Congo not eating

[dmond31]

I have a Congo that is not eating. I got him around Nov 23, 2009 and I don’t thing he has eaten any thing. I feed all of my puffers store purchased shrimp and crab. I have seen any bits taken out of the shrimp or crab. I have done a 20 % water change twice. The tank was cycled when I put him in. I have search for congo for a long long time and now I am really worried.

Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0
PH: 7.2
Temperature: 75F
29g tank

[marksrush]

Congos are piscivores, meaning they eat fish. Many people in here discourage feeding live fish to puffers...not sure why, other than the risks involved in bringing home live feeder fish, such as disease or parasites. (Valid concern.) But, if you have a source that you can trust, try offering your Congo a small live fish. If you would prefer to be safer, see if your LFS has some frozen silversides, and when one is thawed, wiggle it around in front of the puffer with a pair of tongs or a bamboo skewer or something like that. Sometimes the motion stimulates their attack/feeding response. An alternative might be a small live crayfish or live crab. (If the crab's claws are big enough to cause you worries, perhaps remove them first.) Then, once your Congo is eating reliably, you can slowly train him to take dead food. Good luck!

[eieio]

hi dmond31
two weeks is a long time
when i suspect for any reason that "ollie" (T. Miurus) is "off his feed" i offer him a fat juicy earthworm
it's a very rare occasion that he will turn that down! a live cricket is a close second.
a few areas of concern here:
is his "breathing" OK?
activity level? (they don't tend to be a very active fish, but in a nutshell, what have you observed?)
what kind of substrate?
anything else living in tank?
any redness evident in eyes, mouth, or gills?
is he thin?
have you seen any poop at all? if so, what did it look like?
does he show any signs of IPs?
i'm particularly concerned about your water chemistry, because of your lack of nitrates. what kind of test kits are you using?
please get back to us.......we're here to help!

[busybones]

If your Nitrate reading is 0 then your tank isn't cycled yet. You may want to check it again to make sure the first reading was correct. And as Eieio said IP's may be a concern as well...

[dmond31]

I will have to check the Nitrate again

his "breathing" OK he is not breathing heavy or anything
activity level? he in his sand bed during the day but at night he gets out and moves around.
what kind of substrate?
anything else living in tank? a couple of plants no other fish
any redness evident in eyes, mouth, or gills? no redness
is he thin? not thin at all
have you seen any poop at all? if so, what did it look like? I haven't seen any poop. he has white sand so I am not if there is white poop in there I have have to take a closer look
does he show any signs of IPs? no signs of IPs
i'm particularly concerned about your water chemistry, because of your lack of nitrates. what kind of test kits are you using? API Freshwater Master Test Kit
please get back to us.......we're here to help!


how about live ghost shrimp or cherry shrimp do you think he will go for that.

[eieio]

it wouldn't hurt to try ghost or cherry shrimp
you just have to try different things
"ollie" had three ghost shrimp living with him for months & didn't eat them
do you know what he was fed before you got him?
also, it may be good to bump the temperature up to 78-80 degrees.

[dmond31]

I was in the store when they got the shipment in so he did even go into one of there tanks. asked to call the vendor for me so I could find out but they said he is not responding to there emails. I am not sure what he was being feed

[pufferpuggirl]

I definitely think you need to try some different foods to try and get that puffer to eat. Generally, because Congo's are a piscivore, you should try him with a live fish .... a molly or guppy, but I will also say that when doing such a thing, it is possible that your puffer can get internal parasites from the feeder fish. I breed my own fish so that I don't have to worry about that issue. My Congo's like either mussels or shrimp, so maybe give mussels a try (that's what my small Congo likes to eat when she's not eating guppies) ... really anything that stimulates your Congo's appetite. As eieio said, two weeks is a long time for the puffer to go without food. Mine sometimes go for 5 or 6 days without, but any longer and I start to worry. Has your puffer changed colour dramatically since you've had it?

I'm also concerned that you've only done two 20% water changes -- 20% isn't much water to change out. Are you making sure to remove any uneaten foods and waste from the tank daily?

[Pufferpunk]

Have you read these?
library/category/feeding/