memory of being moved with nets by people and that skittishness is stronger than their hunger drive. Spend some calm time with them and the skittishness will diminish and hunger from not eating will get greater till at some point, sooner if you have been carefull not to startle them, they will eat again.

The best method is to just relax and know that while eating is good, right now getting your fish's trust is more important.

 

[mooman]

I would take this time to get them on a quality pellet food (no frozen until thye are eating dry with gusto). This may take a week or even two. Just put a couple sinking pellets in each day untill they start to eat them immedietly. Then you can start alternating dry with a variety of frozen foods. I do dry in the moring (gives them all day to pick at it), then rotate between several types of frozen food in the evening.

As for getting them out, they might start moving around on their own. If they don't, add what hobbiests refer to as "dither fish" (pencil fish,hatchet fish). A few active surface fish moving around lets the kribs know that the "coast is clear" and that it's ok to come out.

 

[zippy]

Since I am new to these types of fish, I thought I'd let you know what my water parameters currently are:

Temperature: 76 degrees
Ammonia: 0 ppm
Nitrite: 0 ppm
NitrAte: less than 5 ppm
pH: 7.6
GH: 5
KH: 4

Is the pH, GH and KH acceptable for these types of fish?

If I decide to add other fish (such as pencilfish, etc) as previously suggested, at what point should I consider doing this. Should I go ahead and do it right away?

 

[mooman]

Most fish, kribs included, are very adaptable and will be just fine in your water . In nature, they come from soft acidic waters. Depending on the species, they may need to have softer (increases fertility of eggs) more acidic (triggers spawning behavior) water in order to breed. I don't believe that will be necesarry for your fish, since I have heard numerous accounts of them spawning in water similar to yours. I keep apistos (very similar to kribs in water chemistry preferences and breeding behavior) and I usually give my fish about a month in my tap water (ph=7.2 gh=7) and see what happens. If I don't get any action, only then do I start to monkey around with RO water (lowers hardness) and peat extract (lowers ph).

 

[zippy]

As an update -- I put four cardinal tetras in the tank yesterday morning. It did seem to relax the other fish, and they are EATING finally....I'm so happy. Thanks for all your advice.