Help: New yellowface pike blenny not feeding

[cefuchs]

Hi all! I'll get around to a build thread, but I've got some very small tanks with almost all inverts. After a very stressful shipping snafu, I received two critters I'm very very excited about from KP aquatics. My spotted cleaner shrimp is doing good and has already eaten, but my yellowface pike blenny hasn't eaten yet... I think.

This is one of my first fish ever, and the first one who's wild caught but is known to take flake/frozen food (according to thread here on R2R). I've only had him since Thursday, so about 3 days now. I did see him lunge at an amphipod or two, so it's possible he's eating those. However, he's mostly hanging out in his conch shell burrow and there are plenty more visible in the tank.

My question is, first of all--when should I be worried about him eating? I know wild fish tend to have an adjustment period,but I'm not sure how long for/when I should get worried.

I've tried Hikari crab cuisine pellets, Hikari tropical Vibra bites, and Hikari frozen cyclopods just now. I've got a brine shrimp incubator going (which I've done plenty of times with success). I've also got some frozen hikari Spirulina Mysids to try soon (but not now, I'm making sure I getas much old food out as I can).

He's in a 2.5 gallon "quarantine" tnak just to get the copper-based additive in his shipping water out of the system before he goes into the main 10gal tank.


If I'm being paranoid or something, forgive me; my first fish passed on when I got stuck out of state for a week thanks to a hurricane, and I just really really really want to do better with this guy ;--;

Thank you for any advice! Here's my beautiful li' pikeblenny:

 

[Jekyl]

#fishmedic

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[cefuchs]

Thank you, adding info below!

Aquarium Parameters:
Aquarium type: Quarantine tank (just the fish, a small marginella snails, chlorodopis algae)
Aquarium water volume: 2.5 gal
Filtration type: AIO, fitler floss followed by biomedia (matrix) followed by De-Nitrate, then carbon.
Lighting: Nicrew 9W (I will get specifics shortly)
How long has the aquarium been established? Tank has been running since November 2023.
Digital image of the whole aquarium under white light

Water quality information: coming ASAP, next post

In-depth information:
Have you lost any fish to this problem yet? (see below) No. I've had many pest crabs, slugs, etc. in this tank before moving them elsewhere. Just had a pom pom crab in here for a week before moving her to the larger tank.
Are any invertebrates affected? Not to my knowledge. Marginella is eating as normal
Respiration rate of affected fish (in gill beats per minutes, count for 15 seconds and multiply by 4) 44 gill beats per min (11 in 15sec)
Are the affected fish still feeding? No, aside from perhaps amphipods; this is the issue. Received fish on Thursday, acclimated, added to quarantine tank they're currently in.
What remedies have you tried so far? Foods listed above--Hikari crab cuisine, hikari tropical vibra bites, hikari frozen cyclopods. Have but have not yet tried frozen Hikari Spirulina Mysis
Digital image of the fish with the health issue, taken under white light -
- if needed, indicate by drawing a line around the area in question. (above)
A short video of the fish (linked YouTube videos work well) - this is perhaps the best information that you can supply, as long as the video is clear. (adding asap)

 

[cefuchs]

Water quality using API 5-in-1 test strips and a refractometer.

Temperature: 79.7 F (digital thermometer)
pH: ~7.5
Salinity / specific gravity: 1.022 (think I topped off a little more than usual)
Ammonia - (not tested)
Nitrite - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
Phosphorus - (not tested)
Copper - (not tested)
Carbonate hardness - ~120ppm

 

[Tamberav]

I would try frozen LRS (chop it up while frozen) and marine mysis.

It seems you tried dried food and one frozen food but fairly small one. Even finicky fish of mine had a hard time not going for LRS.

You could also culture live white worms if you plan on more unique fish that we have little info on. Those are pretty irresistible.

 

[cefuchs]

thank you! I'll be trying the mysid shrimp soon. Is LRS Larry's Reef Services food? I'll see if I can get any locally or fast-shipped.

Short vid of fish in his conch shell. WARNING I didn't have a quick way to mute the audio, so prepared for loud pump/filter/bubbler bacakground noise, or mute:

 

[Tamberav]

thank you! I'll be trying the mysid shrimp soon. Is LRS Larry's Reef Services food? I'll see if I can get any locally or fast-shipped.

Short vid of fish in his conch shell. WARNING I didn't have a quick way to mute the audio, so prepared for loud pump/filter/bubbler bacakground noise, or mute:

yup! larrys! super cool fish

 

[cefuchs]

I think the size may have been it. I just tried the spirulina/mysid frozen food and he immediately went for it! Thank you!!

 

[cefuchs]

Here's a quick peak at his mouth :V thank you, I feel much better

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Here's a quick peak at his mouth :V thank you, I feel much better

I’ve only had one of these, and it was a different species. I needed live adult brine shrimp to feed it.