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FAQs on Mastacembelid,
Spiny Eel Foods/Feeding/Nutrition
Related Articles: Spiny Eels, The
truth about spiny eels; A
closer look at these popular but problematic oddballs
by Neale Monks,
Husbandry of the Barred
Spiny Eel,
Macrognathus panacalus by
Marco Lichtenberger,
Related FAQs: Spiny Eels,
Spiny
Eel Identification, Spiny Eel Behavior,
Spiny Eel Compatibility,
Spiny Eel Selection,
Spiny Eel Systems,
Spiny Eel Disease,
Spiny Eel Reproduction, |
Meaty, fresh to live... worms of all sorts irresistible
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Fire eel not eating.
01/08/2008
I recently acquired a 8 inch fire eel from the LFS.
<Ah, a beautiful fish. But not easy to keep; indeed, one of the most challenging
of all the freshwater fishes. Make sure you read the several articles we have on
this family of fish here at WWM, including:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/matacembelids.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I3/Spiny_Eels/Spiny%20Eels.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/spinyeelsmonk.htm
And then follow the links to related articles.>
I've had it about 4 weeks now and as far as im aware it hasn't eaten since I
brought it home.
<Unfortunately this is very common. There are several issues behind this. The
first is that these fish are easily spooked. Stick them in a new tank,
especially one with busy or aggressive fish, and they get scared. Small
specimens, such as yours, are obligate burrowers, and must be kept in tanks with
a sandy or muddy substrate; a lot of people try to keep them in tanks with
gravel, but they eventually end up with dead Spiny Eels. So make sure you are
using a fine, lime-free sand such as silica sand. Finally, Spiny Eels are fussy
feeders. Wild fish basically only take live food, and that needs to be things
like river shrimps and earthworms. Do not use feeder fish! Spiny Eels are simply
far too sensitive to bacterial infections.>
Water param.s are fine.
<Define "fine". For Spiny Eels, water chemistry admittedly isn't critical, but
you do want to avoid very acidic or very basic conditions. Neutral, moderately
hard water is likely the idea. Historically people have kept Spiny Eels in
slightly brackish water, but they certainly don't need salt. What salt might
help with is in inhibiting protozoal and fungal infections.>
Ammonia and nitrites are both at 0 and nitrates on the tank its in stay below
10ppm. Water is a steady 80.
<A little on the warm side; unless you have specific reasons to do otherwise,
aim for 25C/77F so you get as much oxygen in the water as possible without
compromising the health of the fish.>
I've tried feeding him Frozen brine, Mysis shrimp, Krill, Bloodworms, White
worms, HBH super soft and HBH shrimp pellets, Hikari carnivore pellets, and live
earthworms.
<Earthworms are good, and should be taken. You might also try live river shrimp
and clean (i.e., home-bred) livebearer fry.>
He sometimes sniffs at the food but is never observed eating anything at all.
<He will not feed during the day time, remember that. Spiny Eels are nocturnal
predators. They also feed almost entirely by rooting about in the sand (that's
what their special snout is for). So if you put a small quantity of bloodworms
or earthworms in the tank at night, he will eat them if left alone. Obviously,
you CANNOT keep spiny eels alongside catfish or loaches -- they will eat the
food first! The Spiny Eel should be kept as the ONLY bottom feeder and the ONLY
nocturnal fish in ANY community. This point cannot be stressed strongly enough.
Virtually all Spiny Eel deaths come from three things: starvation, leaping out
the tank, and bacterial skin infections caused by gravel.>
Im at wits end because I know its not going to be much longer before he croaks
from starvation.
<I agree, you are in a critical situation. But follow these rules and read those
articles and you'll be doing all the right things.>
Any help or advice tips would be greatly appreciated.
<Good luck, Neale.>
Spiny eel system and food
– 05/31/07
Hi there! I found your site yesterday and have read about
every page in it by now! Very informative, thank you!
<Hi Tori. I’m glad you like the site. You really read every
page? By the way, it's good you collect information before
buying.>
My sister knows how much I love fish and so for my birthday gave
me a five gallon tank with a filter and a picture of a spiny eel
that she wanted to get me. I've just gotten around to setting up
the tank (it's been running for two days now, with Watersafe)
and I just added three artificial plants (is this okay since
they will uproot them anyways?) and a cave structure, but when I
asked about the fish themselves I was very disappointed to hear
that they've only been fed normal fish flakes and been left to
eat scraps that fall to the bottom, and most of the eels in the
tank seem very lethargic. <Probably starving.>
Are these eels likely to survive very long? <When they eat
again: yes. If you think about buying one insist that you want
to see them eat. Probably they’ll only eat live food, if you are
lucky they’ll eat frozen food. If they do not eat, have skin
diseases or stay lethargic leave them there.>
Are they worth getting or should I look around for better cared
for eels? Also, if I get them, will they take right away to food
like freeze-dried bloodworms and such?
