New Honey Gouramis - Shy And Not Eating?

[ant0]

2 days ago i bought a trio of honey gouramis (2 female, 1 male). They look fantastic and healthy and are starting to gradually explore the tank more. There are a lot of plants in the tank and an area for them to hide with lots of floating plants, dense planted plants and bogwood. However i'm having problems getting them to eat, whenever i approach the tank they go and hide at the back with all the planted cover. I've chucked some blood worms in their area and they've sheepishly eaten a few but after that the other fish came over and they just moved out of the way

I've tried flakes but the other fish get them quickly. In my tank i have the following: 1X guppy, 8X neon tetra, 4X panda cory. Its a 15 gallon. I'm aware it may be slightly overstocked, all the fish are healthy, though and the gouramis arent chased by the guppy who often rounds the tetras into one corner like a sheepdog

Any advice for getting them to feed properly? Gouramis like protein don't they? I've got tubifex freeze dried although that floats and the tetras always go bananas over it so thats probably out... i've got some frozen green stuff that i feed once a weekish, which the other fish dont always go for. I've only had them 2 days so they inevitably will perk up a bit as they settle in

btw - has someone got a picture comparing a male and female honey? the guy at the shop did his best to get a male and two females but now i'm not so sure now they've coloured up!

 

[helterskelter]

Live foods, like blood worm, daphina, and brine shrimp shoud do the trick.

 

[ant0]

to feed regularly or to get them eating? even when i put flake or freeze dried tubifex above them (amoung lots of floating plants) they don't go for it, the other fish just come along and gobble it up

 

[sylvia]

It should get them eating. However, they also might just need a little time to settle in.

Do watch them for signs of disease.

BTW, freeze-dried foods are extremely unhealthy for fish. They have the nutritional value of a cardboard box - everything's been removed in the drying process - and they often cause constipation, bloating and can even lead to death.
They are fine as an occasional treat - but stick with frozen foods.

Similarly, while flake is a good staple, don't overfeed with it as it can lead to constipation. You can vary your fish' diet by also feeding pellets, algae wafers (like those for plecs or other catfish) and the occasional blanched greens - like zuchinni. Alternatively, deshelled green peas and weighted cucumber (or else it floats) are good suplements and help reduce the risk of constipation as well. Not all fish will appreciate these things, of course - you need to discover your own fish's tastes for yourself

Also, tubifex was well known a while ago for being contaminated with parasites and harbouring disease. The freeze-dried type won't be dangerous in this respect )as everything is killed in the process) but don't be tempted to buy the frozen or live alternative. Bloodworm, blackworm, daphnia and brine shrimp are far safer.

 

[ant0]

Thanks for the advice sylvia, i've thrown the freeze dried cardboard-ifex in the bin. My fish get live bloodworm every couple of weeks as a treat, also to keep the panda cories happy. I went and bought some live brine shrimp, the gouramis love it! They've perked up a bit since too and aren't as shy. However they still won't go for flake food and i can't afford to feed live food all the time, i may get some frozen shrimp/ bloodworm for them and supplement this with the frozen greens i already have

Has anyone else had a gourami that just won't touch flakes? They are about 6 months old now so they're probably past their best - if i throw them away what should i replace them with? They're tetra min ones

 

[Biulu]

It should get them eating. However, they also might just need a little time to settle in.

BTW, freeze-dried foods are extremely unhealthy for fish. They have the nutritional value of a cardboard box - everything's been removed in the drying process - and they often cause constipation, bloating and can even lead to death.
They are fine as an occasional treat - but stick with frozen foods.

Oops! I was told that freeze-dried foods were more healthy as all the nutrients were preserved in the process. I feed my gouramis freeze dried bloodworms on a regular basis (around 4x a week), and they love it!

I also have pellets and flakes, but find the pellets are too big to fit into their mouths properly, and it is a lot of work for them to eat them properly.

What else can I give them, as frozen foods are not available here, and the only live food I can get (1x a week, when the new fish come in) are small fish.

I would appreciate some suggestions!

 

[sylvia]

With the pellets - maybe try some of the larger catfish pellets and either crush them or just let all your fish pick at them. My gouramies (almost all of them anyway) will nip at algae wafers until they've polished them off - as well as eating various other pleco (and other catfish) pellets.

Veggies are good Also try some spirulina flake (usually sold for african rift lake cichlids - mbuna/malawi cichlids).

Sometimes fish will have been raised only on live foods and it can take a long time to get them eating commercial types. However, gouramies will usually come around if they get a little hungry so maybe try fasting yours a couple of days or only feeding flake regardless of whether they eat or not. Eventualy one is almost definitely going to go for the flake and discover it likes it

 

[Biulu]

With the pellets - maybe try some of the larger catfish pellets and either crush them or just let all your fish pick at them. My gouramies (almost all of them anyway) will nip at algae wafers until they've polished them off - as well as eating various other pleco (and other catfish) pellets.

Veggies are good Also try some spirulina flake (usually sold for african rift lake cichlids - mbuna/malawi cichlids).

Sometimes fish will have been raised only on live foods and it can take a long time to get them eating commercial types. However, gouramies will usually come around if they get a little hungry so maybe try fasting yours a couple of days or only feeding flake regardless of whether they eat or not. Eventualy one is almost definitely going to go for the flake and discover it likes it

thanks Sylvia! My gouramis are not difficult eaters. In fact they eat everything I have given them sofar. I was only getting worried about the nutritional value, and possible constipation. I am now giving them the pellets in the morning, so they have all day to eat them, and they do not go to waste and dirty my tank.

I'll ask a bit around for the algae wafers and the spriulina flake (will have to find the right word in spanish first though). Squash is not a problem, as it is almost a staple food here!