Am I sick?

I picked up a Royal Gramma from a member a few weeks back. He looks fully grown and I am told he is 3 years old. I acclimated him to my QT tank and he has been swimming around in there just fine. But I never did get him to eat well. He will not eat any pellets (3 kinds), frozen planktom or frozen Brine, he will eat some flake food but very little 2-3 pieces about the size of 1/4 inch square. He has been doing this for about 3 weeks. I have heard other owners saying their Gramma's eat anything.


Today he has not eaten any frozen plankton nor any flake food. He looks at it but does not try to eat it. I am not sure of the last time he ate because my son fed him over the weekend and he did not watch him. I did not feed him this morning so he should have been good and hungary.


He is swimming around just fine in the typical Gramma style, vertically. He will even dart across the tank a little, usually when spooked as he does get a lot. He does hide often but I am told that is typical of a Gramma. He is alone in the 10G QT. I do not see any spots white or black on him. His breathing does not appear to be labored and he does not look thin or puffy. his color looks vivid and not pale. When he does come out he hangs out at about the bottom 1/4th of the tank, so he is not gasping for oxygen at the top.


I never used any chemicals in the tank, nor did I give him any preventative chemicals.


What else can I look for? Is there any other sure fire foods I can give him that he will eat? Could he be eating several minutes after I have put the food in the tank instead of right away when I am watching?


Thoughts?


Thanx


Bill

 

Try frozen brine shrimp or mysis shrimp?

 

And some garlic to it !

 

My one loves mysis shrimp, takes a few flakes too .

 

I tried freeze dried mysis but it did not want any of that. I just dropped that in the tank maybe I need to hydrate it first.

I will try the frozen brine again tonight. For adding Garlic, can I just take some granulated garlic and dissolve it in water then add the frozen brine to thaw?

 

Being alone in there may have alot to do with it.

It really intimidates/stresses fish when there aren't any others around.

 

The frozen mysis are you thawing it with tank water and dumping the water part adding new tank water?

 

I put some tank water in a cup, thaw for a few minutes, and then use a small eye dropper type device to squirt a little into the tank slowly because he spooks easily.

 

Well I sure hope he is eating when I am not looking.

I took a clove of garlic and peeled it, sliced off 3 pieces and diced them up small. Then pressed them with the knife to get the juices out. I put all that in a cup of tank water along with some frozen brine. I let it soak for about an hour.

I squirted in a little and the stupid thing just swam past the brine. I watched for about 10-15 minutes and he did once suck in and then spit out the brine which should be fresh because I just bought it less than 2 weeks ago. I did put a few small pieces of flak food that he has eaten before in after about 15 minutes and he did not even try for that either.

I partialed the tank yesterday so I know he has not had food for at least 24 hours. I am out of different foods to try.

 

Mine doesn't eat much pellet food butt eats flake and loves brine and mysis. He very well could have a mouth and gill infection. Could try one dose of marine grade Melafix.

 

I tried lots of different things and eventually (about a full week) he started heating again. Plainkton, vegie flakes and mixed marine flakes. Not sure what his problem was could just be stress because I am seeing him out more. Thanx for the advice everyone.