<You’ll probably have to start with living worms and hope that
they start accepting frozen food one day. Most of mine never
did. Freeze-dried food and flakes will not be eaten by most
spiny eels.>
I haven't found live worms anywhere yet, except fishing worms,
but I'm a little afraid of the bacteria that may be on them,
especially just starting out. <Earthworms or nightcrawlers from
toxin safe soil are ok, too.> The pet stores around here seem to
carry only freeze dried worms, but what is the best? (the eels
are small, less than 5 inches). <All dried foods are most often
not eaten by spiny eels.>
Also, since it's a small tank (5 gallons), is it going to be too
crowded with more than one eel or one eel and another fish or
two? It'd be nice to have something to look at while my eel is
hiding.
<First you need to know exactly what spiny eel species you are
talking about. Some only reach 5 inches, others 3 feet. For even
the smallest species I consider 15 gallons per specimen is the
minimum. See
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/matacembelids.htm and
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_4/V4I3/SpinyEels/Spiny%20Eels.htm
for more information. If you want to use the 5 gallon tank, it’d
be best to consider some other fish species.>
Thanks so much! Tori.
<You are welcome. Marco.>
Feeding A Fire Eel 11/28/06
Hi, my name is Joe St. Georges and first of all I want to say that your site
has helped me greatly.
<Thank you for your kind words.>
I have a 75 gallon tank with a 7" or 8" fire eel, a 5" clown knife (I know I
will have to remove him once he grows a little bigger) 2 2" silver dollars, 2 2"
gouramis and a 5" short billed gar, and a few mini guppies for the knife and the
gar (hopefully one day the eel!!). I put two half drainage pipes in there,
which the eels love to stay between them. My question is that the gourami's are
eating the blood worms that I feed the eel
(I don't really ever see the eel eat but he stays plump). I have also tried
brine shrimp which he does not eat because they float and also red wigglers
which burry themselves far under the gravel and I think out of reach for the
eel. Is there anything else he might eat or a way of feeding him that others
will not compete for. I wanted to try ghost shrimp but and having a hard time
finding them anywhere in Knoxville TN. Any suggestions or advice would be
great. Thank you Very Much, Joe St. Georges
<Get some plastic feeder tongs used to feed reptiles. Put a small earthworm in
the end of the tongs and slowly place the worm in front of the eel. The eel will
be attracted to the worm and eat out of the tongs. These eels become very
friendly and will take all kinds of food out of your hands. After awhile he will
come to the surface when you approach the tank to let you know he wants to be
fed. They can get up to 4 feet long!-Chuck>
Starving Eel 9/2/06
Hi,
<Hi Gillian, Pufferpunk here>
I have a problem with my yellow spiny eel. (At least that's the name it was
sold to me as.) It's very small, only about 2.5 inches. I've had it for
about 5 months. I've had no problems up until now. I have read that some
people have problems with eels not eating and as a result, they lose them
within a few weeks.
<True but it can take longer sometime, for an animal to slowly starve to
death.>
I figured that wasn't a problem since my eel has been around so long and
although I haven't seen him eat (but I do think I've seen
him darting at daphnia), he's looked well fed. Just yesterday I noticed
that he looked terrible. He is very thin and seems
to have no strength. I moved him into a smaller tank by himself over night
with food.
<Most spiney eels only eat live food. Mostly blackworms. That's what their
long nose is for--to scrounge the substrate for worms.>
I was a little worried that maybe some of his tank mates have been stealing
all his food and that might have been the cause of the problem (he's in with
3 neons, a ghost shrimp and a panda Cory cat). However, he didn't seem to
eat any of the food offered to him. I put him back in the tank with the
others and he still swims around, but he still seems weak, unable to burrow
and he'll stop swimming in funny positions, like on his side. The problem
is that I don't know what to do. If he's not eating, I'm not sure how to
make him eat. If it's some kind of infection, I'm not sure what it is. His
fins, colour and skin all seem fine. He just seems unbelievably thin and
his gills look red (although I'm really not sure if his gills seem red
because he's so thin or if it's some kind of infection). The water
chemistry's a little off, which I plan on fixing right away with water
exchanges, and I've added a little bit of salt (one tbs/ 5 gallons).
