Trouble with Duboisi

[greyboysix]

Hey y'all! Need a little help. I have a juvenile tropheus duboisi that just isn't eating. I've been taking a pinch of spirulina flakes, crushing them up, and putting them in that way, but it's just not working. He'll swim around, take in a flake, chew for a second or two, and spit it out. Sometimes he'll suck the same pieces right back in and repeat what he did. Several times in a row. I just can't figure out what I'm doing wrong! The other Duboisi I have (Yes, in a different tank, I'm not keeping them together!) is doing great, and loving the food I'm putting in. Anyway, the little guy's starting to look pale, sometimes. I don't even know if that's possible, but sometimes, I swear, he looks more gray than black. I've thought about maybe getting some brine shrimp or tubifex worms, but I keep reading that the duboisi should only be given vegetable matter. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Zagz]

For starters I would try feeding some frozen peas. Might be constipated.

What are the parameters of the tank he is in? When did you do your last water change. His lack of color is telling you he is stressed and not feeling good. Is he bloated at all? Getting skinnier? Gasping, have any patches on his fins that look not right?

 

[greyboysix]

For starters I would try feeding some frozen peas. Might be constipated.

What are the parameters of the tank he is in? When did you do your last water change. His lack of color is telling you he is stressed and not feeling good. Is he bloated at all? Getting skinnier? Gasping, have any patches on his fins that look not right?

Really? Frozen peas, just straight out of the bag? You may be right about the constipation. When I turned on the lights this morning (Same time every day), he was trailing a stool about 100% his body length.

He's in my 20 gallon quarantine tank, Rena filstar XP1, 80 degrees. He's the first one in, and set up the tank on Saturday (about 5 lbs gravel from my big tank to get the biofilter started, and about five gallons of water from it, topped out with bottled water and a dose of Prime), so no water change yet. Just moved him to the tank yesterday morning, and he was **** near transparant last night, but tonight he's nice and colorful. A little pale towards the tail, but well colored otherwise. Fins are out too. Doesn't seem to be any skinnier. No odd patches on skin or fins. When I put in the ground up spirulina, he went after it. Ate a few tiny pieces of it, and would move like he was going to grab others, but would pull up just short, or swim right past the falling piece.

I just took him out of a tank where he was being harassed non-stop. The "Expert" at the specialist aquarium place told me that the two duboisi would get along fine if there were other fish in the tank. So much for that. Any help/advice would be great!