snowflake not eating?

[forcefedcobra]

My snowflake has not eaten anything for over a week now. I wasnt worried until his not eating went over 7 days. Tomorrow will make 10 days that he has not taken food.

He had been acting normal and looks fine but this afternoon he was sticking out of some live rock upside down.

Should I be worried? What should I do?

Thanks in advance,

B

 

[Juck]

He had been acting normal and looks fine but this afternoon he was sticking out of some live rock upside down.

Should I be worried?B

Yeh,, that doesn't sound good at all. Is he responsive to any stimulation? (i.e. have you poked him?).

What do you usually feed him on? How big/old is he?

If there's no visible signs of disease then I'd be looking at water quality first. Any recent livestock added to the tank?

 

[forcefedcobra]

He has been in the tank for 3 months and was in my other tank for almost a year. I have had him for about 1 year.

He used to eat up raw shrimp like mad but wont pay any attention to it now.

He is moving around and will move when poked with his feeding stick.

 

[danmhippo]

Try something juicy for a change, ie. fresh shucked clam/oyster. See if he will be attracted by the smell of the new food.

 

[forcefedcobra]

If I can find some I might just try that this weekend and then fry some up for myself for lunch. LOL!

If he doesnt eat tomorrow I am just going to leave my office and get some to see what he does.

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't worry so much about it. I once had a snowflake that ate regularly, almost every day. Then he quit eating. I had a thread here about it a few years ago. IIRC, he went a full month without eating. Then he started eating again just as he had before.

I think they can be finacky sometimes.

Offer him food. If he isn't interested within a few minutes. He'll eat when he is hungry.

Louey

 

[forcefedcobra]

I have heard that they will go a while at times but with him poking around upside down and not eating I got concerned.

I hope you are right though!

 

[Anonymous]

Try some live grass shrimp, but don't spoil him on these if he does eat them. Has anything changed in your tank recently? Is this tank grounded with a grounding probe?
Andy

 

[forcefedcobra]

He is still not interested in food. Today he just poked out of a hole sort of sideways and didnt do much of anything.

Nothing has changed in the tank at all. My other critters are all doing great. My lion and porcupine are both eating and acting normal. My damsels are the same. Everything is the same.

Is my tank grounded? Um.....Not that I know of......?

 

[Anonymous]

A grounding probe stops stray electricity in the tank. Click on this link for info about eels and stray voltage.
Andy


http://www.reefs.org/library/article/s_brown.html

 

[forcefedcobra]

Thanks for that info. I will look into that. Do you think my LFS will have something like this?

I dont know what could have changed but I will do anything to make sure my snowflake gets back to normal.

 

[Anonymous]

I think any LFS that sells reef stuff would sell a grounding probe. They are around $10.00 I think.
Andy

 

[forcefedcobra]

Thanks Andy, I will go by there first thing in the morning

 

[Anonymous]

It is not a sure thing but I hope it will help. Good luck.
Andy

 

[forcefedcobra]

Well it is a very sad thing for me to say but when I got to my office this morning I noticed my snowflake with his head barely under a rock that he called home with the rest of his body sticking out. I feed my other fish and then tried to see what my eel was doing. He had passed sometime during the night.

I have no idea why he passed but my other fish are doing fine.

Thanks to all for their help and concern.

 

[Anonymous]

That's sad.

You did all you could.

Sometimes fish can have an organ fail just like people do. Difference is that we don't have surgeons for fish.

Get a new one.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

Very sorry to hear that, forcefedcobra. Louey has good advice: get another.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry to hear this as well. It happens to all of us.
Andy

 

[forcefedcobra]

Thanks guys. I have already been shopping but the bad thing is my LFS doesnt normally carry stuff like eels, urchins, or other cool stuff.

I have to make a 90 minute drive to OKC in hopes that a couple stores there have stuff.

This is my first death in my office tank but my fiance and I have had a few deaths in her tank.

I will get over it and just make my tank better.


B