Red-tailed Shark not eating!

I posted a few weeks ago about adding a red-tailed shark to an African Cichlid tank. Well, I received some sponsorship from a friend (she split the cost with me in return for her getting to name the new fish...lol) in getting a new tank, so I got a 29 gallon for him with some dwarf gouramis. In his old tank, he never went for the flakes or algae wafers I put in the tank, but he was always rooting around the bottom for leftovers. In the new tank, he still doesn't go for flakes, pellets, or wafers but I now no longer see him rooting around the bottom.

His colors are rich, he swims normally, and seems to be staking out his own corner in the tank even though the gouramis are twice his size. The only concern is that he hasn't grown at all in the 3 months I've had him. Is he sneaking food while I'm not looking? Is there a type of food that he might find so irresistable that he'll eat in front of me so that I can put my concerns to rest?

 

this is typical red tail behaviour i have 2 in the same tank with a blood parrot anyways just take food(flake,peelets) and put in the part of the filter that is like a watr fall and drops in the tank like a water fall so the food goes to the bottom good luck[/img][/list][/code][/list]

 

Yah thats what mine did for the first like 4 months! now i just put flakes in the filters waterfall and he come up and grabs em :y_the_best:

 

Well, I tried everything. Flakes, pellets, wafers...none of them worked. This morning I woke up and found one of my gouramis dying. I did a water change, but he died anyway. I'm also pretty sure the Red-tail didn't kill him because the gouramis are all twice his size. I was out and about all day (doctor, pharmacy...explained later), and came back to find the gourami dead at the bottom with the Red-tail feeding on the gourami. I'm bummed about the gourami, but happy to see the Red-tail eating. It's bittersweet, especially considering last night I may have torn my hamstring and may need surgery. I can't work, drive, or even get dressed without help.

I figure I'll leave the dead gourami in the tank until I see the Red-tail stop feeding on it, since I can't really do much besides watch the fish anyway.

Let me know if this is a horrible idea. There were no indications of disease on the gourami at all.

 

I'm sorry about your gourami, but you should remove it immediately because a) It will cause increased levels of ammonia as it decomposes and b)If it died from some sort of infection, any fish that eats it will get infected too.

What are your readings for ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte?

-Chelle

 

Well, I don't currently have a test kit that I trust. I was going to go out and get one this week at some point, but thanks to my injury I can't drive or even walk. It's on the top of my to-do list.

Beyond that, I removed the gourami and everything seems to be going fine. It seems that the red-tail has grown bolder now that he's fed on the gourami. I'd never seen him eat before, and this evening I saw him eat a flake or two, which is a first.

Any suggestions as to what type of test to purchase for the nitrAte, nitrIte and any other things I need to keep track of? I'm fairly new at this and am skeptical of the LFS since I've been given bogus information numerous times. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

It's good to hear that he's eating now. And sorry to hear about your injury.

Personally, I prefer Aquarium Pharmaceuticals tests. The main 3 tests you need are ammonia, nitrIte, and nitrAte. And the new AP master test kits should carry those 3 plus pH (the older kits don't have nitrAte so if you got one of those, you'd have to buy the nitrAte separately).

-Chelle