Rainbowfish feeding habits

[intensity68]

I have a rainbowfish (Melanotaenia trifasciata) that is sucking food in and then spitting it out. Is this a normal habit for rainbows?

[lmw80]

Hi intensity! Welcome to Aquarium Advice!

The Rainbow behavior depends on a few different factors. Is this an adult rainbow, what size tank, what other inhabitants, what are you feeding him, and how long have you had him in the tank. He could be a picky eater, or he could be stressed....hard to tell without all the information.

[intensity68]

First, My Tank:

29 [acronym:e2be0d095b="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:e2be0d095b] well planted tank
emperor 400 filter (dual bio wheels) with lava rock added in additional media holders for more bacteria colonization, not set at full [acronym:e2be0d095b="Gallons per hour"]gph[/acronym:e2be0d095b] setting

H2O parameters
[acronym:e2be0d095b="power head or Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, depending on context"]ph[/acronym:e2be0d095b] 7.2 (i do get some shifting in [acronym:e2be0d095b="power head or Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, depending on context"]ph[/acronym:e2be0d095b] due to [acronym:e2be0d095b="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:e2be0d095b] and local water high [acronym:e2be0d095b="power head or Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, depending on context"]ph[/acronym:e2be0d095b]-7.6) I was leaving at or near 7.6 until I started [acronym:e2be0d095b="Carbon dioxide"]CO2[/acronym:e2be0d095b]. .
ammonia less than .025
Nitrate less than .1

Fish:
Male and female Odessa Barb (male in [acronym:e2be0d095b="quarantine or quart depending on context"]QT[/acronym:e2be0d095b]), 3 neons, Male and female neon blush barbs (name??, the [acronym:e2be0d095b="Local Fish Store"]LFS[/acronym:e2be0d095b] calls them this dont know real name), badis, kuhli loach, batik loach, Royal pleco, otocinclus, 3 Pristella Tetras, 1 rainbowfish, blue variatus, Paradise Gourami, kribensis, 2 african dwarf frogs.


Maintenance:
20 percent water change weekly and gravel vacuuming where possible

Also, I have noticed that his poop is white. Is this normal?
I feed flake food, frozen bloodworms, and sometimes blackworms or brine shrimp.

Almost forgot, its a young rainbow (common name, banded rainbow) and hes been in the tank 3-4 weeks. I have added a pic of him (which incidentally shows the white excretion,lol)
Thanks

[lmw80]

Has he been doing this the whole 3-4 weeks he has been in the tank? He could still be adjusting. Also, does he spit the all varieties of food out, or only one kind? You do have quite a bioload in your tank...which could be stressing him out as well.

How does he look? Does he swim fine? Any signs of fungus or rot? Anything illness related that could contribute to him not eating?

[intensity68]

Has he been doing this the whole 3-4 weeks he has been in the tank?
No
Also, does he spit the all varieties of food out, or only one kind?
Yes or doesnt want to eat at all.
How does he look? Does he swim fine? Any signs of fungus or rot? Anything illness related that could contribute to him not eating?

He looks perfect physically.
He swims fine though seems to have decreased slightly in activity.
No sign of fungus or rot

AS we are discussing this. My thoughts are leaning towrds stress. What about the white poop question? Also heres another idea, rainbowfish do eat soft plants (which i have) what if hes eating them i havent seen him do it?

Yes, i agree the bioload is pretty heavy. Thats why i added lava rock in my media containers. Also, i probably change the water closer to every 5 days than a week. I never have an ammonia or nitrite spike. I'm not trying to defend myslef here just trying to give you as much info as possible.

Im pretty puzzled about this one. He's beautiful I might cry if i lose him eventually.
i cant get my pic below 148kb sorry

[intensity68]

i added pic to my gallery, its pending approval, perhaps you have access to it.

[lmw80]

I saw the pic, it's very nice. I think what we do have here is stress. Rainbowfish like their room to swim and eat, and he may just feel like there are too many other fish around. Rainbowfish do sometimes nibble plants as you say, which could be another possibility.

As far as the poop, I honestly am not sure...I looked it up on the web, and came up with this website: http://www.fishyfarmacy.com/fish_dis...disorders.html
If you scroll down to white poop (c I think), it suggests "fish is probably affected with intestinal flagellates", and tells you how to treat it. However, I would definitly do more research before putting meds into your tank or [acronym:fae03decc1="quarantine or quart depending on context"]QT[/acronym:fae03decc1] tank to treat him.