Leopard Bush Fish Not Eating! :c

[dtsw1106]

I recently got a 1" leopard bush fish for my 33usg tank. It's by itself atm, but will eventually have 2 african butterfly fish as tankmates.
I seeded the aquarium from my 40g to get the cycle started; tested the water today with 0ppm ammonia, 0ppm nitrite, and 30ppm nitrate (from tap water+ferts).

Anyways, to the problem. I've been trying to feed it different foods, and it just won't eat. I've tried bloodworms, whiteworms, fish flakes, brine shrimp, sinking carnivore pellets, earthworms cut into pieces, mealworms cut into pieces. It just doesn't seem interested in eating at all.

It's swimming around nicely, and the water's fine...What do you guys feed your leopard bush fish? And what do you think is wrong if it's a mistake on my part?

Edit: I just did a 50% water change just in case. He's swimming around like normal, but still not eating :c

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

At the size yours is two years ago, I was feeding my group mainly Tetra Prima, with the odd defrosted treat like bloodworm and shrimp a couple of times a week. I then discovered Hikari Cichlid Gold floating baby pellets and more recently Tetra Cichlid XL (Doromin) which they and my ABF love, but they do eat the odd bit of Tetra Prima still. I feed Hikari mini alagae wafers and Hikari Carnivores sinking wafers for other fish in my 5x2x2 and the bushfish will happily eat them too.

Hard to say why your one is not eating... Is the temp in around 25C; a bit of water flow but not too hectic; a bogwood heap on the floor making lots of interesting tunnels/caves; an area of tall bushy plants where he can "play dead" acting as a leaf?

Did he/she eat when you first introduced it to the tank?

Can you give us the dimensions of the tank? My 3 bushfish bought as tiny 2cm youngsters are ~10cm two years on, my other one bought seperately is a bit bigger at 12cm, I have absolutely no issues housing the four of them in my Rio240 (120x41x51cm). Maybe, just maybe, you could buy another two baby bushfish, the extra numbers will almost certainly give a baby one some more confidence.

 

[dtsw1106]

At the size yours is two years ago, I was feeding my group mainly Tetra Prima, with the odd defrosted treat like bloodworm and shrimp a couple of times a week. I then discovered Hikari Cichlid Gold floating baby pellets and more recently Tetra Cichlid XL (Doromin) which they and my ABF love, but they do eat the odd bit of Tetra Prima still. I feed Hikari mini alagae wafers and Hikari Carnivores sinking wafers for other fish in my 5x2x2 and the bushfish will happily eat them too.

Hard to say why your one is not eating... Is the temp in around 25C; a bit of water flow but not too hectic; a bogwood heap on the floor making lots of interesting tunnels/caves; an area of tall bushy plants where he can "play dead" acting as a leaf?

Did he/she eat when you first introduced it to the tank?

Can you give us the dimensions of the tank? My 3 bushfish bought as tiny 2cm youngsters are ~10cm two years on, my other one bought seperately is a bit bigger at 12cm, I have absolutely no issues housing the four of them in my Rio240 (120x41x51cm). Maybe, just maybe, you could buy another two baby bushfish, the extra numbers will almost certainly give a baby one some more confidence.

The tank is a 33usg or 125litre tank. I just introduced it into the tank a week ago, but have never seen it eat the food I give. I've tried bloodworms, whiteworms, flakes, sinking carnivore pellets, cut up earthworms and cut up mealworms. I have a bit of c helferi and a amazon sword nearby a piece of bogwood with lots of holes/crevices. The flow sucks right now cause I only have an aquaclear running (waiting on equipment delivery). Temperature in the tank is usually 26-27 degrees (I read that their temp range is 25-28 degrees).

Is this behavior simply because it hasnt settled? Or is something terribly wrong?

Edit: heres my setup and what I've been doing to the tank.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/400614-125l-oddball-adventure/

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Leopard Bushfish do have a bit of a reputation of being more fragile as tiny babies. something I did not mention earlier was that I started with 5 1" youngsters, one simply vanished without a trace in my Rio240 and another died in my 5x2x2 within 10 days of adding a massive 12500lph Hydor Magnum8 powerhead (along with two of my Humphead Glassfish... powerhead was ditched there after and eventually went to "SeffieUK" on here).

