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why don't new fish eat?

2K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  Lupin 
#1 ·
why is it that new fish don't eat at first?? i've seen it many times, where they either aren't interested in eating at all- OR they act ravenous, but spit out the food for a few days. I was just curious why? I assumed stress from moving was to do with the not eating, but i totally don't get the spit out food thing. when should i become concerned if they aren't eating regularly?

also, i have a tank with top swimmers and middle swimmers, how can I be sure all are being fed (i have some barbs that feed in a frenzy, and push my danios out of the way to eat)!?
 
#2 ·
Mia, new fish needed their time to become accustomed to new environments. Just be patient in this part and the fish will become completely at home in your tank. I'd be concern if these fish do not eat for more than two weeks. If the fish is healthy, I see no reason why you should worry about them not eating for several days. Healthy fish can cope but ill ones cannot. Discus are particularly prone to this and most have been known to starve themselves for almost a month before they completely settled to eat food. There are fish though that will settle quite quickly and will eat food after almost an hour of being introduced into the tank. This case is common in very hardy fish especially those in quite excellent health conditions.

Fish spit food to reduce them to small bits thus enabling them to eat well. Please note that some fish may appear to have large mouths but they have narrow throats and rainbowfish are quite prominent examples.

Fish that do not eat regularly like they used to do should immediately be quarantined and placed under constant surveillance. Feeding habits are another way to determine the health conditions of the fish aside from physical appearances.
 
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