My pearly jawfish i've had for 1 year has stopped eating for about 3 weeks now. it sort of looks interested in the food, lunges at the food once or twice, but never eats. If he does actually open his mouth he misses the food a lot. I've tried homemade mixed fish food, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and pellets. Out of all those foods he will actually eat the pellet (when he gets it in his mouth), but spits it out within 1 second. I've tried all soaked in selcon too.
All the other fish have been eating fine. Pink streaked wrasse, helfrichi firefish, photon clownfish, and a shrimp with a ton of snails are the other tank inhabitants. shrimp is a little too aggressive at times so I try to scare it away. no signs of ich on any of the fish. they were all quantined and the last fish i put in was in january.
I saw that there were 2 big 4-6 inch bristleworms in his burrow so I trapped those and removed them from the tank about 1.5 weeks ago. i thought they might be stressing it out
the only changes to that part of the tank at that time was that I was giving the jawfish more rubble to build it's home. some pieces were a little sharp, but I have tried to remove those sharp pieces as well. i ended up knocking down it's house, but that about 1 week ago as a result. i'm sure that didn't help.
this jawfish did this a few months ago then just started to miraculously eat after going on hunger strike for 3 weeks last time. i'm just so confused.
any thoughts?
All the other fish have been eating fine. Pink streaked wrasse, helfrichi firefish, photon clownfish, and a shrimp with a ton of snails are the other tank inhabitants. shrimp is a little too aggressive at times so I try to scare it away. no signs of ich on any of the fish. they were all quantined and the last fish i put in was in january.
I saw that there were 2 big 4-6 inch bristleworms in his burrow so I trapped those and removed them from the tank about 1.5 weeks ago. i thought they might be stressing it out
the only changes to that part of the tank at that time was that I was giving the jawfish more rubble to build it's home. some pieces were a little sharp, but I have tried to remove those sharp pieces as well. i ended up knocking down it's house, but that about 1 week ago as a result. i'm sure that didn't help.
this jawfish did this a few months ago then just started to miraculously eat after going on hunger strike for 3 weeks last time. i'm just so confused.
any thoughts?