# krib won't eat



## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

i got a new male krib about 3 days ago. he's very shy, constantly hiding, but i have a very thick bunch of crypts growing and i build a cave out of polished river rocks that he likes to lurk in. i moved the tank back to college today, and moved some stuff around, now he's coming out more often and his colors look better.

here's my issue, he won't eat. he did attack and eat my smallest amano shrimp in the night, i'm quite sure, as i found only a shrimpleg in the cryptforest and no sign of the shrimp.

i've tried dropping frozen bloodworms right next to him, i dropped cichlid pellets near him, flakes, nothing. i managed to get a piece of flake to float past his cave today, and he snatched that, only to spit it out in little pieces, spewing it everywhere. he keeps trying to eat dead plant matter and spitting it back out, so i'd assume he's hungry.

any ideas? live food isn't really an option (don't want to risk parasites, plus it's hard for me to get to the only place in town that sells it..petland)

*edit* it's not just dead plant matter, he keeps swimming around the tank, getting big mouthfuls of substrate, munching, and then spewing them out. what on earth is with this fish?!


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

bump... i may go shopping for other foods tomorrow, so i'd like an answer, if anyone has one.


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## Kribensis12 (Jan 1, 2008)

Frozen Brine Shrimp. Get the Adult's. What are your water stat's? Alos, what else is in there, and what size tank. I have never known a Krib to Deny Brine Shrimp unless he is Dying, or has a Very Serious Disease. I purchased a female Albino krib on Sunday and she hasnt eaten yet, but i wont try breine until the weekend as she need's to get sued to the tank. Also, krib's are cichlids and need territory's, without territory's, they feel insecure and will hide. Got any pic's? He might have a internal parasite, or gill fluke's or a serious bacterial infection. All those will stop him from eating. Another food you should try is Freeze Dried Tubefix. Live Brine Shrimp dont really carry diseases as they die very easily and they wont be alive when you get them if there is ANYTIHNG wrong with water quality or they get sick. Good Luck!


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

stats are fine, 0,0,5. plenty of territory, little hiding spots, and a cave. tank is 15 gallons (footprint of a 20 but not as tall.) he's colored up nicely and he's out and about. other inhabitants are just the shrimp.


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## Gourami Swami (Jul 4, 2006)

If your worried about him living through it, try small earthworms coated with garlic juice. That always works. otherwise, keep strong and dont give in. He WILL eventually eat... hopefully


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Just curious, is it possible that he has a throat obstruction preventing him from eating? Is there anyway you can get him and take a look down his throat? Barring anything like that then I agree, he will most likely eat when he gets hungry enough.


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## neilfishguy (Oct 7, 2007)

Obsidian said:


> Just curious, is it possible that he has a throat obstruction preventing him from eating? Is there anyway you can get him and take a look down his throat? Barring anything like that then I agree, he will most likely eat when he gets hungry enough.


He would be dead.


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## Kribensis12 (Jan 1, 2008)

Ohhhhh, very good suggestion. Didnt think of that!


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## trashion (Aug 24, 2007)

here's the weird thing. i guess he's only eating live food. he killed and ate my shrimp, now my endler is gone. definitely was not sucked into the filter, and milo the krib has been pooping.

he ate the brine, and he went for a few cichlid pellets, but i'm still not getting a good response. he spits them out, chews them, spits them out, chews them, and then just spits them out. he won't eat flakes. i guess i'll have to get some garlic extract to deal with this tough case! 

the fact that he ate the endler and the shrimp is enough to convince me he doesn't have a throat obstruction.


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## Buggy (Oct 17, 2006)

Find out what he was being fed from where you got him. Could be he's just picky and has to adjust to eating something he's not used to.
The garlic idea is good or you could try hatching some baby brine shrimp for him. Another idea is if you can get him some livebearer fry (oh boy am I going to catch you-know-what from that comment lol).
My kribs also loved the earthworms, just wash them off first and it's a good idea to strip them too. They have a tendency to foul up the water.


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