[Guest]

My new Synodontis decorus is not eating. He's a 5-6" wildcaught that arrived on Tuesday from Dave's Fish.

He ate a microscopic amount of flakes I placed right in front of him and today he didn't eat pellets or flakes.

I'm going to consider force feeding (placing soaked flakes, pellets, or maybe a frozen food directly into mouth) in a few days if he doesn't eat.

Any ideas on what to do? I don't want to lose him...

~Ed

Edit:
I talked with Dave on the phone today. He's never had to force feed fish before so he couldn't help with that, but suggested putting the catfish in a tank by itself to start eating. The problem is, my quarantine tank is being used at the moment by my group of 8 Tyrannochromis nigriventer juveniles (biggest is about 3.5"). And it's a 29gallon. Should I put him in there anyway, or should I take the Tyrannochromis out and put them in a bucket with a heater and sponge filter or something... Should I just try and put them in there together and see if he will eat then?

Also, does it sound like the catfish could be sick? Should I treat with a medication just in case, maybe metronidisole?

 

[Robin]

Hi,

With new fish its really hard to know if they're sick or just needing time to adjust to their new surroundings.
Does the syno have place(s) where he can hide? If not then perhaps you could put a piece of pvc in there temporarily to give him his own spot.
Ask Dave exactly what type of food the syno was eating while under his care and see if he'll eat that. It's possible that your syno IS eating but only after the lights are off. You might try dropping in one or two sinking wafer/pellet type food several hours after the lights have been off. Might still be difficult for the food to get by your other fish.

What's he doing otherwise? Is he out in the open? How's his color?

Robin

I wouldn't try force feeding him.

 

[hollyfish2000]

You put a wild-caught fish directly into your main tank without quarantining him? Yikes, that sounds pretty chancy to me. If it were me, I'd try to put him in his own tank, even if that means going out and buying a 10 gallon just for him.

 

[Guest]

He's already been in the country for months and likely treated with meds already. The main reason I didn't quarantine though is because that tank is temporarily occupied already.

 

[Mitch101]

How is your Syndontis doing? That is where I got my fish, so might have had a problem similar to mine.
Good luck...

 

[Guest]

How is your Syndontis doing? That is where I got my fish, so might have had a problem similar to mine.
Good luck...

I've had very few problems with disease or DOAs from Dave. He replaced most of the losses though. I hope though you are keeping him updated with the fish and have been letting him know...

Anyway he's (the catfish you asked about) eating now in my quarantine tank...very shy though. I'm trying to get him to come out and eat instead of me bringing the food to his mouth. He has eaten a decent amount of flakes and mysis shrimp though so I'm not worried about him.

You can read more about the catfish here though where I had more detailed discussion with the folks at planetcatfish: http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... =8&t=23349

~Ed

 

[Guest]

I have problems.

He isn't eating in front of me now, and especially not now since I may have stressed him when I took all the caves out to get the Tyrannochromis out into the main tank. I did put a large pvc pipe that he went in sometimes in the tank, and plan to add the rest back when I do maintenance soon.

But he isn't eating at all in front of me, even when the food is in front of him. I tried Dainichi pellets, frozen krill pieces, flakes, omegasea shrimp pellets, frozen clams, and mysis shrimp and he isn't going after anything (while my S. decorus in my main tank goes nuts over all of that stuff).

What should I do? What could be wrong with it? Is it ill and should I treat the tank? (Meds I have available are Clout, Metronidasole, Furan-2, Tetracycline, QuIck Cure, Evaporated Sea Salt, etc)

Should I maybe fast it for a week or so and then try feeding and see if he goes after any foods then? Could it be that he is just "depressed" or something (being a social fish) and would it be best if I added him to the main tank and just add some pvc pipes for him to hide until the two start getting a long?

Thanks in advance...
~Ed

 

[redstallion02]

http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/synod ... ecorus.htm

I have been searching for a new synodontis and ran across your post. Basically I search and then look and read to see if I would be interested in the catfish.

With the artical above I had saved on your species and it says that it is a very shy fish and nocturnal as well.

Being wild caught your decorus is probably even more sensative to these factors.

I would consider feeding at night after the lights are off and just trust that he is eating. It has almost been a month it looks like that you have had him and he would be getting pretty skinny looking I would think if he hasnt been eating.

But like I said I am not an expert just my idea's. I have multipuntatus and they are crazy active and thats why I decided against the decorus for my second synodontis.

 

[Guest]

http://www.scotcat.com/factsheets/synodontis_decorus.htm

I have been searching for a new synodontis and ran across your post. Basically I search and then look and read to see if I would be interested in the catfish.

With the artical above I had saved on your species and it says that it is a very shy fish and nocturnal as well.

Being wild caught your decorus is probably even more sensative to these factors.

I would consider feeding at night after the lights are off and just trust that he is eating. It has almost been a month it looks like that you have had him and he would be getting pretty skinny looking I would think if he hasnt been eating.

But like I said I am not an expert just my idea's. I have multipuntatus and they are crazy active and thats why I decided against the decorus for my second synodontis.

Actually my other decorus comes out all the time when the moonlights are on, and comes out whenever it smells food in the tank and will stay out until it stuffed it's mouth. I'm sure if I had a school they'd be more active...