# A not eating fish?!? (Foxface Rabbitfish)



## Fishnewb1

Now this one has even got the LFS confused...:?: So i decided to ask it here. I have recently purchased a Foxface Rabbbit Fish from a local LFS and it looked great and for the first month it was doing great with a great attitude eating great and acting fine but suddenly when I changed my old background with a new one in went crazy it just kept on looking at it and doing crazy stuff like running into my heater when i would feed it... 

There are 2 Percula clowns, and a Powder Blue Tang and a Hippo Tang which were purchased 2 days after the background was installed. 

There is also an anemone and a cleaner shrimp which both he was getting along fine with. :help: 

My Tank is a 55 gallon with about 40 lbs LR. Emperor 400 filter, Seaclone PS.
Nitrates a little high, I have been starting to do more water changes.
2 months since my tank was cycled.

Feel free to ask any other questions about my fish.

Thanks,
Adam


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## Fishfirst

well for one, your overstocked, and a dangerous game you are playing with three alike fish in there. However, his "spastic behavior" is possibly due to the new background... can he see his reflection? Nitrates can also make fish a little "weird" at times.


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## TheOldSalt

Hooboy...

Adding 4 fish at once wasn't the brightest idea, especially considering that two of them are tangs. You are very likely experiencing a new mini-cycle as well as a lot of new aggression, and without knowing anything about the two backgrounds I can't guess what effect that changing it may have had.


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## Fishnewb1

*Background*

The background that I had before was just grey rock that some of the people viewing it thought it was to plain. So I bought a coral reef background with tons of color that made the tank look alot more colerful.

And yes the fish can see his reflection on the back and the sides.


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## Fishnewb1

FishFirst,

What do you have in your 55 FOWLR?


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## Fishnewb1

What are suggested Nitrates with a bubble tip anemone?


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## leveldrummer

Fishnewb1 said:


> What are suggested Nitrates with a bubble tip anemone?


in any case you want them as low as possible i think,


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## Fishfirst

Suggested: nothing above 10ppm
Optimal: 0ppm

I have a copperband butterfly, a keyhole angel, and a blue damsel, some snails, hermits, and various other inverts bout 40lbs liverock. Its currently at my parents house, (I don't have anymore room at the apartment) as their show tank.


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## Fishnewb1

*Nitrates+Fish*

The Nitrates have recently spiked to about 20-40 on my chart. The anemone was doing good untill just recently when its put itself in a hole after staying in one spot for 2 weeks. Well if you only have 3 fish mine is really overstocked, but the LFS said I can have 10. So far I have 5. Do you think that is enough or even give one back. The LFS said he would give me full store credit if they fight too much....


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## Fishnewb1

Old Salt,

I didn't add 4 fish at the same time I added the 2 clownfish + Foxface first then a month later I added the 2 tangs because the LFS said they would fight more if i didn't add them both at the same time. 


Also with the livesock i have 60 blue leg hermit crabs and 2 giant (3") Turbo Snails. If that matters at all.


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## Osiris

:chair: :chair: :chair: :chair: :chair: <--All Mala is gotta say!


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## Fishnewb1

All right i understand that is a mistake this is my first tank and all i need is some help with this new hobby.


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## Osiris

It's good came to us though, we can help get you on the right track, it's ok my first saltwater tank i used a silica based substrate :lol: i could braid the hair algae :lol:


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## Fishnewb1

Yes this is my second mistake made from an LFS. They always tell me what I want to hear so i give in.


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## Osiris

lol all been there, i have to stay away from one, as at one LFS, girl tells me anything i'll listen


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## leveldrummer

Mala said:


> lol all been there, i have to stay away from one, as at one LFS, girl tells me anything i'll listen


shame shame... your supposed to be married!!! lol


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## TheOldSalt

Of course the lfs tells you what you want to hear. That's how it sells stuff.