<Weekly water changes are necessary to keep the water clean & livable.>
I'm not sure if I should try a salt treatment. Or if I should try something
like Melafix (even though I'm aware that he doesn't seem to have any of the
symptoms Melafix says it treats). I'm not sure how much longer the fish
will last. Please help.
<Neither can hurt. I'd try offering live worms. ~PP>
Thanks
Gillian
Is my eel retarded or just lazy? Mastacembelid fdg. 8/2/06
I know eels are near-sighted, but how about retarded?
<Some appear to do things that are none too bright...>
Unless he is doing all his eating when it's pitch black, he's not eating. Yes,
I know they are nocturnal.
<Mmm, not altogether...>
By the way, he is a fire eel.
<Most mastacembelids are to a degree active by day>
The first few days he ate like a madman. Now, he takes the krill in his mouth,
"chews" for a couple seconds,
then spits it out, maybe does it a second time, and then he lets it float away.
<... may no longer be "so hot" for krill...>
I thought maybe the pieces are too big so I tried smaller pieces, like an 1/8 of
an inch, and it's the same thing. I've got live black worms
too.
<Irresistible>
I have no clue if he's eating those, but at least the Corys and the clown
loaches are.
<Oh yes!>
He seems real interested when I put them in the water, but I haven't seen him
eat any before they bury themselves. He's making me
crazy.
The eel is about 8 inches long and my water parameters have been corrected to
less than 20 ppm nitrate, 0 ammonia, 0 nitrate, 6.8 pH and kH of 2.
<Looks good>
Any suggestions or guidelines for eel behavior are appreciated. I've heard they
can go on hunger strikes. I just don't know why he ate so well the first few
days and now it's like trying to feed a spoiled 2 year old child.
Sincerely,
Steve
<Have recently "split up" the Spiny Eel FAQs... Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/matacembelids.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
Hello (Eel? Food, Freshwater?)
We live in Iceland, and just purchased a few fish, and an Eel. My questions is, will the eel eat regular fish food? We tried asking the lady who owns the place, but being
American over here is a slight problem :) any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Nicole Hatfield
<Mmm, depends on what you mean by "regular fish food" and what sort of Eel this is. Please give a read over our site: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ or use the Google search tool at the bottom of the homepage there... re this issue... Is it a freshwater eel? Do you know more specifically what kind? I have been to Iceland to visit... the local folks take a while to "warm" to new folks, but are genuine, honest people, as you will see. Bob Fenner>
Re: Eel Feeding
<Anthony Calfo with the follow up, my friend>
Hey, I couldn't get a good pic of him.....I haven't seen him eat any of the flake food, but not exactly sure where to get more meaty food for him either....at least, not around here.
<fresh seafood if unprocessed will be quite fine from the grocery store. Frozen is better than fresh for safety (pathogen transmission). Squid/Calamari is popular fare for most eels. Shell-on shrimp (even better with legs, head and innards) is also an excellent source of
protein and good for keeping teeth worn. Resist fatty (oil) fishes for tank water quality. As a rule, crustacea are better fed to
eels than fishes. And whole fishes (guts and head) are better than fillets.>
I do however think he helped to kill
our algae eater. Not positive about that though.
<wouldn't be a surprise>
Will do what I can, and will try to find a pic of him tomorrow. Thanks again for all your help. Nicole Hatfield
<do look through the photo archives of eels on www.fishbase.org if a picture is not convenient for you. Best regards, Anthony>
Re: hello, Iceland Eel
Yes, I do love it here, but still not sure about the people :) and yes, all
of her fish are freshwater fish. He is probably 2 inches long, and all brown
in color. The pet shop owner gave me the flake fish food. She said it was for
all types of fish. I have no idea what kind of eel he is. And I can't find a
pic of him anywhere. I wasn't sure who else to ask, and from your website,
you looked to be my man. If you want, I can catch him, and take a pic with
our digital, if that will help any. Let me know, and thanks for all your
help :)
Nicole Hatfield
<Please do send an image along. Does the fish seem at all interested in the prepared food you have? You will likely need to offer something more meaty... There are several choices here. Let's try to get a handle on the type of fish this is. Bob Fenner>
Tiretrack Eels 10/14/03
They have not had an appetite for 3 weeks and I am getting worried
so please can any one that is an expert on them please help me.
