[steve bridgend]

i got a trio of indian ocean anthias a week ago but they arnt showing any intrest in new era flake even when mixed in with mysis any one got any ideas would it be a bad idea to starve them of frozen food for a few days to see if they will take it after a few days was also thinking of getting a trio of bartlets anthias anyone know how much i can expect to pay for them and would they be ok with the others

[ben]

you could try soaking the flake in some garlic

[chriss]

I think you need to be a bit more patient, some fish take longer than others to adapt to new foods and some never adapt. I would try mixing flake with mysis and something like immuvit/lipovit. Leave it all soak for a while before feeding slowly and hopefully after a while they'll take a bit in haste and eventually move ro it. Alternativle try pellets rather than flake.

Quite a few types of anthias are notoriously difficult to adapt to aquarium foods, usually ending in failure. What's their Latin name?

Of course some fish are very picky eaters and choose food based on apearance first. My copperband and long nosed butterfly will only take mysis and brine, anything else gets spat out or ignored.

I wouldn't try starving them, at least not until they are very settled, fat and healthy.

Bartletts shouldn't be a problem at all, mine eat everything with gusto. They are renown for being easy to keep and feed. The going price seems to be mid-thirties.

The only concern could be if the others are shy/timid feeders that the bartletts will out compete them for food.

Chris

[steve bridgend]

they are the common type p.squmpinnis if thats how you spell it

[ChrisR]

steve bridgend, on May 25 2010, 12:36 PM, said:

they are the common type p.squmpinnis if thats how you spell it

Squammpinis shouldnt be a problem to get feeding, once theve settled they should eat anything that you put in the tank, they are very hardy and like bartletts some of the easier anthias to keep, just keep on doing what your doing and they will move onto flake. I have a shoal of 7 and they take anything that goes in the tank.

[Blacktip]

Mine didn't eat a thing for 4 weeks and now eats a little artemia. Hope it will improve. The rest of the shoal started eating flake in days. Luck of the draw I guess.