Feeding situations with new fish

[pinkie]

I have a young Picasso triggerfish (about 2-3") and a young Snowflake Eel (about 7-8" but skinny) who are sharing a tank right now. They get along great but when it's feeding time, the trigger acts like a jealous kid! He doesn't care at all about the food until the eel tries to go eat it, at which time the trigger decides he wants a snack. Eventually the trigger gets bored of hogging the food and the eel starts eating but then any time the trigger comes near the eel, the eel will go up and put his mouth around the trigger's fins or underside but doesn't bite him, just kind of threatens him. The trigger doesn't care, and essentially ignores the eel. Have any other people had similar situations where there fish are acting worse than 2 year olds?

In addition, in my quarantine tank I just bought a small Spiny Box puffer. I've had him for 4 days now and feeding has been an issue. I've tried frozen krill, frozen squid, frozen and thawed clam. Nothing has interested him. I've never had a problem with a fish refusing food... the best he has done so far is picking up a piece of krill off a feeding stick, holding it in his mouth for a few seconds, then spitting it out. I've seen some people mention soaking food in garlic - is there a special product that works best or simply buying garlic from the store and doing it at home?

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[melosu58]

They make some garlic products that your LFS will probably have but I`ve heard you can just use garlic from the store. I`ve even heard others buying whole garlic and pressing it themselves and using the juice.

 

[roka64]

I agree, but there is no real scientific proof that the garlic actually induces a need to feed (but I soak mine and they go crazy). It has ben proven to boost their immune systems. I use Garlic Guard http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produ...&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&pc=1&N=0&Nty=1 and love the stuff.
On feeding the eel (I have no experience) but can you spot feed him, by putting a piece of food that the trigger can't fit in his mouth, by his hole?

 

[austinsdad]

Add some Zoe to the food w/the garlic. Vitamin.

 

[roka64]

Add some Zoe to the food w/the garlic. Vitamin.

Yeah, I forgot to add that I also soak with garlic, zoe and selcon.

 

[pinkie]

Thanks for the quick responses. I went to my LFS, couldn't find anything with garlic. However I went to the store and got garlic powder. I mixed some water with the garlic powder (probably like a 90/10 water to powder ratio, so not a lot but enough where the krill smelled like garlic when I took them out), let some thawed krill sit in it for about 15 min, then spent 30 min trying to get him to eat with no luck. Right when I put the krill in the fish tank for the first time he comes over curiously but just kind of sniffs it and then swims away. The only way I can get him to put it in his mouth is if I literally touch it to his mouth and then he will grab it, but spit it out soon after. So unfortunately the garlic doesn't seem to have changed anything. However, my trigger was happy to eat it after my puffer turned it down!

I am running out of ideas with the puffer. In addition to trying the garlic, I got 2 live clams from the store yesterday. One went to the trigger and eel (which they loved) and the other went to the puffer. The puffer acts like it isn't even in his tank, and it's been roughly 24 hours. I am hoping he will get curious and try to get into it in the next day or so. There has also been a snail in there with him for about 3 days now which he hasn't touched either.

I also bought a couple mussels in the hopes he has more of an appetite for them. But as of yet they are not in any tank.

If you guys have any other ideas I would love to hear them.

A side note: He did have a very minor case of ich when I purchased him and I treated him for it. The ich is almost gone. I am assuming this might have a negative effect on his appetite?

 

[austinsdad]

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=SC4811

Here's the product we spoke about. I'm not thinking garlic powder and water is gonna help anyway. Fresh squeezed yes, but I got serious doubts about powder.

So, you've had this guy for about a week maybe? I've had fish that didn't eat for up to two weeks I believe, then came around later and have been fine. Still, getting over ick can foul their appettite some time it seems. Some others can have full blown ick and still eat like pigs. Go figure.

Be careful with the excess food in the water during this time. Watch those readings.