Fat Fahaka not eating

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Since this board has been up, we have found there are several questions that routinely get asked in order to help diagnose problems. If you can have that information to begin with in your post, we'll be able to help right away (if we can!) without having to wait for you to post the info we need.

1) Your water parameters - pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrates and salinity (if appropriate). This is by far the most important information you can provide! Do not answer this with "Fine" "Perfect" "ok", that tells us nothing. We need hard numbers.

2) Tank size and a list of ALL inhabitants. Include algae eaters, plecos, everything. We need to know what you have and how big the tank is.

3) Feeding, water change schedule and a list of all products you are using or have added to the tank (examples: Cycle, Amquel, salt, etc)

4) What changes you've made in the tank in the last week or so. Sometimes its the little things that make all the difference.

5) How long the aquarium has been set up, and how did you cycle it? If you don't know what cycling is read this: Fishless Cycling Article and familiarize yourself with all the information. Yes. All of it.

We want to help, and providing this information will go a LONG way to getting a diagnosis and hopeful cure that much faster.

While you wait for assistance:
One of the easiest and best ways to help your fish feel better is clean water! If you are already on a regular water change schedule (50% weekly is recommended) a good step to making your fish more comfortable while waiting for diagnosis/suggestions is to do a large water change immediately. Feel free to repeat daily or as often as you can, clean water is always a good thing! Use of Amquel or Prime as a dechlor may help with any ammonia or nitrite issues, and is highly recommended.

Note - if you do not normally do large water changes, doing a sudden, large water change could shock your fish by suddenly changing their established water chemistry. Clean water is still your first goal, so in this case, do several smaller (10%) water changes over the next day or two before starting any large ones.
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jtjsm
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Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by jtjsm »

I have a ten inch Fahaka that I have had for several years. He is in a 125 and has had very few problems. He is round and plump. About ten days ago he stopped eating. He doesn't seem to be losing any of his roundness so I thought he was constipated. I used epsom. I checked water perameters... they are good. I did some water changes. He has always eaten two goldfish every morning. He has never missed a day. He loves snails and I give him a few about once a week. I can get him to eat snails but I am still worried he's got some sort of blockage in his gut. His two fish from ten days ago are still roaming around his tank. He chases them a little but gives up after a few tries. He's got no signs of any disease that I can see. I am not sure what to do next. I would hate to lose this guy and would appreciate any feedback or suggestions on what to do next. Thank you.
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J-P
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Re: Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by J-P »

stop feeding gold fish.
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jtjsm
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Re: Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by jtjsm »

And what do I feed him? I don't have enough snails. He won't eat shrimp.
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Re: Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by Dadof4 »

Moving this to the Hospital section for more attention.
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Re: Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by trekenk »

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Re: Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by Flutter »

Goldfish are awful feeders. They are extremely fatty and generally come riddled with diseases/illnesses that they can transfer to your fish. They cause fatty liver disease and an early death for your fish. Plus, your fahaka isn't a piscivore (that means they don't eat fish).

Read the articles that trekenk has provided. There are many easy foods that are much healthier for your fish :) I hope he starts eating soon. If he's eating 2 goldfish a day at an adult size then he's probably overweight. Adult puffers only need to be fed about every other day or even a bit less.

Now that this is in the hospital section can you please answer the questions at the top of the page? This will help us help you better.

Also, welcome. I'm sorry you had to join under these circumstances :(
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Re: Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by Pufferpunk »

Exactly how much of what & how often are you feeding? I have a strong suspicion he has put his fat self on a diet. If he's turning his nose up at healthier foods, you need to fast him for 3 days to a week & then follow the article linked above, on difficult to feed puffers.
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Re: Fat Fahaka not eating

Post by bertie 83 »

A huge +1 to the above. A varied diet with any animal is so important. I would hook out those goldfish and start feeding more appropriate foods 2 or 3 times a week. If he hasnt eaten for 10 days he will soon be hungry.
It's amazing how easy maintenance is. If done regularly and thoroughly
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