Royal Gramma - Quarantine / Hypo - Not Eating

Sooners · 10/07/2009, 06:43 PM

I have a Royal Gramma in a 10G quarantine and it hasn't eaten food in 3 days. At what point of not eating, short of death, should I be worried about it not eating?

This is its 2nd week in quarantine. I started him out initially at a SP of 1.023, but when he developed what I suspect was ich, I dropped the SP down to 1.009 over 24 hours or so. The morning after going to hypo, he ate some flake food, but since then (last 3 days, no eating). He ate well before hypo (both flake and mysis). Generally speaking, he spends the vast majority of the time hiding in a piece of rock. When I do see him, I don't see any visible ich signs, labored breathing, etc.

Water quality seems fine - no ammonia, nitrates at perhaps 5ppm (tough to read salifert test kit), pH somewhere near 8.0 or so (again, tough to read the green gradation of salifert test kit).

Thoughts? Should I slowly abandon the hypo over a period of several days?

pmrossetti · 10/07/2009, 06:51 PM

I would. Getting him eating is key. Got access to live brine shrimp?

Sooners · 10/07/2009, 06:58 PM

If I reverse the hypo, over how many days should I do that? 3 or 4?

pmrossetti · 10/07/2009, 07:04 PM

Depends on how he looks. The slower 4 days is good unless you think he won't make it that long. Keep trying the food though.

pmrossetti · 10/07/2009, 07:10 PM

Try soaking food in Garlic Guard or some kind of garlic flavoring.

Sooners · 10/07/2009, 07:13 PM

He's kind-of being a peckerwood re: food. When I drop some in, he'll come down below the rock, and you can almost sense he's thinking about it, but won't pull the trigger to come out from below to get it while it's floating around. I may wait one more day and if he doesn't eat, start the salinity the other way (nope, don't have any live brine).

Sooners · 10/07/2009, 07:14 PM

May see if the LFS has any garlic type stuff. The omega flake I have does have some in it, but probably not the same effect I'm guessing...

pmrossetti · 10/07/2009, 07:39 PM

No matter how this turns out, feel good that you did everything you could to help the little guy. If he doesn't make it won't be your fault. Just too much stress that's all. In the future, try to look into a simple brine shrimp hatching station. Seems like nothing can resist the little tasty things. You can buy them or make your own for practically nothing. See this vid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njmiR...eature=channel

Ritten · 10/07/2009, 07:42 PM

Sooners, there has been some local talk of newly purchased royal gramma deaths around this area (Minnesota) and people wondering if perhaps we are getting cyanide caught grammas.

pmrossetti · 10/07/2009, 07:43 PM

oops, sorry THIS is the correct one.You don't need to decapsulate them.
See this one instead.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8sNx...eature=channel

squid_fart · 10/07/2009, 07:49 PM

What are the symptoms of cyanide caught fish?

Sooners · 10/07/2009, 08:11 PM

By the way, when I brought him home, I tested the bag water with a refractometer. It was 1.015? Has that been other's experience? I assume that's probably common for LFS's to keep their SP that low; (1) to possibly reduce ich outbreaks, but probably more likely (2) to save on salt.

10/07/2009, 06:43 PM	#1
Sooners Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tulsa Posts: 308	Royal Gramma - Quarantine / Hypo - Not Eating I have a Royal Gramma in a 10G quarantine and it hasn't eaten food in 3 days. At what point of not eating, short of death, should I be worried about it not eating? This is its 2nd week in quarantine. I started him out initially at a SP of 1.023, but when he developed what I suspect was ich, I dropped the SP down to 1.009 over 24 hours or so. The morning after going to hypo, he ate some flake food, but since then (last 3 days, no eating). He ate well before hypo (both flake and mysis). Generally speaking, he spends the vast majority of the time hiding in a piece of rock. When I do see him, I don't see any visible ich signs, labored breathing, etc. Water quality seems fine - no ammonia, nitrates at perhaps 5ppm (tough to read salifert test kit), pH somewhere near 8.0 or so (again, tough to read the green gradation of salifert test kit). Thoughts? Should I slowly abandon the hypo over a period of several days?

10/07/2009, 06:51 PM	#2
pmrossetti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cali. Posts: 3,199	I would. Getting him eating is key. Got access to live brine shrimp?

10/07/2009, 06:58 PM	#3
Sooners Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tulsa Posts: 308	If I reverse the hypo, over how many days should I do that? 3 or 4?

10/07/2009, 07:04 PM	#4
pmrossetti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cali. Posts: 3,199	Depends on how he looks. The slower 4 days is good unless you think he won't make it that long. Keep trying the food though.

10/07/2009, 07:10 PM	#5
pmrossetti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cali. Posts: 3,199	Try soaking food in Garlic Guard or some kind of garlic flavoring.

10/07/2009, 07:13 PM	#6
Sooners Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tulsa Posts: 308	He's kind-of being a peckerwood re: food. When I drop some in, he'll come down below the rock, and you can almost sense he's thinking about it, but won't pull the trigger to come out from below to get it while it's floating around. I may wait one more day and if he doesn't eat, start the salinity the other way (nope, don't have any live brine).

10/07/2009, 07:14 PM	#7
Sooners Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tulsa Posts: 308	May see if the LFS has any garlic type stuff. The omega flake I have does have some in it, but probably not the same effect I'm guessing...

10/07/2009, 07:39 PM	#8
pmrossetti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cali. Posts: 3,199	No matter how this turns out, feel good that you did everything you could to help the little guy. If he doesn't make it won't be your fault. Just too much stress that's all. In the future, try to look into a simple brine shrimp hatching station. Seems like nothing can resist the little tasty things. You can buy them or make your own for practically nothing. See this vid. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njmiR...eature=channel

10/07/2009, 07:42 PM	#9
Ritten Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Posts: 2,164	Sooners, there has been some local talk of newly purchased royal gramma deaths around this area (Minnesota) and people wondering if perhaps we are getting cyanide caught grammas.

10/07/2009, 07:43 PM	#10
pmrossetti Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Cali. Posts: 3,199	oops, sorry THIS is the correct one.You don't need to decapsulate them. See this one instead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8sNx...eature=channel

10/07/2009, 07:49 PM	#11
squid_fart Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 61	What are the symptoms of cyanide caught fish?

10/07/2009, 08:11 PM	#12
Sooners Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Tulsa Posts: 308	By the way, when I brought him home, I tested the bag water with a refractometer. It was 1.015? Has that been other's experience? I assume that's probably common for LFS's to keep their SP that low; (1) to possibly reduce ich outbreaks, but probably more likely (2) to save on salt.