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Bangaii Cardinal Not Eating Problem


OoFinsoO

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Hi there,

 

I've bought 2 bangaii on the weekend from a nearby LFS, one is slightly bigger than the other and I noticed that the smaller bangaii has not taken any foods that I gave it. I'm keeping them in a 45gal reef tank together with other fish eg. flame angel, clowns and cowfish and none of the other fish bother the bangaii. Though I noticed that the bigger bangaii has sometimes chased away the smaller bangaii, there hasn't been any real fights between the fish and the bigger bangaii is eating well too, taking frozen brine shrimps & chopped prawns and scallop mince.

 

The smaller is a bit thin at the moment, I'm worry that it will starve to death since I didn't see it eating at all. It sometimes will open its mouth to scoop in some micro things that flow pass the water but didn't take anything even when the food is right in front of him. Can anyone please help / give me some advice for what to do? :mellow:

 

Thanks

Jack

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oh rotifers! I have a frozen pack in the fridge, will try it and see if it works. Thanks!

 

As for the cow fish...yea, it's just a baby one, still very tiny at around 4cm in length. I know it will grow big and when it's time I will move it to a bigger tank ;).

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My cardinal is a picky eater, he will not eat dry food and he did not eat for a couple of days when he arrived in his new tank. I added some frozen food thawed in a shotglass with a couple drops of garlic extreme and he found his appetite. Hope that helps!

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What kind of frozen food you feeding your bangaii? I have some mysis, brine shrimps, home-made mince prawn and scallop mix, and frozen rotifers.

 

I'm also looking at some online shops and found that there are a few options for the appetite enchaner but I'm not sure which one is good? Options are:

1. Kent Marine Garlic Xtreme

2. Brightwell Garlic Power

3. Seachem GarlicGuard

4. Seachem Entice

 

Any ideas? :wacko:

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My cardinal eats a marine blend of frozen cubes, Sorry I don't recall the exact ingredients as well as rotifier and mysisd shrimp. I have an old bottle of Kent Garlic Extreme that is pretty old but I think this stuff doesn't exactly go bad. It's potent and will fill the room with garlicy smelly.

 

For me personally it is a huge pain that I have exactly one fish that will not eat dry foods so I have to keep frozen on hand for him.

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Have you checked to make sure they have not spawned? Males carry the eggs in their mouths and refuse to eat food for a while. I know it isn't likely but it wouldn't hurt to check.

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Are you certain that they are not both males? I imagine that's a likely cause. Any bullying going on?

 

My bangaii only ate mysis shrimp for about 6 months (PE frozen)

 

I'd try that ASAP.

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Are you certain that they are not both males? I imagine that's a likely cause. Any bullying going on?

 

My bangaii only ate mysis shrimp for about 6 months (PE frozen)

 

I'd try that ASAP.

 

 

+1 About 2 males.

 

Mine would only eat the PE brand of mysis as well. I did get them to eat some Omega One flake food with garlic, and New Life Spectrum pellets.

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In regards to sexing, I'm 80% sure that the bigger one is a male, I saw that it got a small "v v" shaped vent that's near its anus, but since the smaller is skinny, I can't see what shape of vent it has.

 

There's not much fighting in the tank, they hang around at a corner together but have some distance between them though, and the bigger one will sometimes chase away the small one, just chased it away without aggressive biting. I'll try to get a picture to post up here tonight when I back home from work. I'm sure that both of them are not holding as sometimes I see them yawn and it's empty. They just have been in my tank for 3 days, but it's really a panic to have a problem fish trying to get its mouth open. :(

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In regards to sexing, I'm 80% sure that the bigger one is a male, I saw that it got a small "v v" shaped vent that's near its anus, but since the smaller is skinny, I can't see what shape of vent it has.

 

There's not much fighting in the tank, they hang around at a corner together but have some distance between them though, and the bigger one will sometimes chase away the small one, just chased it away without aggressive biting. I'll try to get a picture to post up here tonight when I back home from work. I'm sure that both of them are not holding as sometimes I see them yawn and it's empty. They just have been in my tank for 3 days, but it's really a panic to have a problem fish trying to get its mouth open. :(

Are they captive bred or wild-caught? Wild-caught are very difficult to keep. I would try live food if you can buy some from your LFS and, like others have suggested, garlic. I bet it'll come around eventually though :)

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Some bangaii are just picky eaters. I knew of one that would never eat pellets, but would chow down on mysis. Garlic would also help. I'm sure any of those additives would be fine. Those are reputable brands. Personally I like Brightwell.

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I thought these fish were supposed to be easy to keep...only fish I ever lost. I had two that I could not get to eat anything

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i got my bangaii to eat pellet and he is wild caught honestly once you get him eating frozen its not too hard to get them eating a variety of foods. you just gotta mix it with whatever he currently eats in a slowly changing ratio until you see him eat what your trying to get him to

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wow...i have never heard of bangaii eating pellets, your one must be really special :rolleyes:. Anyways, I tried tonight to feed it with 3 different frozen food: rotifer, mysis and brine shrimp...and he ate nothing, he chased the food, but when it is in front of its nose tip he just stopped and not open its mouth to eat it. The bigger one ate like ccrazy, swallowed all the food like what other fish does and it is doing quite good I can say. My another friend who have kept bangaii before said that my smaller bangaii is unhappy, and he said he doubts that whether I'm having 2 males in my tank because they didn't fight.

 

I have recorded a short video and posted on youtube, the top fish is the smaller one and the bottom fish is the bigger one. They just hang around at this corner for the whole day, sometimes both of them will go up to the top for a while but soon after around 15 seconds they both will swim back down to their position.

 

 

ahhhhhhhhhrrrrr.....I don't want it starving to death :( ...an unhappy bangaii...maybe I should remove it from this tank and put it in an empty tank for his own?

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i could take a video of him eating pellets and show you all. as for your lil guy?girl? i think that another tank might help if he?she? isnt eating maybe give it another day?? idk id let someone else chime in on this...

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