New Fish

Rcpilot

Rcpilot

Reef enthusiast
I couldn't help myself. Got a 3 stripe damsel free from a local craigslist add today. I'm putting it in the frag tank because it's aggressive (who knew?)

I had the 6-line in the frag tank, but wanted to try and move him out to the 30g tank. That went over like a lead balloon and I ended up selling him to somebody who had a larger tank. So I have been running the frag tank without a fish for almost 3 months.

Yote said something about acidity in the water (need some kind of waste) and I went to reading articles on water chemistry and biological filter beds. Sooooooooo I found a free fish. :D

The guy that gave it to me had it in a 55g tank with some cardinal fish, a couple fire fish, a tang and a coral beauty. He's running a wet dry and HOB power filters. I was CRINGING at the thought of the water quality in there. I figured I just rescued this fish.

So I tested the water from the bag when I got home.
pH 8.1 :mrgreen:
salinity 1.025 :mrgreen:
nitrates 40ppm :shock:
dkh 5 :shock:

Acclimating. Pics tomorrow.
 
Yeah, free is good. It's just a "utility" fish to provide some small amount of waste. Typical 3-stripe damsel. Black with vertical white stripes. It's about 2" long.

I was glad to have it free. But when I saw the water in the ziploc bag I about crapped myself. It was yellow. :shock: Thats when I decided to save it and test it. Those poor fish that are still in his tank are probably under a lot of stress.

The guy had a branching goni in the tank. I couldn't say anything to him except to feed it daily. It'll be dead in a month.

Stupid bio-balls and HOB filters combined with lack of knowledge and experience. I asked him if he ever visited Reef Central (most popular site) or any other websites to discuss the hobby and he said no. He wasn't interested in doing that. I got the impression he had some grudge against forums or thought they were stupid. If he had shown any interest in getting help, I would have pointed him here to our community. Whatever. Thanks for the free fish dude. :Cheers:
 
This fish won't eat.

It's SO scared of any movement outside the tank, it didn't come out for the first 36hrs. Normal, I guess. I think the guy had this fish in a dark tank, because when the lights are on, it's scared to come out from hiding. It just started coming out yesterday. When the lights go off, it swims laps at high speed - almost neurotic.

But it won't eat. I've tried the normal Marine Cuisine (meaty kind for carnivorous fish) that I feed Nemo in the 30g tank. It did suck up a few bits yesterday and promptly spit it out. I've tried Marine Cuisine for herbivores (green kind). Fish doesn't even go near it.

It's hard to get this fish to even SEE the food, because if I go near the tank it darts under a rock and hides for a minute or two. By that time all the food has fallen to the bottom of the tank.

I keep telling myself it will get hungry eventually. But it's so scared of any movement outside the tank. How long can a damsel go without food before it's dead?
 
Do they pick at the sand? I thought they would only feed off free-floating food in the water?

Pods? The tank is loaded with amphipods that are anywhere from 1/16" - 1/2" long?
 
Well I would say that you putting him in a healthy tank would be like taking a heavy smoker and giving hime an oxygen tank!!! Hes probably got so much energy now he doesnt even think about eating!!!!!

Oh yeah he is probably munching on pods.
 
Rcpilot said:
Do they pick at the sand? I thought they would only feed off free-floating food in the water?

Pods? The tank is loaded with amphipods that are anywhere from 1/16" - 1/2" long?
Click to expand...

They'll usually find something to eat.Amphipods and such.It'll just take him time to adjust to a clean tank like Bj said.
 
Most fish can go about two weeks without eating. I`m sure he`s eating something or he`ll eat when he gets hungry enough.
 

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