Lucippinis not eating after a move

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ad88
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Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

I just relocated. I have 7 Lucippinis in a 36” x 18” x 16” aquarium. I have fed them the same foods they have been eating mostly New Life Spectrum 1mm sinking pellets and algae max wafers. It has been 6 days and they aren’t eating yet. They come out in the evening like they always have but I’m constantly having to remove the pellets.

Are there any suggestions?
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Jools »

Can you tell us more about the relocation? How did you re-setup the tank? If they were healthy before the move, they'll be fine not eating for weeks. So don't overfeed first. Let's then figure out if they need more time to settle or if something else is going on.

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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

Jools wrote: 07 Nov 2022, 19:04 Can you tell us more about the relocation? How did you re-setup the tank? If they were healthy before the move, they'll be fine not eating for weeks. So don't overfeed first. Let's then figure out if they need more time to settle or if something else is going on.

Jools
The move was only 45 minutes away. I placed everything in the tank and filter in buckets with tank water. I have had the group for 3 months. They are chasing each other around from hide to hide. Last night I put flakes in and I saw 3 of them eat and nibble on the flakes, but there are 7 in there all swimming around. I didn't feed them two days ago after seeing the leftover food thinking they just need time to adjust. I did change the substrate after the move. The tank had regular gravel before, but with the move I thought it was the perfect opportunity to switch to "Caribsea African cichlid sand" to help buffer the ph because prior to the move the ph was consistently 7 and I wanted to try to match the recommended ph.
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by sturiosoma »

Are the rest of your water parameters close to pre move and do you have chlorimines in your water my experience indicates they are very sensitive to chlorimines and food wise and I found this out by accident, you could go to your local LFS and get a net full of feeder guppies, mine Weren't bought as feeders I added just for some top water action and have noticed that the guppy population is not where it should be which leads me to believe that the synos are living large when the lights go out I still have top water action and also a constant supply of live food LOL

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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

sturiosoma wrote: 08 Nov 2022, 16:21 Are the rest of your water parameters close to pre move and do you have chlorimines in your water my experience indicates they are very sensitive to chlorimines and food wise and I found this out by accident, you could go to your local LFS and get a net full of feeder guppies, mine Weren't bought as feeders I added just for some top water action and have noticed that the guppy population is not where it should be which leads me to believe that the synos are living large when the lights go out I still have top water action and also a constant supply of live food LOL

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They were living with tetras before the move but I wanted to try to breed them so I gave them their own aquarium and rehomed the tetras.
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Jools »

I'd say the shift in pH (don't know what is was, but I understand it's now going to be about 8) and the bioshock (it's probably more of a wobble than a shock) from swapping out the substrate would be enough to put them off food for a week or so. If it was severe, you will see slightly cloudy eyes in them for the first 48 hours or so. Could I ask what did you do with the filter media too please?

I suspect adding more fish may not be the best idea ATM - just adds variables into the equation. Maybe a good way to think of it is your priority is to ensure the tank is stable over the next 4-10 days, then worry about the fish feeding. They won't starve. :-)

Gut feel is they'll start eating in a day or three but I'd not feed them to be on the safe side.

HTH,

Jools
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

I kept the same biomedia,sponge, and pre filter sponge. I kept them in a bucket with tank water. I have an Aquaclear 110 filter with all of the media that came with it. The tank had been running for over a year. I just switched it from a South American tank to an African tank which is why I finally switched the substrate when I made the move.
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Jools »

Great, so given the filter was in tank water and nothing was washed, then only a small change in bioload and the only significant change would be pH?

I'd would stick with running the tank for a few days and then feeding again. I suspect they'll be back to normal but do let us know how you get on?

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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

I will thank you.
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

So the pH in the old tank had been 7.0 consistently. What is it in the new tank and how were the fish introduced to the new pH - instantaneously or gradually?
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

Viktor Jarikov wrote: 09 Nov 2022, 01:05 So the pH in the old tank had been 7.0 consistently. What is it in the new tank and how were the fish introduced to the new pH - instantaneously or gradually?
I slowly added water from the tank into the bucket with the fish for an hour every 15 minutes. The PH was 7.5 when I placed the fish into the tank 7 days ago. I need to test PH again to see if it is higher now.
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Viktor Jarikov »

Sounds good. I don't see red flags. They are taking time to adjust to new pH (I hope it is stable, because if it is not, it'd be a red flag), some shorter time, some longer.

When changing the pH, it is probably a good idea to monitor it closely to know for sure what the new number it will settle at and most importantly, that it is stable in between water changes and no jump after one.
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

Viktor Jarikov wrote: 09 Nov 2022, 23:37 Sounds good. I don't see red flags. They are taking time to adjust to new pH (I hope it is stable, because if it is not, it'd be a red flag), some shorter time, some longer.

When changing the pH, it is probably a good idea to monitor it closely to know for sure what the new number it will settle at and most importantly, that it is stable in between water changes and no jump after one.
Yes I will start to do more frequent water test and monitor the fluctuation.
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Jools »

Assuming your from the tap water is < pH 7.5 after treatment. If you keep the new water in a large bucket for 24-48 hours with half a dozen handfuls of your new substrate in it, it will largely offset changes. If you want to do it as low risk as possible, get an internal power filter, chuck the sponge and load it up with the substrate (may need to be in a mesh bag) and run that in your new water bucket. That's probably overkill for hardy Synos.

HTH,

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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

I tested the water yesterday and the ph is at 8 now. So the Caribsea African Cichlid substrate has adjusted the ph. I am assuming I will need to do smaller water changes in order to not cause the ph to drop to much after water changes?
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Jools »

What do you do with water changes? Do you let a bucket of water sit overnight or what?

Cheers

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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by ad88 »

Jools wrote: 11 Nov 2022, 17:31 What do you do with water changes? Do you let a bucket of water sit overnight or what?

Cheers

Jools
In the past I have done 50%-75% by draining via hose and pouring “Prime “ in for my tank size then using my hand to match temperature filling the tank back up while watching the thermometer making sure the temperature reading stays the same. Since I have the Carbsea sand I was thinking I may have to change things up?
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Re: Lucippinis not eating after a move

Post by Jools »

So, you're adding water straight from the tap? If so, measure its pH. You might be able to continue like this if it works for you.

Jools
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