When Your Fish Won't Eat, Help.

[geer head]

I just recently (in the last 3 weeks) had two fish die on me. It is something I try to avoid, but apparently these fish had other ideas.

My 10 gallon tank had a nice hunk of driftwood, 2 platies, 1 blue gourami, 1 bristle nose and 2 snails. I regularly put food like peas/lettuce, etc into my tank for my snails to munch on and try to feed frozen blood worms one every 2-4 days. My bristle nose died first and then my blue gourami. BOTH of them would refuse to eat anything! At first my gourami would eat in the tank and seemed to get along with my platies, after a while he was 'afraid' to go to the top and wouldn't even eat most of the food the sank. The only time he seemed to eat was when some blood worms fell in front of him.

My real question here is what can you do when a fish refuses to eat? Are there any possible reasons, any solutions, what!?!?

Thanks

 

[doresy]

The very first thing I would do if there is any behaviour change with any fish is do a water temperature check then a water check for Ammonia and Nitrite levels.

What are your levels?

If you do not have a test kit (preferably an API Liquid Master Kit) then I would suggest a 50% water change and get a kit asap.

Oh and sorry for your losses btw.

 

[geer head]

My levels are fine and I did do a 50% water change recently... I don't think it has to do with the water. I'm really confused as this is at least the third fish I have owned that has starved itself and the platies and snails in the tank are fine, they have a very healthy appetite.

 

[Night61]

it could be bloated.
however i have found when a fish stops eating it is very sick. i would isolate the fish that stopped eating, just in case.

 

[WILDER]

Can you post water stats please.
Do any fish look skinny or bloated.
What does it look like when the fish goes to the toilet.
Check the anus of the fish to see if its enlarged or red and inflamed.

Do any fish look pale or darker in colour.
Any fish acting listless and lethagic.
Any fish finding in hard to get off bottom of tank or top.
Any red streaking on body or fins.

 

[geer head]

I can't really give you much information now as the discussed fish are already dead and I just did a 50% water change today.

Does anyone have any idea of how to help prevent or treat a fish once it gets to the stage of not eating? Neither fish showed any outwards signs of being sick/infected. I have an old 5 gallon tank, what do you think the chances are that putting them in that 'quarantine' would be successful? If they started to get better, would they just go back to square 1 when moved back to the original tank?

When a fish dies, should you do anything to 'treat' your water, or will the other fish be fine?

 

[Consequence]

The platies aren't eating everything are they? That seems to be the case in my tank, they gobble it all up before the tetra even get a chance to react to it.