My new Altums have not been eating for 3 days

[johnnyboy2476]

I've acquired 4 wild Altums recently and they are in a 10 gallon quarantine tank. The water is printine, I've used 50% RO with 50% Tap, zero Nitrate, Nitrite, Ammonia. The only thing I added to the tank was 5ml of Melaflix.

The side of the tank are kept partially cover. The bottom is bare - no substrate. Large PVC pipe are added to make them feel secure. It's been three days and they are still not eating! I've been feeding them live blackworm. What else can I do to accliminate them and get them to start eating?

[Orlando]

I would try to find Alder cones..

Do you have any pictures you could provide us with of the fish?

[johnnyboy2476]

I'll see if I can snap some tonight, but they are just regular Altums, with 3 or 4 large black band and very elongated body.

[JakeJ]

Stupid I know, but could it be stress?

[johnnyboy2476]

Oh, it's definately stress. They are wild caught and difficult to acclimate. Their black strips are very pale due to stress. Right now, i'm wondering if I should just move them to my 110 gallon planted tank since they are not doing so well in the quarantine tank. Maybe in a commuinity environment, they'll do better and become less shy. Whatcha guys think?

[snoz0r]

i'd say if you have had them in the QT for a couple days and are sure they're not harboring any diseases or parasites, let them go in your 110. At the very least, with it being planted they'll have some places to hide out and relax and get used to their environment

[plantbrain]

Put them in the big tank, feed them live brine, mine always have done well on live brine and no worms.

As with any fish, ask to see them eat at the shop before you buy...........

Be patient and do not impulse buy, worried someone else would snap them up before you(and kill them since they will not eat- let them have that wonderful luck/$ loss)

Try live brine. They may take worms later.
Also, I'd worry more about fungal than bacterial issues, so try the Primfix and run a UV.


Regards,
Tom Barr

[johnnyboy2476]

Thanks Tom. I know I know, but Altums angels are soooo hard to come by. The LPS in my area had them for sale at an unbeleivable price of $15 each. So, I jumped on it. I'll see if I can post some pics. later.

[plantbrain]

Originally Posted by johnnyboy2476

Thanks Tom. I know I know, but Altums angels are soooo hard to come by. The LPS in my area had them for sale at an unbeleivable price of $15 each. So, I jumped on it. I'll see if I can post some pics. later.

Why do you think they get them in and sell them for cheap????

If they sold you nice well acclimated fish, they take the losses.
So would you pay 30-40$ per fish then?

Or would you rather work like a dog and lose a few, and accept a loss of 50%?
I'm not sure, but it's hardly worth it in many cases.

I get things for clients from a wholesaler.
So I have to Q my fish before.

And lose some.
I lost 150 Cardinals except for 8.
The next batch? Only 3%.

Altums are far and few in between, but I will not touch them unless they eat and are in good shape. Even then, it's a risk. So even at the wholesale level, that means once every 1-2 years. It's a question of patience.

If you have none, you pay that price.
It's A RISK YOU ASSUME.

Regards,
Tom Barr

[johnnyboy2476]

No - wouldn't pay $30-$40 per fish. Rather pay $15 and take the risk.

[Ariel301]

I'd go ahead and put them in the bigger tank. Small bare tanks where they can constantly bump into the 'invisible wall' of the glass are stressful on fish fresh from the wild. Give them room to swim and hiding places and they should settle down. I'm sure even your presence moving around the tank is scary to them right now. You might try some live foods on them if you have access to any. (just not feeder fish, of course--you don't want to infect your angels with all their diseases!) There is also a garlic based product they make for marine fish that don't want to eat...it's a liquid you soak the food in that makes it nice and stinky. It may be worth a try.

They can go quite some time without food, so I don't think you're in any danger of starving them yet. Good luck with them; I hope they pull through. That is a good price on altums, and a good deal to find them locally. I have never seen any in a store.

Does your LFS have any sort of a guarantee on their fish so you can take them back if they die within a few days?

[lauraleellbp]

How long were they at the LFS before you bought them?

I'd think long and hard before breaking QT to put them in the main tank... especially if you've already got it stocked with other fish. You could be out much more than $40 if it turns out they're not eating b/c they're carrying something. Personally, I'd take the not eating as a bad sign, and not move them for at least a week. I'd also make sure the QT tank is stuffed with plants to try and help them feel more secure.

I'd also try and worm them, as they're most likely WC fish.

[EdwardN]

Originally Posted by johnnyboy2476

Thanks Tom. I know I know, but Altums angels are soooo hard to come by. The LPS in my area had them for sale at an unbeleivable price of $15 each. So, I jumped on it. I'll see if I can post some pics. later.

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.

[blackandyellow]

Don `t put them in the large tank so soon, believe me been there done that. Altums can harbor deseases and transmit them easily to your other fish, most of them have fungus and or parasites. I got 4 dime size about 2 months ago, left them in qt for only 2 weeks, placed them in the main tank only to see them get this slimy fungus mulm on their bodies, never accepted any food and ended dying despite all my efforts.

Several of my other fish also got sick but I got to save them because they were stronger. Altums are very very picky eaters, just like discus. Let them acclimate in the qt tank and offer different types of food; if they don`t start eating within a couple weeks you will probably loose them anyway, do not risk bringing desease into your main tank.

[johnnyboy2476]

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