Biota rainford goby through DD in a seasoned observation tank w/ internal parasites. Any ideas?

[Sod Buster]

Fish has been on my list for a couple years. Tank bred are supposed to eat. 1st mistake was saving money not buying it from the Florida HQ. Second mistake was putting it in a 2 year seasoned QT/observation tank that I dirtied up for an enormous pod and GHA base for it. It's been two weeks in this tank with the white stringy, sometimes clumpy excrement. All it wants is to cruise around and eat pods or small gha like it should naturally, not fish food. It is a fat and healthy looking fish, I just can't get general cure into its belly. I've tried 5 different pellet foods, flake food, lrs nano, ova prawn eggs, reef roids injected into the sand, cut up a clam, and a couple others. Just wants to eat pods, which I do culture my own, thousands a week. I do have another hospital tank I can set up and do a prazi treatment, but want the medication in its belly. Is my best option setting up that tank with a saucer of sand and a pvc pipe w/out any pods or algae to munch on to force it to get eating pe pellets or anything I can medicate? For the pros out there I need some advice please.

 

[ngoodermuth]

If it's fat and hunting... I don't think it is urgent per say. But, you do want to get him eating something besides pods so you can get the medicine where it belongs. I think I would set-up the hospital tank and move him over. Keep your nice "fuge" QT going, as a back-up. Treat him in the hospital tank with General Cure, you want both the metro and prazi to cover both intestinal worms and flagellates. Continue to try to get him eating. If after 2 days, he is still not eating... dose again. Keep trying. If after 2 more days he is still not eating, then return him to the previous tank and continue to try feeding him there (If medicating the water doesn't help after two doses... there is a good chance it won't, so no point to continue starving him)

At that point, I would just keep trying... eventually hopefully he will get an accidental taste of something you are offering and realize it's quite tasty. Then, once he is eating consistently, you can medicate his food.

 

[S-t-r-e-t-c-h]

Have you tried nori? Rainford gobies eat a ton of algae and should pick at dry algae. Unfortunately the nori won't hold prazi for very long. Worth a try though...

 

[Sod Buster]

Thank you. I can't believe it spit out reef frenzy to pick up a piece of sand. It seems the bigger the chunk of food the more interested, and I can't shut off the return pump. It will just watch the pellet fall to the sand, with the pump on, it will pursue the food like hunting, just won't eat it. I'm thinking I might have a real one, and not tank raised for the stubbornness. For what I've spent in different food, I could have a school of them at $35 a piece from biota.

 

[Sod Buster]

Yes, I've tried nori on a clip also. Just looks at it.

 

[ngoodermuth]

If this is too obvious, forgive me...have you tried just plain frozen mysis? Like the cheap , smaller ones? Maybe email the store you bought it from and find out what they were using to feed?

 

[Sod Buster]

Yup, done straight frozen mysis and the green gut loaded frozen mysis. I bought the food the LA lady said it ate. The pe 1mm pellets from Canada is what I was told.

 

[Sod Buster]

A couple pics. He can do 2 doses of general cure. I have that in the cabinet.

 

[Frtdrmrose7]

Fish has been on my list for a couple years. Tank bred are supposed to eat. 1st mistake was saving money not buying it from the Florida HQ. Second mistake was putting it in a 2 year seasoned QT/observation tank that I dirtied up for an enormous pod and GHA base for it. It's been two weeks in this tank with the white stringy, sometimes clumpy excrement. All it wants is to cruise around and eat pods or small gha like it should naturally, not fish food. It is a fat and healthy looking fish, I just can't get general cure into its belly. I've tried 5 different pellet foods, flake food, lrs nano, ova prawn eggs, reef roids injected into the sand, cut up a clam, and a couple others. Just wants to eat pods, which I do culture my own, thousands a week. I do have another hospital tank I can set up and do a prazi treatment, but want the medication in its belly. Is my best option setting up that tank with a saucer of sand and a pvc pipe w/out any pods or algae to munch on to force it to get eating pe pellets or anything I can medicate? For the pros out there I need some advice please.

I would set up the other tank (temp and S.G matched) and in the morning transfer him into there and feed him medicated food in there. After he eats twice put him back in with the pods where he can eat all night.edit (Whoops pretty much what has already been said. )

 

[Sod Buster]

I've got the other tank out and fresh mixed water cooking right now. I will put general cure in the water and try to feed g/c focus laced hikari seaweed extreme pellets, as that was the batch I tried yesterday and fresh. Before I wasn't medicating the water or food, just trying to get it to eat my offering. Thanks for all the help, and any other ideas are welcome to be stated.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Cute fish! He does look a little red in the gill area, how was he acclimated to the QT? How was the shipping process, any delays?

If he was/is exposed to ammonia... he could have damage which could explain his lack of appetite?

 

[Sod Buster]

No ammonia in the tank, and a tiny bit in the shipping bag. I adjusted the the salinity to 1.023 two weeks ago before I got it to be sure to be close to divers den water. Floated him for a half hour in his black bag it came in. Directly into a freshwater temp acclimated rodi dip for five minutes, then in the tank, no flukes were observed. I do a 5 gallon water change ever 2 days for the uneaten food with a heavy cuc for a 13 gallon. I also add fritz turbo 900 after the change for good measure and run a skimmer on this little 13 evo. This obs tank is 2 years running and maintained. No ammonia that I detect with a badge or red sea test.

 

[Sod Buster]

new digs are ready. Made a little mess with the sand.

 

[Sod Buster]

The 2 days of general cure got done. The fish never ate any offerings given. I'm thinking I have a real one, and not tank raised. I put him in my display tank at noon today. Hid for a few hours, and is now sifting sand for the last 2 hours. Hopefully my tailspot will show him what happens at lunch and dinner. The tailspot is very curious of it's new buddy. I'll just keep dumping in a few thousand pods every Sunday and let it roll. I've had the fish for 3 weeks and 3 days, pods, hair algae, or sand sifting is it. Thanks for the ideas and help, I'll make the best of it. It did rip a polyp out of a milli frag a half hour ago, maybe those California live worms,? I can get the black fly ice fishing maggots to try though. Well, that's where I'm at.

 

[ReeferBean]

I had the same problem with the aquacultured Rainford Goby. It never ate anything I tried. Seemed to be only picking at the sand and rocks. Eventually it disappeared. I did manage to get a Striped Fang Blenny eating and its doing well in my display since Macna last year. I think overall they are better conditioned fish compared to wild caught, but not guaranteed to eat prepared foods in my experience.

 

[Sod Buster]

Ok. I agree. Shut off all the pumps and the goby won't even look up to the surface to see what is offered. Thanks for your experience. I'll make the best of it and report.

 

[ReeferBean]

Ok. I agree. Shut off all the pumps and the goby won't even look up to the surface to see what is offered. Thanks for your experience. I'll make the best of it and report.

Cyclops or roe are the first things I try to get new fish eating. Try that if you haven’t yet.

 

[Sod Buster]

I broke out one of my nutramar ova packets from the freezer, nothing... I inject reefroids or reef chili into its favorite spot to feed in the sand, continue to dump in a pod harvest every Sunday. Comes out and sifts sand with the pumps on, hunts pods like an assassin for the hour I shut them off for a feed. He's not wasting away, but not fat. I've got a frag disk growing GHA for him to put next to his cave for a treat in a few days. I'll roll w/ it. The tailspot is boss "magneto", but Captain America just continues to ignore and does his own thing. The pics are taken a few seconds apart.