Jump to content


new wild-caught banded sunfish not eating?


  • Please log in to reply
7 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_wispfox_*

Guest_wispfox_*
  • Guests

Posted 13 April 2014 - 07:32 PM

I caught a small (a bit over an inch) banded sunfish last Weds, and have it in a small, fairly bare tank for quarantine and medication.

The tank's pretty well salted (almost 1 ppt salinity), and the fish seems to be doing ok. I had it around 78 degrees F for a few days to try to encourage any parasites to finish their life cycle and leave, but it's now back down to around 70 degrees (room temperature).

However, the fish doesn't appear to be eating anything.

I'm not sure at what point I should start worrying, since I know that wild caught fish can get quite stressed by their new surroundings and thus not eat. Also, I know medication is hard on fish.

I've tried small bits of wiggling earthworms (which it was interested in but did not actually eat), small bits of koi pellets that I had around, and small still moving insects on the surface of the water (also interested, but not eating). I cannot tell if it's eating any of the algae I put in, nor do I have any certainty that it would (references online were not consistent). I also tried putting some nematodes, but I'm suspecting that the medication (ich attach) killed them immediately, as they stopped moving as soon as they hit the water.

It's got a rock to hide behind, and the tank is mostly covered by paper to give it some privacy. Unfortunately, due to medications and attempting to reduce places for potential parasites to hide, there isn't much ground cover.

It's such a small fish that I worry about it not eating, but I can't tell if it's actually a problem.

Thoughts? Pointers? Suggestions?

#2 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 13 April 2014 - 09:31 PM

try frozen brine shrimp or mysis shrimp... if you get it in a cube, then put a small amount of water in a cup with the cube to let it thaw... when thaw, pour some of this slowly on the surface of the water. Even wild fish seem to recognize these little crustaceans falling through the water column.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#3 Guest_gerald_*

Guest_gerald_*
  • Guests

Posted 14 April 2014 - 09:26 AM

Mosquito larvae should be appearing about now in Boston -- IMO the most sure-fire food for stressed wild-caught fish. Or Live blackworms if you cant find any skeeters yet. Put in several broken clay flowerpot pieces or coconut shell or something similar. More caves/cover will help him feel more secure. Dont bother with any pellet or flake foods yet, until he's fully settled in eating live and frozen foods eagerly.

#4 Guest_wispfox_*

Guest_wispfox_*
  • Guests

Posted 14 April 2014 - 10:20 AM

try frozen brine shrimp or mysis shrimp... if you get it in a cube, then put a small amount of water in a cup with the cube to let it thaw... when thaw, pour some of this slowly on the surface of the water. Even wild fish seem to recognize these little crustaceans falling through the water column.


Oh, thank you! It ate a few of the frozen mysis shrimp I purchased, making me much relieved.

#5 Guest_wispfox_*

Guest_wispfox_*
  • Guests

Posted 14 April 2014 - 10:21 AM

Mosquito larvae should be appearing about now in Boston -- IMO the most sure-fire food for stressed wild-caught fish. Or Live blackworms if you cant find any skeeters yet. Put in several broken clay flowerpot pieces or coconut shell or something similar. More caves/cover will help him feel more secure. Dont bother with any pellet or flake foods yet, until he's fully settled in eating live and frozen foods eagerly.


Oh! Bits of broken clay flowerpots makes sense! I had been wracking my brain for what I could use for cover.

Thank you. :)

#6 Guest_gerald_*

Guest_gerald_*
  • Guests

Posted 14 April 2014 - 01:30 PM

Yes I suppose fragments of human skull would make good cover too ... let us know how that works out. 8-[

I had been wracking my brain for what I could use for cover. Thank you. :)



#7 Guest_wispfox_*

Guest_wispfox_*
  • Guests

Posted 14 April 2014 - 03:02 PM

Yes I suppose fragments of human skull would make good cover too ... let us know how that works out. 8-[


Mmm, skull cover... ;)

Wracking my brain would result in pieces of brain, not skull. Maybe the fish would eat that! :P

#8 Guest_wispfox_*

Guest_wispfox_*
  • Guests

Posted 04 May 2014 - 03:28 PM

Yay, I just spotted this fish in my pond; clearly still alive and healthy, and apparently stalking something (not sure what).

*pleased*

Apparently banded sunfish look an awful lot like medium sized tadpoles from above. Interesting camouflage!




0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users