Trouble with fahaka

[shins3ngumi]

I just bought a 2-3in fahaka for a week now and it hasn't been eating. I have ghost shrimps and some guppies in the tank, and i check it day by day nothing is gone. All the fahaka does is stay on the bottom, but sometime swim up and down. Can anyone give me suggestion on what i need to do?

[Ernest]

I am not an expert in this area, but I'll hazard an answer based on experience with two fish I had. New fahakas tend to be stressed when they are first brought home. It took mine about 3 days at least before they ate anything. Sometimes they would give up chasing something if they couldn't get it in a few tries. My guess is that your fish should start behaving normally in a week.

I don't know what the experts would say though ...

[groovitudedude]

When I first got mine, it buried itself in the substrate for a couple of days. What size tank is it in, and what is the substrate?

[yunachin]

You can try some fresh mussel or shrimp to entice him to eat. Sometimes the strong scent of seafood can trigger his hunger. Garlic is also a good appetite jump-starter. Sometimes introduction into a new environment can make them feel unsure of themselves and not eat.

[shins3ngumi]

it's in a 20g right now with sand substrate. garlic? so i just cut up a piece and put it in? It hasn't eating anything for a week and im afraid he might die.

[yunachin]

You can actually get a garlic flavor at your LFS to soak the food in. Shouldn't cost a whole lot.
As far as the 20 gallon...this puffer is going to be 18-22 inches at full growth and requires a tank size of 125 gallons or more. Their growth rate is extremely fast as well...some growing between 1/2 inch and 1 inch per month. To prevent growth stunting you will need to consider an upgrade very soon with very good filtration as puffers have a gigantic bio-load. I know this is alot as you just want your friend to eat but to ensure a full happy life, this information is imperative.

[shins3ngumi]

aight thanks for the head up, i'll see what i can do.

[yunachin]

Good Luck. They are great fish.

[Pufferpunk]

How was the tank cycled? Could you please post the water parameters: ammonia, nitrite, nitrate?

Great feeding articles in our Library.

[Nick]

I have found reluctant eaters to be nearly unable to resist earthworms.

[shins3ngumi]

it has been 2 weeks now and i still havent see it fed on anything. How long can they go for?

[cobra1713]

well two weeks seems a little long for me, have you tried other foods other than guppies? maybe bloodworms, shrimp, prawn, earthworms, (silversides?)? any of those should be a good try if you havnt and you could try rubbing a little garlic on it to entice his appetite. if you have tried more food then,

i would begin to think about treating for internal parasites. im not sure of the best way to treat fahakas for IP but if you search the forum a little im sure theres a topic on it, ill see what i can find and maybe someone can help too.


have you tested the water for amonia and nitrite? and how was it cycled?

[cobra1713]

If he doesn't it still won't hurt any, but unless you've been starving him, I'd say he definately has them. Almost all puffers are wild caught, so generally come in with internal parasites, do you know how long the store had him before you bought him?
There are several different ways to treat IPs, me, and several other people on TPF, have had success with the jungle parasite clear tablets, but you could also use PraziPro. If you can't find somewhere that carries it, you can order it from: http://www.drsfostersmith.com

thats what i found about IP for a freshwater puffer but i have never dealt with it personally so maybe some other people have better advice

[Pufferpunk]

There's an article in our Library on this.

[shins3ngumi]

ok i'll go out and get the jungle parasite clear and yes i tried all the foods you mentioned but i just dont see it eat