Goby not eating???

[gthaefner]

Hello, my goby likes to hide in the rock and when i feed the fish sometimes he will come out and i feed him with the turkey baster. We used to always feed him brine shrimp then we started on misis. Today when i saw him he looked very thin, so i got some brine out and he ate a litte. He would not eat the misis. Is there any other food that would be more appealing to him, to try to fatten him up a little? Thanks

Grant

 

[reeffreak]

Is this one of the sand sifting gobies?

The problem with them is they consume fauna(copepods,worms) that live in the sand.Try smaller mysis or newly hatch mysis.Some places sell freezer bar of newly hatched mysis.Maybe some sinking pellets and cyclopeeze may work as well dropped near its den.

 

[Bifferwine]

Yes, please tell us what kind of goby it is.

 

[gthaefner]

I believe he is a Cryptocentrus cinctus, a watchman or shrimp goby. The situation is worse than my first post explained. I have had him now for 4 or 5 months and he has been healthy. However, he is very shy and spends alot of time hidden in the rock. I think this behavior is typically of a shrimp goby though. Point being I don't see him very often. For the past few weeks or so he has not been eating. I switched from brine to mysis and I guess he did not like the mysis but I didn't worry because I assumed he was eating things from the sand. However he came out into plain view 2 days ago and he is skin and bones! Very, very thin! and very lethargic. He does not look healthy at all. But there are no white spots on him or anything else sickly. I fed him some brine these past two days and he ate a little bit but many pieces would float right by him and he wouldn't even try to eat them. I am very concerned for him. Is there any food that is just irresistable to fish? Is he just a picky eater or is there a bigger problem with him?

 

[reeffreak]

You had the shrimp goby for around 5 months and now it has stopped eating,right?Sounding like an internal parasite(worm or fluke) since its not showing visible signs except being very thin and of course,its not eating.Prazi-Pro medication used in a QT tank will get rid of parasites but it sounds like it may be to late.sorry.

 

[gthaefner]

Thanks reeffreak! I was thinking it might be a parasite too but I was not sure. I called my LFS and they suggested using garlic with shrimp and also treating with metronitrozal (spelling??). They said that neither of these will hurt anything else in my tank. Does this sound right to anyone? I have not dealt with many sick fish so im pretty much in the dark when it comes to treatment methods. I do not have a quarentine tank though I know I should.
Thanks!

 

[hibye]

my yellow watchman always comes out and kills any invert in sight and is always fat.
mines the opposite of yrs try buying pods from reefscavengers all the revews r pretty good

 

[reeffreak]

I would NEVER use any medication in the main tank even if it says ''reef safe''.Give garlic extract a try and see if that helps

 

[daugherty]

listen to reef do not medicate the main DT

 

[Bifferwine]

Garlic is an appetite stimulant and it usually helps a lot of you soak the food in garlic extract before feeding.

I agree with Freak, I have seen firsthand too many times people using a "reef safe" medication in their tank and then a bunch of corals or inverts die. If you want to medicate the fish, then treat it in a quarantine tank. If you don't want to medicate it, then try feeding it brine soaked in garlic and we'll be pulling for you and the fish.

 

[gthaefner]

Thanks! I have been using the garlic and it has seemed to help. The goby still does not eat a whole lot but he eats a little more each day. This has to be a good sign, right?

 

[Bifferwine]

If he is eating more then that's a good thing. Keep up the good work.

 

[reeffreak]

Eating is always a good sign.You mention at the beginning of the thread that you use a turkey baster.Perhaps turn off the pumps and squirting the food near its den may help even more.

Good luck.

 

[gthaefner]

He has been eating a little bit of garlic soaked brine shrimp everyday now for about a little over a week now. However, he does not look like he is getting any better. He is still just as thin and now he looks as if he is rotting (for lack of a better term). His top fin seems to be disintegrating. Also, today his eyes have clouded over. He always sits on the sandbed and he can't keep his body down anymore. He struggles to keep from floating away. Is he dying? Is there anything else I can do for him?

 

[Bifferwine]

It does sound like he's dying. Like he may even have more than one thing wrong with him if he's got fin rot and is skinny and eyes are clouded over. Short of removing him from the main tank and medicating, there isn't much more you can do for him except encourage him to eat. Sorry to hear about your sick fish, situations like this always suck.