My new Altums have not been eating for 3 days

[johnnyboy2476]

Too late, got them in my main tank last night. They seem to be doing better and they definately darken up.

[johnnyboy2476]

more pics[ATTACH]Attachment 15923[/ATTACH]

[Ariel301]

If yours are Peru Altums, their wholesale price last week was $4.99ea. The price you paid is therefore a resonable price at a reasonable LPS...

Seagrest Farms has them still on their list. Wednsday is the day to learn if they really do and order (wholesale) in my area.

'Peruvian altums' are not actually altums. They're just a slightly different variation of the regular P. scalare angel that happens to come from Peru. These are true Pterophyllum altum in the photos. And they look pretty happy in the big tank! Looks like the only other thing in with them is the neon tetras?

I don't know how much I would trust Seagrest. I used to spend a lot of time at an LFS that ordered from them sometimes...they never got very good fish, the angels were always sick and died within a few days. I'd be nervous about getting much of anything from a 'factory farm' like them. There's usually a lack of quality control in breeding in large facilities like that. I would much rather order fish from a small scale breeder. But that's just my own opinion...

[johnnyboy2476]

Thanks. So, these Altums are the REAL DEAL correct? They look pretty happy this morning. Some of the more bolder ones are starting to feed!


Last night, I had to remove one crazy cardinal. This little guy was a relentless fin nipper. Instead of schooling with other cardinals, this guy would constantly harrass the Altums.

Right now, I have about 6 Altums, 20 cardinals, 8 rummynose, 4 rainbows, 5 SAEs, 8 Otos, 3 mollys, 2 Rams, 3 hatchetfish, 6 Japonics.

Do you guys think I could stock more fish? It's lightly planted now, I'm still wating for all the plants to grow out. Evenutally, I'll have a carpet of E. Tennulus, Crypt in the background and midground, and a Large Amazon sword as the centerpieace.

[johnnyboy2476]

So I think I got a real sweet deal on those Altums. I went back to LFS last night and they adjusted there price for Altums. It turns out that it's actually $20 and not $15. I got those right on the day that it came in and they must have made a mistake with their price.

Do you guys know of any online source to get maybe 1lbs of blackworm?

[snoz0r]

whoa, a 1lb of blackworms is way way too much. I have 4 adult kribensis that LOVE them plus 10 or so other fish in my tank. last time i bought blackworms i only got about 2 grams and even with my forgetful ass who left them out where some died, that still lasted me 2 weeks nearly. you would need a huge tank to hold a pounds worth.. and you definitely wouldn't want to keep that many in your fridge

[Orlando]

What temperature do you have your tank set at?

[johnnyboy2476]

Right now it's at 78 degrees. Should I bump that up to 80 degrees?

[johnnyboy2476]

I know 1 lbs is a lot. But if you buy online i think it's really cheap, maybe around $20 or so - I don't remember. I use to keep discus so I needed a lot of blackworm and with daily rinsing with distilled water, they last in my fridge for a long long time. Plus, I can always freeze any extra that I don't end up using.

[Riiz]

Originally Posted by johnnyboy2476

Right now it's at 78 degrees. Should I bump that up to 80 degrees?

Yes, 80 is my minimum for angels but a tad too cold for discus.

[Orlando]

Originally Posted by johnnyboy2476

Right now it's at 78 degrees. Should I bump that up to 80 degrees?

80-82* Would be ideal. Wild caught fish come from very warm waters. You may be surprised how well they perk up and start eating when the temps go up.

Sense these are new fish, try not to startle them to much. Once they get familiar with there new home they should be coming up to the front panel begging for food

Good luck!

Regards,
Orlando

[Ariel301]

Turning up the temperature can help increase their metabolism, so I would do so. I have kept angels up to 90 degrees and they were happy. I'm glad to see they are starting to do well for you; that should be a great looking tank!

[plantbrain]

Originally Posted by johnnyboy2476

Right now it's at 78 degrees. Should I bump that up to 80 degrees?

82-84F, watch the fins, body for fungus and the eating.
If cardinals are happy and eat like pigs, these should also.

Do everything you can to remove/prevent parasites and bacteria/fungus(mostly fungus than other aliments).
So you might consider tonics like Primfix etc for a while.

After they settle in, they should be fine thereafter.
Careful on redoing too much at once in their tank.
Careful with live foods also like worms, make sure you decontaminate the food prior to feeding/adding to the tank, brine is on of the few this is not needed. They do very well on a diet of brine and other frozen foods like Mysis.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[johnnyboy2476]

I'll raise the temp to 82 tonight. The fins looks a little torn on some of the Altums. I have UV running 24/7. Should I still add Premix for Melafix? I would need a lot for a 110 gallon. I wonder they would adversely affect the plants?

The cardinals are eating like pigs, as well as all other fish. Their stomach are so bloated from blackworm, it looks as if they are about to explode.

[lauraleellbp]

Mela and Pimafix are plant safe. I've no idea whether or not a UV may denature them, though?? If you decide to use them, don't forget to remove any chemical media from your filters.

Another plus side to keeping the temps warm also can help keep ich at bay, in the event they may have been exposed before you got them.

I'm laughing about your rogue Cardinal, I've never had one like that.

+1 for Mysis shrimp, it's probably the best food I've ever used for conditioning fish for breeding.