White Skirt Glofish Only Eats Shrimp Brine

I recently noticed one of my 5 white skirt glofish isn’t eating the flake food or blood worms. He’ll only eat shrimp brine, but I only feed that twice a week. He seems smaller than he used to be and slightly less active than others. All parameters are perfect. I did normal, every 2 week, 20% water change/half tank vacuum when I noticed this, last week, but no change. We got all of them about a year ago. Could he just be getting old?

 

You could stop feeding brine shrimp for a week and focus on the other foods. If he's hungry enough, he'll eat.

You could also try mixing the other foods with something like Garlic Guard. Garlic is a natural appetite stimulant for fish and also helps boost their immune system and rid them of internal parasites. I use Garlic Guard on my foods and the fish love it. I also use it to help my African dwarf frog find her food during meal times.

 

Fahn is right. Fish get spoiled and ignore other foods if they can get so-called treats. Flakes are a nutritious staple food for most tropical fish and it is good to supplement their flakes with other foods once in awhile, but you can't give in and give them treats too often. It's like someone giving a dog tasty table scraps. They get picky and ignore their dog food. A fish has a self preservation instinct just like we do. It will not allow itself to starve to death unless it is sick. Lay off the brine shrimp for awhile until it starts eating flakes and only give the fish a treat about once a week including freeze dried blood worms. I don't know about other brands, but the very 1st tropical fish flakes ever made were Tetramin and through continued research have made flakes that could keep them alive and healthy for their entire lives. Other foods should just be treats once in awhile.

 

You should do more WCs.

I would do a 25%-50% weekly WC and you could do a gravel vac every 2 weeks.

 

I just think it’s peculiar that only this one fish is doing it. When a fish gets toward the end of it’s life, age wise, does it slowly get weaker or just die one day?

 

It does happen.

If your tetra isn't eating anything but brine shrimp, he isn't getting enough nutrition and can't grow or get enough energy to live.

I would just stop feeding brine shrimp and bloodworms, as these can be very addictive to fish.

When you stop, the tetra will be too hungry to turn down flakes.

I would feed bloodworms weekly(After you get your tetra to eat flakes) and brine shrimp monthly.

 

People have different opinions on that matter. I took the middle road and check parameters weekly. My tank has been very stable even when adding a couple new fish. It’s s bit of a pain to do wc, because my ph out of the tap is 7.4 but after sitting awhile goes to 8.2. I put a air stone and extra heater in a 5 gal bucket for an hour then add to tank. Then I do this a 2nd time.

 

Well...it's not so much that they get weaker as they just get lazy and less active. Just like humans go up stairs slower. And as long as they don't catch a disease first, they just sit on the bottom and pass away from old age.

 

Ok the consensus is to lay off the snacks until he’s eating the flakes (or dies of starvation ). I guess if he’s dying for some reason this will be less suffering. I’ll update with results. Thanks

 

You could try soaking the flakes in garlic juice before feeding.

This will add to the smell, flavor, and nutrition.

It also makes the flakes softer and easier to eat.

Continue feeding the flakes though.

The tetra may see others in his school eating and may be enticed by that.

 

I see 500 ml for $10 on amazon. Funny that the 250 ml is more expensive?? Anyone else have opinion on garlic guard?

 

You don't need garlic guard.

Just get a clove or garlic and crush it.

Then, soak it in water.

After 10 minutes of soaking the garlic in water, add the flakes.

You can also feed the crushed garlic.