You still need to give me dimensions of the tank, rather than the volume of 125l. I have a 130l and 140l in my lounge with very different shapes (approx. 62x39x55cm versus 120x30x45cm) and eventually I fully intend to put my 4 bushfish in the latter with a few other of my sedate oddballs.

My hunch and it is only a hunch, is that this singleton bushfish of yours with no other tankmates right now is a bit shellshocked at being alone. I would be very inclined to buy another 2 bushfish and then see how things go as they grow up together, they might be absolutely fine, but you may need to be prepared to give them a tank upgrade in a couple of years when they approach 10cm.

If you decide to get some more, ask the shop staff to give the bushfish a bit of food in front of you and perhaps buy the exact same food if it is something you do not have yet.

Another option, is to perhaps hold back on getting more bushfish for now and maybe try a group of 6 Upside Down Catfish (Synodontis nigriventris), a classic oddball combo with ABF and bushfish. I think you have room for some UDC with your other two species, but I'd suggest you get clued up on checking what to look for at the fish store, as sometimes the more spiteful Synodontis nigrita can be missold as S. nigriventris.

 

[dtsw1106]

I'm planning on 2 ABF in the tank as well. I already ordered them in. Just waiting on my lfs. I think I'd be pretty much fully stocked with 2ABF and the leopard bush fish, you think the leopard bush would start eating once it gets some tankmates?

Edit: tank size is 36"x16"x12"

 

[dtsw1106]

Update!

I tried bloodworms and earthworms again today and he took both! YAY!!

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

Excellent stuff!


I think you could easily do 2 ABF; 3 Leopard Bushfish and 6 Synodontis nigriventris in a 36x16x12 tak btw.

 

[dtsw1106]

One question though, I don't see much info on keeping ABF's in groups. Do they have aggression issues?
If so, would it be better to stock like this?

1x leopard bush fish
1x african butterfly fish
6x upside down catfish

Edit: Thanks for helping me out, you've been a lifesaver! So much information to take in. I've learned lots starting this tank up

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

ABF are semi-social, basically if you give each fish ~30x30cm of surface area they will tolerate each other and even sometimes hang out together. Floating plants, tall plants and ornaments that break up the surface into mini territories will help keep the peace and give each a place to set up a temporary home. Broad leavy plants around the water surface level (plus slightly above/below it) are enjoyed by my ABF for hideouts.

I had two and the second one massively changes the confidence of my original one for the better, especially at feeding time, but sadly one was the victim of my protective Lionhead Cichlid parents when they produced a second spawn of ~50 fry last November. I've promised myself that I will get some more to add to my singleton, but I've had to do so many fish juggles between my 6 tanks in the last 7 months to accomate Lionhead Cichlid youngsters; Ilyodon xantusi youngsters; a young duo of Slender Lionhead Cichlids (Steatocranus tinanti) etc. along with little disposable cash, that I've yet to sort this out. Losing my car when another expensive part went did not help either, so not its like an Everest expedition to even go the "pandoras box" that is Aquajardin down the road from me.

Mike who runs Amazon Aquatics in Warminster ("last trading post" on Ebay) told me that he had a bonded pair of ABF at home and one day the larger female decided to eat her mate whole!

A couple of random lesser know facts about ABF: They are air breathers, just like the Leopard Bushfish. In the wild populations in Africa, there are two genetically divergent populations that split ~65 million years ago, I have no idea if both poulations are common in the hobby though.

 

[dtsw1106]

Okay...so there's been mixed experiences with multiples of this fish.
If this was your own 33g tank, would you risk putting 2 of them together? Or just go with the proposed stocking from my last post?

 

[minnnt]

Okay...so there's been mixed experiences with multiples of this fish.
If this was your own 33g tank, would you risk putting 2 of them together? Or just go with the proposed stocking from my last post?

Read post number 7...

 

[dtsw1106]

Excellent stuff!


I think you could easily do 2 ABF; 3 Leopard Bushfish and 6 Synodontis nigriventris in a 36x16x12 tak btw.

Lol...Engrish too hard. xD
Didn't catch that the first time I scrolled up, had to look it over again

That sounds/looks a bit overstocked from looking at the sizes they grow to, but you're the expert >.<
I'll proabably just go 2ABF, 1 Leopard bushfish and 6 synodontis nigriventris then...I don't wanna push my luck