Black Velvet Angelfish not really eating much

[falconut]

Got this guy (Chaetodontoplus melanosoma), almost a week ago & he really isn't eating much. I believe my stupid sharpnose puffer was nipping his fins, but the puffer is now out. He was quaretined at my lfs for about 10 weeks, but never really has eaten much in my tank since day 1. The lfs kept him in an 8' pool type tank with a lot of other fish, and appeared to be picking at pellets.

I've tried frozen mysis, brine & plankton, Hikari marine s pellets, dainichi pellets, omega one mini pellets, ocean nutrition formula one flakes, nori & live blackworms. He is so slow to even try to bite anything that my other fish have it all gone. He will occasionally nip a pellet & a live blackworm. Is there something else I should be trying to feed him?

 

[falconut]

Here is a photo of him, day 1

 

[Maritimer]

You could try a clam on the half-shell. Pick up some littleneck clams at the local market - you can freeze them (which will help ease your mind, _just_in_case_ they've got a parasite that freezing will kill), thaw them, open them and just drop 'em in - or hang 'em from the same clip you might use for nori. The fish will pick at them for a while before it's all gone, but it seems as though this fellow would enjoy a quieter neighborhood!

~Bruce

 

[falconut]

I'll have to see if I can grab a few. I tried to get him out to move to my qt tank, but he was really dug in (hiding in the rocks). I didn't want to stress him out too much.

 

[Maritimer]

If you can deal with the extra nutrients, try putting food sources at both ends of the tank. That should help lessen the commotion around each source.

~Bruce

 

[falconut]

I'll give that a try.

 

[eatbreakfast]

I second Bruce's suggestions.

 

[falconut]

Well, I got the Hikari frozen clams on a half shell & I'm not sure he touched it, I had to run out. It was picked clean, but I believe it was the butterflies cause they we're nipping it when I left.

I also picked up NLS Thera A 2mm pellets, since the NLS pellets have been mentioned all over angel threads. And what do you know, he started picking them out of the water column & even some off the bottom. The size was a little too big for most of the other fish, so it allowed him to get them. I believe he ate around 8 - 10 pellets & 5 - 6 blackworms, so it's a start.

 

[falconut]

Unfortunately, it was a 1 day thing. He only comes out from the rocks now when I'm feeding. But this time, he didn't even try to the eat either the worms or the NLS pellets and he looks skinnier. I have a feeling he'll be dead by the weekend.

 

[Maritimer]

Keep trying ... he may have eaten so little for so long that the few pellets he ate yesterday are giving his digestion a hard time.

Baby steps, sometimes . . .

~Bruce, hoping against hope . . .