<I really could use more info. These are Tiretrack eels? How
long have you had them? What kind of food have you offered them? How
big is their tank? What are their tankmates? Have you
tested the water? How often do you change the water? After
you answer all of these questions I'll be much better equipped to help your
fish. Just to let you know, the only food I have ever seen my eels
eat is live Tubifex/black/bloodworms.>
and if there is a phone # I could call to give more detail please
tell me.
<I'm sorry, we have no phone service. Emails to this address is
the best we can do.>
thanks Jeff <Your Welcome, Pufferpunk>
Fire eel diet
Hello,
I have been reading your website for a while, it's wonderfully
informational. I purchased a Fire eel a while ago. She is now about a
foot long and is living in an over turned decoration for her own
personal cave. Her half of the aquarium is covered in a healthy layer
(4") of black moon sand, to not scrap her belly if she ever decides she
wants to burrow. The tank mates are 3 fire red dwarf Gouramis, 2
Opaline Gouramis, and an angel fish. The eel loves ghost shrimp, can't
seem to feed her enough, but my pet stores can't seem to keep up with
just my purchases per week.
Two Eel questions:
(1) Feeding: What consists of a good healthy eel
diet? What are all
my options?
<Many things... ideally natural food items like worms (including earthworms,
grubs (larval beetles) like mealworms, ghost/glass shrimp... small bits of cut
meats, fish flesh>
How can I keep my eel healthy and full but not break the
bank?
<Culture (not you! the food)... and collection in the wild. Do look into
growing night crawlers, meal worms et al.>
How much of these options should I feed her?
<At a foot in length... maybe every other day, enough food to where the fish
appears "full"... not bulging>
Should I stock a
smaller aquarium of just shrimp or something for her and feed her daily
like the other tank mates or keep her on a feast a week schedule (I
understand that's more like what their natural feeding habits are)?
<Better to not feed too frequently or too much...
(2) Future: Ideally or acceptably, what size tank should she be in
when
she is full grown?
<This may come as quite a shock... but a few hundred gallons. Take a look on
fishbase.org re this mastacembelid species... It does get quite large
eventually. Bob Fenner>
Feeding peacock eels
I just purchased a small peacock eel and was wondering if I was feeding correctly. He/she is about 4-5 inches long and I'm feeding shrimp pellets. I read in the information on spiny eels that they won't bite and chew their food. I don't think my eel's mouth is large enough yet to eat the shrimp pellet whole but I dropped a pellet near him (he's burrowed and sticking his head and part of his body out) earlier and it's gone now. Will they eat the pellets once they've softened? Or do I need to resort to frozen food (I live in a college dorm that allows only fish tanks and I don't have access to a store that sells live food so my method of feeding is rather limited)?
<Please read here: http://wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/matacembelids.htm
>
In addition to that, I was wondering what would be the best remedies for the most common infections, like ick. I'm using a product currently with my other fish called CopperSafe by
Mardel (Active ingredient: Chelated Copper Sulfate) in combination with a product called MelaFix (it says it's safe to use with scale-less fish). CopperSafe seems to work really well with my other fish, including a pictus cat, who came in with ick. But you mentioned that metallic medications don't work well on eels. What should I look for in an anti-ick medication when it comes to peacock eels? Should I just dose the tank with non-iodized salt?
Sarah
<Please read over WWM using the Google search tool there, with these questions, product names... I would not use Melafix for anything, nor copper compounds on mastacembelids or pimelodid cats... Read my friend, before purchasing livestock, using toxic chemicals on them. Bob Fenner>
Earthworms 'N' Eels - 03/07/2006
This is just a note for those eel lovers or those wanting to embrace the eel
so to speak.
<.... I might pet one, but hugging is maybe not quite in my plans.>
A couple of years ago I bought 4 eels for my hundred gallon aquarium. Two fire
eels and two tire track. Sadly someone left the lid on the tank askew and I
lost one a couple of weeks ago.
