my dragon won't eat!!!

pufferbob

pufferbob

addicted to water
Jan 8, 2006
23
0
0
45
fort worth tx.
pufferbob.tripod.com
i have a 29 g brackish (1.012 - 1.015) i have had running for 2 months using "aquarium sand".
i am turning over 400 gph using 2 50g 3 stage hob filters. all lived in material/water. last week i added nature's ocean reef sand that is supposed to be instant cycling.
in this tank i have 1 green spot puffer, 2 figure 8 puffer, and 1 dragon fish (goby type). all were doing fine befor adding the reef sand...
after adding, the puffers seem even happier (more active and colors show better). the dragon however has stopped eatting his worms... last night he was swimming franticly and today he is laying upsidedown gasping.
i know areation is not the problem, running 2 powerful filters pushing in air and a areator rated for 50 g.
i am not able at this time to test any peremiters except ph wich is 8.2. i would asume hardness is good especially after adding reef sand which is natural buffer and being instant cycling, should have if anything dropped any amonia/nitrate/nitrite. and being that my amonia sensetive puffers are good, i have another reason to assume...
any thoughts on why the dragon would not be well after such change?
 
Have you got the poor guy to eat yet? I got some beef heart to put in for my rope fish and my goby was eating that maybe try something like that? I have read they are not to sensitive to water changes but maybe that was wrong and he just didn't get along with the stuff you added.
I hope by now you have gotten him to eat something, is he doing ok?

Good-Luck!!

Gin
 
he did not make it... :(

sadly and unfortunately, my dragon did die... we attempted to tempt him with dafnia, krill, bloodworms, tubifex worms. he apparently was too far gone already. i guess however that will leave some room for my puffers to grow... there is a good thing in all things that come. and by the way, the puffers are still doing great.
 
Sorry to hear that, good luck with the puffers!
 
1st post here

Well, sorry about your dragon goby. I hate losing fish.

If you ever decide to get another one, and I recommend it, try feeding it Aquadine brand sinking shrimp pellets and/ or Aquadine flake mixes. I got a big tub of all the flavors mixed into one: shrimp, vegie, meat, etc all in a 4"x5" tub. I feed them to my pleco, yellow lab cichlid and red pacu in my FW tank as well. All my fish like them, including my albino oscar.

My dragon loves them. He waits until they get soft and then eats them. I have him in a 25 gallon with a silver tip cat and a black lyretail mollie. All are doing fine. My dragon didn't eat for a couple days when I first got him. After about a week he warmed up to me and has been doing fine ever since. The thing I found with most fish is everything takes time. Some longer than others. My ST cat is a pig and ate the first day. The mollies the same.

Off topic:
And two ghost shrimp that takes the salt and want more. I have heard from just about anyone they will not take salt and die within a week. I run about 12-15 salinity and had them in for over a year. Doesn't bother them a bit.

Good luck with your puffers. I tried to do the GSP thing when I lived in Green Bay, but I went through three of them and then moved on to something else. Couldn't figure out what it was. Didn't want to lose anymore.
 
I had the same problem when I owned a violet goby. Now I focus more on active fish such as colombian sharks, mollies, and glass fish.
 
Yea those dragon fish are pussies in captive. I had one. I put the puffers in with it and it wouldnt eat and ended up getting ick. For some reason my Gold NUgget PLeco just died anyone known why i only had it for like 2 days? it was fine and the all the sudden dead....anyone known whats up? it was 32 dollars. i hope i get my money back
 
I've heard dragon gobies are ultra sensitive to ammonia in the water. This could possibly have resulted in yours not eating and gasping at the surface. Maybe the tank had not cycled fully. Just a theory...
 
Hardy

I have a Dragon in my 28 gal, hes rather hardy and I find brine shrimp are his fav, also will eat flakefood, pellets and tubifex worms. Havent had any problems with him, he shares the tank with 4 s&p cats, 3 red phantoms, 3 noen tetras, 3 zebra danios, a silver doller(getting more), rosey barb and a reg pleco, all seem to be doing very well.
 
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