Rabbitfish not eating in QT

[Heathd]

Hi all,

I have a scribbled rabbitfish that was eating both at the store and for the first day in QT, but now it wont. I'm using copper power @ 2ppm verified by the API copper test kit, and wondering if the copper is acting as an appetite suppressant. The two clowns that are in QT with him are eating fine and showing no signs of stress.

The food I'm using is mysis with focus and general cure. The rabbitfish also gets some garlic soaked nori on a clip, and it doesn't appear to take an interest in either.

Any tips as to what I can do from here? I know other foods are maybe an option, but if this continues on without success using other foods.... do I just move it to another tank without copper and observe for an extended period of time?

Thanks for your help.

 

[W1ngz]

See the first post here:

Copper treatment

Copper treatment What It Treats – Marine Ich (Cryptocaryon irritans) and Marine Velvet Disease (Amyloodinium ocellatum). There is some anecdotal evidence that copper will suppress symptoms of Brooklynella hostilis and Uronema marinum; however it is unlikely to completely eradicate either. How...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Heathd]

Thanks. I guess im going to try and tough it out to 14 days and transfer to another tank. Hoping he eats or nibbles on something in the mean time

 

[W1ngz]

My foxface that I quarantined recently didn't eat much the first few days, even without meds. Seemed to like the few strands of caulerpa that I'd gotten in the bag with some inverts that my LFS put in so they had something to hold on to.

Despite being a large-ish juvenile size, I attributed it to stress from being in a tank that was too small, as I only have a 10gal for quarantine. I risked it and just did observation for 30 days with no meds.

 

[CindyKz]

My blue spotted rabbit fish used to eat fern caluerpa. I just threw in a handful and he nibbled all day long. I don't know if that can be fed in a tank with copper though.

 

[Spar]

Good timing on this post, my two Foxface Lo's won't eat much either in QT, using Chloroquine Phosphate and General Cure. They seem happy otherwise. I will try out Caulerpa from my DT refugium as well.

 

[Huskymaniac]

How did you make out? I have had issues with a scribbled in QT and copper and lack of eating.

 

[Spar]

How did you make out? I have had issues with a scribbled in QT and copper and lack of eating.

For me, they both started eating well about 7-10 days in. I am sure they were eating prior to that, but wouldn't eat in front of me until then. Both did just fine for about 3 weeks and then one suddenly died, not sure why. The other is healthy and in the DT now, fat belly.

How long have you had yours?

 

[Huskymaniac]

Since July. It never ate really well in QT. Moved it into display and it at live Macro like crazy. But I never quarantined the macro and infected my tank ick. Fish back in QT with copper and stopped eating nori again. It eats e everything else like a pig though.

 

[Reef AquaCult]

Sorry to hear about the ich! All mine tear up red ogo / Gracilaria or Sea Lettuce / Ulva - you can get them on Algae Barn or LiveAquaria and you can grow them in your refugium. They're a grazing fish and are easily scared, so if you have something for them to graze on when youre not near the tank it might help. Also consider tying the nori or other seaweed to a piece of rock with rubber band rather than hanging it on glass may help too. Once they feel more safe in their environment they won't refuse these algae. Ive had better luck with the live algae over nori for rabbitfish.

 

[Huskymaniac]

Sorry to hear about the ich! All mine tear up red ogo / Gracilaria or Sea Lettuce / Ulva - you can get them on Algae Barn or LiveAquaria and you can grow them in your refugium. They're a grazing fish and are easily scared, so if you have something for them to graze on when youre not near the tank it might help. Also consider tying the nori or other seaweed to a piece of rock with rubber band rather than hanging it on glass may help too. Once they feel more safe in their environment they won't refuse these algae. Ive had better luck with the live algae over nori for rabbitfish.

It was eating the red ogo like crazy. That's how it got ick, lol

 

[Heathd]

Mine didn't make it. I dont know if it was QT that killed him or what. Could just be my inexperience with QT'ing that did it too. The clowns were champs the whole way through

 

[Halal Hotdog]

Mine didn't make it. I dont know if it was QT that killed him or what. Could just be my inexperience with QT'ing that did it too. The clowns were champs the whole way through

Very sorry about the loss. I have two scribbled rabbitfish and they are incredible animals. I did QT with CP. They didn't eat mysis or nori, but I placed some chaeto on a frag plug and they slowly picked at it. They are VERY FAST growers. It may have been the combination of medications that did it in, but that is purely a guess. A lot of people get the fish eating well before introducing medication, might be something worth trying next time.

 

[Heathd]

Thanks for the tip. It was eating well at the store but that doesn't mean it made the move to the QT well. I will make sure it has a healthy appetite before ramping up CP and dewormers.