Bass Feeding Issues

Hey everyone,

So I need a little help/advice/input. I have a largemouth bass that is about 6 inches long. I've had him since in captivity he was about 2 inches long (about 7 months) and he is very well trained. He takes worms from my fingers and he comes to the front of the tank when I am in his sight to "beg for food." But all of the sudden within the last few weeks he has become very skittish and shy. He does not eat feeders in a voracious manner like he used to and sudden movements or me getting close to the tank scare him to the back of the tank. He has never displayed this type of behavior in the past. Any ideas????

His only tank-mates are a small blue catfish (about 5" long) and a crayfish.

Thanks


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I've had fish go from bold to shy before. Sometimes there may be no apparent reason (like adding a predator or other territorial fish). However, there could be some underlying issue like water quality, an internal parasite, or infection. If the water quality is an issue, the fish may be stressed up and become skittish, not eat, etc. The same is true for an intestinal parasite. I can't offer any better information, or give you an immediate recommendation. Maybe a large water change and some salt for the time being until others chime in.

1) Water quality is the most common cause. Change his water.
2) Has anything outside his tank changed that could be spooking him? Cat lounging on the tank lid?

I had a similar situation occur eith my bass. The most likely cause is Dropsy from a poor unvaried diet. After about two weeks of shy behavior and minimal feeding I found him dead. I hope that this is not the case for you.

I change his water every other week, and the last two times it hasn't seemed to help (at least not for more than a few days). At first I thought it may have been light from a TV that is near his tank, but after blocking his view of the TV and making sure that light wasn't affecting him, he only went back to acting normal for a few days. He is now back to acting shy and not eating very many feeders. He will still readily eat nightcrawlers and bits of beefheart. It just seems that his interest in live fish has gone away. Any suggestions as to what else I could feed him?

I had a similar situation occur eith my bass. <snip> After about two weeks of shy behavior and minimal feeding I found him dead. I hope that this is not the case for you.

I've found a brother in arms! Hope springs eternal, yes?

Hahaha, Irate, you've converted me. Every fish everyone owns that they have a question about will die. Tomorrow.