Elephant Nose Fish

[Plasmah]

Hello all I'm new to the board so be easy on me...

I have a question:

I Just set up a new 20 gallon Aquarium and I have 7 fish
2 Silver dollars, 1 Bronz Catfish, 1 Angel fish, 1 Elephant Nose, 1 Common Pleco and a spotted cat.

I had the Elephant Fish in the tank for 3 days and he seems perfectly fine he hides during the day and comes out at night and buzzes all ovet the tank. My worry is I'v not seen him eat one bite of food yet. I'm feeding my fish Tetramin Pro Tropical crips, Royal Freeze Dried bloodworms and Nutrafin Spirulina algae tablets. Is it just that the Elephant nose needs to get comfertable?

Thanks

 

[CFC]

Well for a start do you realise that elephant nose get to 10" in length and need a much bigger tank than a 20 g ? In fact most of your fish are going to need a bigger tank within 6 months, only the bronze catfish which i presume is bronze a corydoras (which should be in a group of 3) and prehaps the spotted catfish which im presuming is a talking catfish/raphael (which also should be in a group of 3) catfish are suitable.

Elephant nose have very small mouths and require small foods to be able to eat properly, they can also be very fussy and need live foods rather than freeze dried and frozen varieties, my lfs has some and the only thing they can get them to eat is live tubifix worms.Their nose is also very delicate and they need a sand substrate to prevent them from damaging their nose in sharp gravel, they are a sensative fish and often die from even minor injuries.

When you say it is a new tank did you allow the tank to cycle before adding fish ? That is a hell of a lot of fish to add to a new tank and if the tank wasnt properly cycled first you are going to be heading for trouble very soon

 

[gadazobe]

I have an elephant nose and he's a real picky eater. He won't eat flakes or granules, just frozen daphnea, black mosquito larva and glassworm.

 

[Plasmah]

Well the Elephant Nose finally ate tonight =)

I fed the fish as usual tonight. I droped one Algae tablet in the bottom of the tank then sprinkled some crisps and two pinches of dried bloodworms. The elephant ate some crisps and found a few worms so i'm happy.

 

[caz27]

when i first got my enf he was very shy and would not come out even to eat ..... ......so i got a turkey baister and just popped the worms in the tunnel and he would just gobble them all up. he is more confident now and will come out at feeding time.

Caz