<Aww! So sorry to hear this!>
It was about 18 inches long. I still have three left that are about that size,
one is a good 23 inches long. They share the aquarium with a sun catfish, a
drift wood cat, a tiny (but extremely swift) zebra loach, a very fat clown loach
which I bought at the same time (he's a good 10 inches long) a spotted perch, a
dojo and a pair of spotted catfish that act like they're on crack. I love my
eels but let future eel owners be warned, they'll eat you out of house and
home. They pick at flake food in the morning, ah but at night they go through 3
of the large cubes of frozen blood worms and whine for more. I'm thinking that
someday in the future I will find just one very enormous eel in that tank, all
other fish having become snacks. Do you know if eels might eat fishing worms?
<Yep. Especially at that size. I recommend culturing your own, to be sure they
are in good health and nutrition. Google "vermiculture". You can start with
worms in your own yard, provided you haven't used any pesticides, herbicides,
etc.>
I'm curious but haven't tried offering any.
<I'm sure they'd love 'em. Try small worms, not big fat
Nightcrawlers.>
I was kind of hoping that the larger worms might just fill the tanks up a bit
quicker. Luckily I can say that none of them have had an ailment in the years
I've had them. (knock on wood) and I don't want to encourage anything a live
food might bring in.
<Agreed.>
So if you have any information on earthworms for eels please let me know. It
would be much appreciated.
<I say give it a try - I've seen even smallish (<8" or so) spiny eels take small
worms.>
Thanks Jo
<All the best to you, -Sabrina>
Striped peacock eel info 3/16/06
Dear Robert,
I am new to eel care and have some questions regarding eel behavior. My eel is
approximately 6-8 in long (I'm not sure exactly because he doesn't stay still)
and appears to be healthy. I have only had him a few days and he still looks
pretty nervous about his new home.
<Typical>
I have a 55 gallon aquarium with 1TB aquarium salt for every 5 gal. I am unsure
about this but have read they do ok in brackish aquariums.
<To an extent, yes>
My main question is that could my 6-8 in eel eat a 3.5 in Senegal bichir or 5 in
violet goby?
<No, could not>
My bichir is terrified of my eel and the violet goby is MIA at the moment.
<The latter may have "jumped out"... look about on the floor... or be hiding.>
Also I am unsure he is getting enough to eat I have tried fresh raw fish, cut
Nightcrawlers, and shrimp pellets.
I have heard and read that these are all foods accepted by eels but I am
nervous anyway.
<Best to offer some live worms, insect larvae that sink...>
would a sort of community feeding spot work?
<Mmm, could>
None of my other fish are terribly voracious and I was thinking of a watering
hole type situation. If you could help to unravel
some of this I would appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Matt Tompkins
<I do hope your livestock all settle-in... they should be compatible... that is,
"get along" with another. I would not add any more salt than you mention... and
would try black worms, tubificids for your mastacembelid eel for now. Bob
Fenner>
Fire Eel fdg., sys./comp. 4/1/06
Hi Crew!
<Michael>
Hope all is well in Wet Web land.
I have a feeding issue with my 12" Fire Eel. I purchased him 8 days ago
from my LFS and since then I have not been able to get (him or her) to eat.
<Happens... mastacembelids don't like changes... and being "moved" is a
biggie>
(We will assume its a he)............. I have tried feeding him frozen
bloodworms with no luck and have just tried frozen krill even though I could
not find any documentation supporting krill to feed him.
<Some will take... but takes training on to>
He is in a 94 gallon corner tank with plenty of caves housed with a red
empress, Hap Ali, sunshine peacock, yellow lab, pike cichlid,
<These are aggressive species...>
and 2 cats (4" and not sure the type). All fish are between 4-5 inches.
I understand that there is some good competition for food for him and have
found ways around that. I have tried using a feeding stick to spear the
krill and have used the stick which acts like a turkey baster as well to
blow the bloodworms by him. He has had ample time to eat both. My latest
attempt today was to put the bloodworms in a shot glass and to lay the glass
in the tank (and yes, I took the Jack Daniels out of the shot glass first).
<Heee, good idea to both>
The bloodworms stayed in the glass and the cichlids left the food alone. I
left that in there for a half hour and watch patiently to see him not eat.
I have read and re-read your archives and understand that they can go on
hunger strikes for weeks at a time but I guess I would really value your
input on my situation.
Aside from not eating he does look healthy and acts fine.
Thank you in advance for your assistance!
Michael J. Bukosky
<I would try some live worms... likely "black Tubifex" if you could find, or
other... placed in a container as you've done here... but really, the best
scenario is going to be to place this fish in a less-agonistic setting...
completely covered top, with "soft" rounded substrate, diffuse lighting and
soft/er, more acidic water than some of the fish you list prefer. I would do
this move if this spiny eel does not feed within another week. Bob Fenner>
Some Questions about Spiny Eels - 05/22/06
Hi,
<<Hello>>
First off your site is very helpful and I have learned much from it.
