Do you have an aquarium?

[citycatred]

Random question...but I figured since we were divers that most of us probably like fish and a decent amount may have aquariums. Anyway, I have a one gallon aquarium with three zebrafish that I saved from my research lab after an experiment, I've been having issues with one of my fish not eating the flakes I've been feeding them. Could this be because of the fact that it is used to brine shrimp? If so should I start feeding my fish brine shrimp and flakes, or will the one fish eventually get used to the flakes? I know this is better for a aquarium forum but I'm more comfortable asking this here.

[eliseaboo]

How long have you had them? If it's only been a few days I wouldn't worry about it -- they'll probably take to the flakes. It's generally best to offer a variety of foods, so if you started some brine shrimp it would still be good to feed both. Sometimes we offer little shrimp to the new fish at the marine center until they figure out the whole "cut fish" routine -- sometimes it even helps when they see other fish eating it, so there's a good chance it will learn. If you want to make a brine shrimp hatchery they're pretty darn easy, and there's lots of sites online that will show you good ways to do it. There's also a variety of live foods that would be easy to culture at home, a little Google searching would help you determine what might be most appropriate.

I've had a few freshwater fish since college (I grew up with cats, so fish were deemed high risk) and I had a pretty pathetic saltwater setup for about a year before I moved. It only ever had live rock, sand, and one little peppermint shrimp that I was very fond of until I accidentally killed it by leaving the light on overnight...but now I work at a marine science center, so I have all the tanks I could ever hope to take care of, and eggs, and babies, and plankton, and.......whew! It's hard being a mama to so many things...

[pogiguy05]

How long have you had them? If it's only been a few days I wouldn't worry about it -- they'll probably take to the flakes. It's generally best to offer a variety of foods, so if you started some brine shrimp it would still be good to feed both. Sometimes we offer little shrimp to the new fish at the marine center until they figure out the whole "cut fish" routine -- sometimes it even helps when they see other fish eating it, so there's a good chance it will learn. If you want to make a brine shrimp hatchery they're pretty darn easy, and there's lots of sites online that will show you good ways to do it. There's also a variety of live foods that would be easy to culture at home, a little Google searching would help you determine what might be most appropriate.

I've had a few freshwater fish since college (I grew up with cats, so fish were deemed high risk) and I had a pretty pathetic saltwater setup for about a year before I moved. It only ever had live rock, sand, and one little peppermint shrimp that I was very fond of until I accidentally killed it by leaving the light on overnight...but now I work at a marine science center, so I have all the tanks I could ever hope to take care of, and eggs, and babies, and plankton, and.......whew! It's hard being a mama to so many things...

Well first can you claim them all as dependents then?

For some reason my wife could not say NO to someone when they offered her a 55 gallon salt water aquarium. It has 4 snails and a couple very small hermit crabs for now. Waiting for it to cycle for a couple weeks before adding anything. I also have had for a long time a 55 gallon fresh water aquarium for which I must say i do not attend to as I should. There are a couple of VERY hardy Albino Danios ( I think they are all white with red eyes) still alive. I have automatic feeders of flake food for the fresh. I dont have anything yet for the salt water. I was told the the CLEANING CREW did not need to be fed as they will eat everything else.

[ORDiver]

How long have the fish been in there? Did your problem fish originally eat their flakes and has now decided not to? I have had aquariums for years and have found that, in general, fish eat well as long as they're feeling well and that the most common reason they're not feeling well is that their water needs to be changed. If you haven't done this already, you might try a couple of 50% water changes. Also, you should vacuum out any organic material that is decomposing in the tank. You can get little vacuum/siphon tools at a fish/pet store for changing water. You should also add a tap water conditioner like Amquel along with the water changes.
I'm assuming your aquarium has filtration, aeration and heat? If you have all these and good water your fish should eat unless he is flawed internally, which he may be, who knows. If this is the case you may try exploratory surgery to find out whats wrong.

Is it really only a 1 gallon aquarium? That's tiny.

[citycatred]

I've had the fish now a week and a half. The problem fish originally ate brine shrimp from what the researchers at my lab said, but I started feeding them flakes since I don't have a live brine shrimp setup and the Petco fish were used to flakes. I did a 50% water change on Sunday and also cleaned out the tank of waste. I have the the filtration, aeration, and heat....and yes I feel bad that its a one gallon aquarium, I originally got it for a personal project on brine shrimp but when they all died I emptied it out. Then when the researchers in my lab finished with their experiment I offered to take the fish so they didn't have to kill them. One of the main reasons I didn't post this on an aquarium forum is that I got bashed for my tiny tank the last time I did :/ I would get a bigger one but the housing agreement I'm under now doesn't allow it

[Matt S.]

http://www.livefoodcultures.com/babybrineshrimp.html

Brine shrimp have a fairly narrow window of high nutritional value. If one does not feed the shrimp to the the larvae within about 8 hours (8 hours is on the high side of the equation), the shrimp lose a significant percentage of the shrimp's original nutritional advantage. The shrimp use that nutritional value for their own development as it was intended, but because of their rapid development, musch of that value become waste into the water column.

If the lab guys weren't feeding with brine shrimp correctly, you're doing those fish a big favor by switching to flakes anyway.

1 gal is a tiny tank for zebra danios. Maybe someone can adopt them into a big tank?

[H20doctor]

Ive had reef tanks for 20 yrs, but not fresh water for long time