Healthy Rasboras Not Eating?

[RobboGir]

Hi, I'm new to the fish game and have a somewhat perplexing situation. I have month and a half old 10 gal with 5 harlequin rasboras and 2 peppered corys. When they were first introduced, the rasboras were voracious eaters, snapping up flakes from the surface instantly. They are still very active and maintaining wonderful colour but it's been close to 3 weeks since I've seen any of them eat. I keep adding a small amount of flakes twice daily, which are presumably eaten by the corys because there's no residual flakes on the ocean floor left by morning. I literally watch them every time I feed and they are entirely uninterested. I've tried freeze dried blood worms and brine shrimp to no avail. I'd like to get them to eat again cause it's super fun to watch and I'd be less puzzled by their continued existence. Suggestions?

 

[waterdrop]

Hello RobboGir and Welcome to TFF!

While a month and a half is long enough to successfully "cycle" the biofilter of an aquarium, so that it constantly removes the poisons that we must be vigilant about, it is concerning that you do not mention this aspect of your aquarium. We get dozens of beginners each month who have not been introduced to this key aspect of the hobby.

Do you own and use a liquid-reagent based water testing kit? What was your method of cycling, if you were aware of cycling? What are your current water test results and how did you obtain them?

~~waterdrop~~

 

[GrayScale]

How often and how much water do you change? And have you rinsed your filter media? If so, did you rinse in tap water or tank water in a bucket?

Just a few questions to be able to help you out here and get a better idea.

 

[RobboGir]

I do about a 20% change every week via gravel siphon. I haven't rinsed the filter media since I first set it up, I suppose this is a habit I should get into? In terms of cycling - after a couple of days of nutrafin cycle and flakes, I borrowed some guppies from a friend and had those for about a week. I got my water sampled at my lfs and the guy told me I was good to go, I got another sample about a week after the rasboras were introduced and it was okayed. I didn't think to ask for the parameters but I've got a 20 gal that I'm still cycling after about 2 months to which he's advising patience after a couple no go water samples, so I don't question his motives. That being said, I take it exact parameters would be something good to know?

 

[hensonc4098]

If you can get your hands on a test kit then it would be helpful to know just incase it was something to do with the parameters.
Silly question, but do they look thin? I know with mine I only feed them once a day or every other day and they feed quickly as you described, but if I feed them too much or too often they lose interest as they're obviously full... Could be a stupid comment by myself, but worth a thought

 

[Aqua Tom]

I haven't rinsed the filter media since I first set it up, I suppose this is a habit I should get into?

Yes but only rinse it in old tankwater. Tapwater will kill off all your bacteria.

 

[RobboGir]

Alright thanks, I think I'll try cutting down on food because they are quite full bodied, maybe fasting them for a day or two and see if that perks up their appetite, but again I've literally not seen them eat for 3 weeks. As to test kit, I'm waiting on one in the mail as the cheapest I could find around town was 60$ for a litmus paper kit.

 

[Aqua Tom]

Alright thanks, I think I'll try cutting down on food because they are quite full bodied, maybe fasting them for a day or two and see if that perks up their appetite, but again I've literally not seen them eat for 3 weeks. As to test kit, I'm waiting on one in the mail as the cheapest I could find around town was 60$ for a litmus paper kit.

So what test kit did you end up ordering?

 

[hensonc4098]

$60?! That is a bit steep

 

[Rynofasho]

US or UK? Pretty much everyone here agrees that this kit is the best.

Test strips are unreliable at best and misleading at worst.

 

[RobboGir]

I'm in Canada so basically US currency. I did indeed go with the API, I'm assuming it should be accurate enough for my needs? I have access to absurdly accurate pH meters in my labs at university so I think I might run a cross reference just for interests sake, anyways tanks for all the help/suggestions.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, the API Freshwater Master Test Kit is the one most of us use and like. It's a compromise though and if you cross-checked it you'd probably find it not necessarily terribly accurate or repeatable on the level of a lab instrument. There are other liquid-reagent tests made by Salifert that are consistently somewhat better than the API ones I believe, but are a tad more trouble and are not sold as a full kit. What we are going for is more of a "trend" thing, where you have an understanding of roughly what you are looking for and the kit either confirms it or surprises you. The signals we want from it are more crude, not the kinds of absolutes as with calibrated instruments. It means that experience does make the kit a better tool for you as an aquarist over time.

~~waterdrop~~