<<Is good to hear>>
However I do have a problem that I couldn’t find an answer to on Google or your
site.
<<Okay, let's see if I can help>>
I’m new to aquariums and about 5 weeks ago I purchased a Striped Peacock Eel.
<<Read here and at the links in blue: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/matacembelids.htm
>>
At first he didn’t eat much (actually hardly at all) but a couple of weeks back
he decided to eat as much as he could get. I would like to know how many 8-10
mm long pieces of earthworms an eel about 7-8 inches should safely consume each
day.
<<Hmm...would think at least 3-4 pieces would be fine. Live Blood and Tubifex
worms would be relished as well, and will add some variety to the diet>>
Also he is outgrowing his home/cave rather rapidly
<<Indeed, can reach a foot in length>>
so should I try to find him a new hideout (the gravel is a bit to harsh for
burrowing) or attempt to possibly put new finer gravel in his half of the tank
(during a partial perhaps?).
<<I kept some of these eels a few decades back (did I really just say that?!),
quite interesting creatures as I recall. A fine/soft substrate is
best/ideal...along with some plants/hiding places...and subdued lighting>>
I want your personal opinion/s as well a reasonable answer/s so that is another
cause to actually Email you guys and gals.
<<No worries mate...I hope I've been helpful>>
Thanks in advance,
Matt
<<Regards, EricR>>
Some Questions about Spiny Eels II - 05/23/06
Wow thank you very much.
<<Quite welcome>>
I was feeding him as much as 8 pieces and before I decided enough was enough and
he still wanted more lol.
<<Yes, can be quite glutinous. Best to feed smaller portions several times a
day>>
However I know they like to hide and that they like "soft" substrate, I wanted
to know if it would be a good idea to change part or even all of the substrate
during a partial water change or add a larger hiding spot.
<<Would depend much on your filtration setup...but I think changing out parts of
the substrate with partial water changes over the course of a week or so would
be safest>>
Thanks again,
Matt
<<Always welcome, EricR>>
Unhappy Fire Eel 7/28/06
Hello,
<Hi Steve, Pufferpunk here>
I'm glad I found this site and I hope you can help me.
<I'll certainly try!>
I bought a Fire Eel about a week ago. He is about 8 inches long. He ate very
heartily the first 3 days I had him (hand fed frozen krill) but now hasn't eaten
for the last 2 days. He also seems less like a healthy eel. What I mean by
that is that in the beginning, his head was always sticking out of his cave, now
he won't stick his head out at all.
<That pointy nose of his is for digging in the substrate for worms. Try live
blackworms to get him interested. He will also eat bloodworms & eventually
large night crawlers. >
My ammonia and nitrite are 0 and my nitrate is about 80 ppm. I know that is too
high and will probably begin doing water changes twice a week at least.
<Woah! No "probably" about that! I'd do 25% daily (starting today), till
they're down <20. After that, 50% weekly is recommended. Be sure to clean up
any dead plant material & be sure to clean every inch of the substrate,
especially under decor.>
I also have a problem with my water turning soft, thereby my pH drops. I have
driftwood in the tank because my Plecos need it and I was told this would
continue to make the water soft.
<Stick to soft water-loving fish then, like the Plecos & your fire
eel. Angelfish, rams & lots of other neat fish like soft water too.>
About every 3 days I add pH stable which raises the water hardness and also the
pH as a side effect. Currently, pH is about 7.2 and
KH is about 3. None of my fish are aggressive so that is not an issue.
<Bad idea, adding products like that. All your doing is causing a constant
fluctuation of pH. VERY stressful on your fish. Leave the pH alone & keep fish
that will thrive in soft water.>
Besides rectifying the water quality, how can I get him to eat again? He still
"smells" the food when I try to feed him and he'll also grab a piece or two but
then spit it out. I know he wants to eat but won't. Also, any suggestions on
being able to stabilize my pH and water hardness on a more long term level (as
opposed to having to add chemicals every few days)?
<All answered above. Get those nitrates down, try live worms. I hope you have
a HUGE tank, mine grew to 2', before I had to rehome him--tired of replanting my
whole tank every morning! ~PP>
Please help, I really don't want to lose this guy.
Thanks, Steve
