New Randall's Goby Not Eating *help*in quarantine

Red_Ant · 10/07/2012, 03:59 PM

I just received a Randall's Goby and Royal Gramma from live aquaria on Friday. They are both in my 10 gallon quarantine tank. I've seen the gramma swim around and eat. The Randall's goby is just laying behind a PVC fitting and I have not seen it eat yet and it is now Sunday. I have tried formula 2 flakes and frozen mysis/brine carnivore blend which the gramma loves, but still no movement from the goby. I feed twice a day.

Please help. Do you think he is eating when I leave the room? How long does it take a new fish to get use to their environment and start eating? How long can the goby go without eating? Do I need to put a bowl of sand in the QT for the goby?

MrTuskfish · 10/07/2012, 05:18 PM

Nowhere near the time to worry. Many fish can, and do, take much longer to feed than just two days. Just about any fish can go much longer without food; most aren't fed by the collector or shipper and easily survived that period.

Red_Ant · 10/07/2012, 05:40 PM

Thanks. I feel much better. I'll give him some more time to get settled in.

Red_Ant · 10/12/2012, 08:11 PM

Well he never ate and he didn't make it.

bnumair · 10/12/2012, 09:10 PM

if it laid in one spot all the time never ate or moved much. then that s a water parameter shock in some way. either salinity, temp ph nitrates etc.

Red_Ant · 10/13/2012, 08:35 AM

Only times he would moved was when I would come close to the tank to hide farther away The royal gramma and clowns have been fine moving everywhere and eating. Would water parameters affect one fish and not the others? He was skidish from the beginning. One time when I removed the lid I tried to drop the food in the tank above him so it would land near him and he almost jumped right out of the tank.

ajcanale · 10/13/2012, 08:43 AM

how many fish do you have in that 10g QT? .... water params? and how often are you feeding?

Generally you feed very sparsely while fish are in QT and have a minimal amount of fish in the tank, and in a larger tank. Feeding that often, with that many fish, with that small of a tank will not end well. QT's usually have little to no bio load capability.

Red_Ant · 10/13/2012, 08:57 AM

It's a fully cycled 10 gal QT with a bio wheel filter rated for 50 gallons. The chamber also has fully cycled ceramic media in it. I feed twice a day, flakes in the morning and part of a frozen cube in the evening. Ammonia has read zero everyday for the past week.

Parameters: temp: 76-78, ph: 8-8.2, salinity 1.025, ammonia/nitrites:0

MrTuskfish · 10/13/2012, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bnumair

if it laid in one spot all the time never ate or moved much. then that s a water parameter shock in some way. either salinity, temp ph nitrates etc.

...or acclimation. Some fish just don't make it and we never really know why.

EllieSuz · 10/13/2012, 09:03 AM

I have fed fish in quarantine up to six or eight times a day. Your filtration sounds completely adequate. The Randall's Goby is a pretty shy fish, but I was lucky with mine and he did well in quarantine. If you try another one, wait until he's the only fish in QT so you can experiment with different kinds of foods. Something will entice it to eat. Mine eats Spectrum pellets and any meaty frozen foods I put in there. I can't remember whether mine was slow to adapt to different foods in QT, but in the Display I target feed him to cut down on competition from more vigorous feeders.

Red_Ant · 10/13/2012, 09:05 AM

That's what I'm thinking. He just seemed so skidish from the beginning. Also he just became available on Live Aquaria the day I ordered him so I wonder if he was just too newly imported. Maybe it was that, coupled with the shipping stress and acclimation. He was 3" long. This I may try to buy local as much as possible now to avoid the shipping stress.

Red_Ant · 10/13/2012, 08:56 PM

Well, everybody wish me luck. I'm going to give a goby another go. I just picked up a Hi Fin Goby from a LFS. He is tiny compared to the Randall's. He's about 1.5/2", but I put him in today and he ate with tonight's first feeding.

