figure 8 isn't eating

[ananda1]

Our figure 8 puffer has stopped eating. He's in a 5g hospital tank with a sponge filter (one rated at 10g), one Azoo mini-filter, and some live ghost shrimp. He's never had an appetite for a wide variety of foods, but now he's not eating even his favorite -- freeze-dried plankton. We've tried frozen mysis, frozen bloodworms, frozen krill, frozen plankton, frozen shrimp, freeze-dried krill, and freeze-dried bloodworms in addition to the freeze-dried plankton. We've tried soaking freeze-dried stuff in garlic oil, but he won't eat it. Ditto with Selcon.

He's in the hospital tank because we'd had him in a 55g with three GSPs, and they had started bullying him a bit. We can't use a hospital tank any bigger than 5g because, due to the lease, we can only have one tank in the apartment. The one tank is the 55g -- anything else has got to be able to be hidden in its base cabinet (which is where the hospital tank is now).

The tank's s.g. is about 1.006. We've been doing 1g-2g water changes every day or every other day (until we can get the sponge filter colonized).

Any suggestions? We will seek snails tomorrow.

 

[smooth_bourbon]

HI.

Hidden in the cabinet? Do you have a light on his tank? I know puffers are very into their surounding and get bored easily I hope he is not in one giant dark hole.

GSP's and Figure Eights do not make good tank mates, for the obvious reason you have discovered. But also they need different salinity levels. As your GSP"s grow up they are going to need marine level salinity where as your Figure Eight will always need brackish.

Also a 55 gallon is not large enough for 3 GSP's full grown. You would be pushing it with 2 in a 55, which I have heard still wont work in the long run.

As for food I have never had a Figure Eight, but my picky eating GSP's loved fresh foods such as Clams, Muscles, Shrimp. You might try somthing like that just to get his appetite back.

 

[ananda1]

We do have a small light over the figure-8's tank. He also gets some ambient light from the openings to the area under the 55g.

We have tried shrimp tails for the figure-8. No luck. I have been unable to find clams or mussels that are small enough for him. He has never been very interested in actually eating the ghost shrimp that are in the tank -- they are more there for him to chase, should he decide to do so. We'd be thrilled if he caught and ate one or more of them.


---------side note---------
I am aware of the increased salinity level and tank size the GSPs will need later. Currently, they range in size from about 2" to 3", so they have plenty of room. They are eating frozen shrimp tails, frozen bloodworms, fd krill soaked in Selcon, and other typical puffer fare. I run two Penguins on their tank (a 330 and a 170) , so they've no shortage of filtration, either. They also have ghost shrimp to chase. The shrimp were initially scheduled to be puffer snacks, but have never been caught.

 

[smooth_bourbon]

I got live clams and mussels from a local fish mart. I actually cracked them open myself and gave them a little rinse for my GSP's where not large enough to crack them themselves.

 

[Pufferpunk]

What are the water parameters? It's tank is too small. I'd find a home for the F8 & 1 of the GSPs.

 

[ananda1]

The figure 8 is 2" long, and is the only fish in the 5g tank.
We are probably going to need to get new test kits; I'm not sure I trust the readings I'm seeing.

The GSPs are 1.5", 2", and 2.5" (approximately). They have PLENTY of room in the 55g -- they are the only fish in the tank!

 

[ananda1]

He's sick with something. He's hiding under the sponge filter, tail curled in a bit. And he twitches every once in a while.

He wasn't interested in the live blackworms we picked up tonight.

We did another 40% water change tonight. He seems to like the saltier incoming water. We're up to around 1.008 or so on the hydrometer.

 

[Pufferpunk]

I believe 5g is still too small for this fish. It will be too difficult to keep the water pristine in there. 1.005 is fine for this low-end BW fish. How fast did you get it up to 1.008?

Of course the 55 is fine for them at that size. At 6" adults, they will be needing at least a 90g though.