10 fish in a 55? Man, oh man.. what a bunch of crooks, plain pure & simple.
Yes, putting the tangs in separately would have made them fight, but it doesn't matter because you shouldn't be putting two tangs in the same small tank anyway, and rabbitfishes are similar enough to tangs to keep them from being very compatible, but since they can't fight back against tangs very well, they have to retreat.
Anemones also simply do not belong in tanks less than several months old. Every beginner makes that mistake.

Before you go and kill a few dozen more fish & inverts, save yourself a lot of hassle & money by buying a couple of really good books on the subject.
The Conscientious Marine Aquarist
&
The New Marine Aquarium 
are two very good books to have.


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## Fishnewb1

TheOldSalt said:


> Before you go and kill a few dozen more fish & inverts, save yourself a lot of hassle & money by buying a couple of really good books on the subject.
> The Conscientious Marine Aquarist
> &
> The New Marine Aquarium
> are two very good books to have.


I own the New Marine Aquarium...
I read it and then when i reffered to the book to the LFS they said thats just what they tell you...

But do you think any of these will die...

And how many fish/invert should I have for this tank size??


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## Fishfirst

I would take back the tangs asap to the lfs before they get sick or something for a full refund because your tank wasn't big enough for them. Tell them that you aren't going to buy fish from them until they can bring acceptible advice to the conversation and that you are going to a different lfs from now on for all your purchases. I would also suggest taking the anemone back, tell them that they need high light to survive and you don't want it to die in your tank. If you can let go of the foxface as well, that'd be ideal, but the foxface would probably be fairly comfortable in a tank that size, at least while its on the smaller side.

Now, lets concentrate on stocking your tank. Here are just a few options, and I'd stick with 4-5 more fish if you don't keep the foxface and 2-3 more fish if you keep the foxface.

Cardinalfish (these are friendly social fish, you could get more than one (excluding bangaii cardinalfish aka kauldrens cardinalfish aka hifin cardinalfish)

Gobies (You could also get two of the smaller gobies, such as watchman gobies, neon gobies, clown gobies) (this excludes Mandarin "gobies" which aren't gobies at all)

Jawfish (only get one if you get these)

Chromis (only get one)

Blenny (only get one) (this excludes scooter blennies as they aren't blennies at all)

Gramma (only get one) 

Firefish (only get one)

Remember 2-3 of these if you keep the foxface (4-5 if you don't).

I would also recommend you check out my thread, "Which fish, invert, coral, to choose?" to get the scoop on which fish to avoid.


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## Fishnewb1

Hey guys nothing to worry about my fish, it's eating!!!

That still doesn't mean i am going to trust the LFS. well at least not that one.
And I will still try to sell the 2 Tangs.
But I tried before with the anemone and they cant take back inverts.

And I might try to keep the Foxface well at least untill it outgrows the enviroment.

And I have changed my feeding techniques to insted of putting the food into saltwater and letting it melt then just pouring it all in at once to straining the water out then just pouring a little bit out at a time untill they eat it all and not letting the food touch the ground.

Another LFS do you agree??


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## TheOldSalt

Thelfs said that the info in the book is "just what they tell you?"
LOL
Oh, man... well, I know Mike Paletta, and I can assure you that he knows infinitely more than the goobers at your local store. If you get conflicting info from the two, choose what you read.

Another extremely good book is Invertebrates by Anthony Calfo & Robert Fenner. It doesn't even start talking about inverts themselves until very well into the book, spending the first 1/4 or so just discussing in excruciating detail all the stuff you need to know to keep them thriving. There's like 15-20 pages *each* just telling you everything you ever wanted to know about live rock & live sand, and another 50 pages just on algae. All the methods of doing everything are compared & contrasted in great detail, and by the time you've finished this book you'll have learned a mountain of info you otherwise wouldn't have.

Yep, I have to say that these three books are pretty much required reading for anyone who wants a saltwater and/or reef tank.


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