10/07/2012, 03:59 PM	#1
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	*New Randall's Goby Not Eating helpin quarantine* I just received a Randall's Goby and Royal Gramma from live aquaria on Friday. They are both in my 10 gallon quarantine tank. I've seen the gramma swim around and eat. The Randall's goby is just laying behind a PVC fitting and I have not seen it eat yet and it is now Sunday. I have tried formula 2 flakes and frozen mysis/brine carnivore blend which the gramma loves, but still no movement from the goby. I feed twice a day. Please help. Do you think he is eating when I leave the room? How long does it take a new fish to get use to their environment and start eating? How long can the goby go without eating? Do I need to put a bowl of sand in the QT for the goby? Last edited by Red_Ant; 10/07/2012 at 04:06 PM. Reason: Fixed to gramma

10/07/2012, 05:18 PM	#2
MrTuskfish Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: The Wild Blue Yonder Posts: 8,887	Nowhere near the time to worry. Many fish can, and do, take much longer to feed than just two days. Just about any fish can go much longer without food; most aren't fed by the collector or shipper and easily survived that period. __________________ If God didn't want us to eat animals, he wouldn't have made them out of meat. Steve Current Tank Info: 180, 2-240 FOWLRs, 240 reef

10/12/2012, 09:10 PM	#5
bnumair Dr. Reef at ur service Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tulsa, Ok, USA Posts: 7,751 Blog Entries: 15	if it laid in one spot all the time never ate or moved much. then that s a water parameter shock in some way. either salinity, temp ph nitrates etc. __________________ Water Quality: NO3 0,Phos 0,Cal 440,Alk 7.5,Mag 1300 "Reef Fast, You Crash, Reef Slow, You Pass" Mike's Reef 3:16 Current Tank Info: 350g DT,95g sump, 50g Frag tank, 4800gph return 4x Sea swirls. 6x AI Vega Color. 200# Pukani rock, dual recirculating skimmer, Biopellet, GFO Carbon rx's, Cal rx. Closed loop. 1.5hp chiller, genesis renew. Apex & RKE

10/13/2012, 08:43 AM	#7
ajcanale Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Memphis 10 Posts: 1,098	how many fish do you have in that 10g QT? .... water params? and how often are you feeding? Generally you feed very sparsely while fish are in QT and have a minimal amount of fish in the tank, and in a larger tank. Feeding that often, with that many fish, with that small of a tank will not end well. QT's usually have little to no bio load capability. __________________ If the spirit moves ya, let me groove ya Current Tank Info: 150g Starphire Pensinula SPS

10/13/2012, 09:03 AM	#10
EllieSuz Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 3,858	I have fed fish in quarantine up to six or eight times a day. Your filtration sounds completely adequate. The Randall's Goby is a pretty shy fish, but I was lucky with mine and he did well in quarantine. If you try another one, wait until he's the only fish in QT so you can experiment with different kinds of foods. Something will entice it to eat. Mine eats Spectrum pellets and any meaty frozen foods I put in there. I can't remember whether mine was slow to adapt to different foods in QT, but in the Display I target feed him to cut down on competition from more vigorous feeders. __________________ "You can't learn this hobby one question at a time." (Mr. Tuskfish) Eileen Current Tank Info: I'm out of the hobby, but used to have a60 gal. reef, refugium in sump, Internal Mag 9 return, SC 302 skimmer, two Maxi-Jet 1200's modded, four bulb T5 Lighting, Reefkeeper Lite Controller with three PC4's, Little Fishes GFO reactor.

10/07/2012, 05:40 PM	#3
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	Thanks. I feel much better. I'll give him some more time to get settled in.

10/12/2012, 08:11 PM	#4
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	Well he never ate and he didn't make it.

10/13/2012, 08:35 AM	#6
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	Only times he would moved was when I would come close to the tank to hide farther away The royal gramma and clowns have been fine moving everywhere and eating. Would water parameters affect one fish and not the others? He was skidish from the beginning. One time when I removed the lid I tried to drop the food in the tank above him so it would land near him and he almost jumped right out of the tank.

10/13/2012, 08:57 AM	#8
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	It's a fully cycled 10 gal QT with a bio wheel filter rated for 50 gallons. The chamber also has fully cycled ceramic media in it. I feed twice a day, flakes in the morning and part of a frozen cube in the evening. Ammonia has read zero everyday for the past week. Parameters: temp: 76-78, ph: 8-8.2, salinity 1.025, ammonia/nitrites:0

10/13/2012, 09:05 AM	#11
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	That's what I'm thinking. He just seemed so skidish from the beginning. Also he just became available on Live Aquaria the day I ordered him so I wonder if he was just too newly imported. Maybe it was that, coupled with the shipping stress and acclimation. He was 3" long. This I may try to buy local as much as possible now to avoid the shipping stress.

10/13/2012, 08:56 PM	#12
Red_Ant Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 231	Well, everybody wish me luck. I'm going to give a goby another go. I just picked up a Hi Fin Goby from a LFS. He is tiny compared to the Randall's. He's about 1.5/2", but I put him in today and he ate with tonight's first feeding.