# Demasoni not eating!! Help!!



## lizziewine (Sep 12, 2010)

Hi! Need to know why the Demasoni I have isn't coming up to the top to eat like the rest - the Fronts already have learnt to come up to the top - but the Demasoni seems not eating at all - what shall I do?

Thanks for any advice.... :-(


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## torin32 (May 24, 2010)

Might be holding eggs or fry also there very small to be with fronts not to mention from two diferent lakes. Check the mouth to see if it is enlarged. Other than that check for bloat in the belly. I say this because they eat spirulina vs fronts eat meat. If you mix and let them eat meaty foods they bloat. I hope this helps good luck.


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## lizziewine (Sep 12, 2010)

Thank you torin32

Doesn't seem so. The Demasoni looks normal. It seems to stare at the food then in no time the others eat it up. We tried spreading it out so the others feed somewhere else and put more just above the Demosoni but doesn't seem to work.

Once I saw the Demonsoni eat a scrap that came out of the Electric Yellow Labs mouth and spat it out right away.

Should I be changing food? I am using granules.

Thanks for your help.

P.S. Anyone else can help? By the way, we introduced the Demasoni and 2 Fronts about 1 week ago. We also have 2 Electric Yellow Lab and 1 orange zebra as well as 2 Tiger Barbs.


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## torin32 (May 24, 2010)

Sounds like she carrying fry in her mouth look at her moth and see if it looks larger My yellow lab is the same way right now and I know she has babies these fish are mouth brooders. Means they carry there young in there mouths. They will not eat for 3 to 4 weeks and than release there babies. I strip min after three weeks which means i remove them from there mother and put them in a seperate tank. Hope this helps sounds like she is having babies.


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## lizziewine (Sep 12, 2010)

Thanks Torin .... will check more carefully .... how will I know the babies are already released? You remove the mother from the tank and separate for fear she will eat them? Please explain ... am newbie to this ... 

How did she get preggie anyway? From where? She wasn't when we bought her? ...

Cheers


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## torin32 (May 24, 2010)

Hmm good question i have no idea on time frame or what you keep him her with lol. Yes if its a young mother 3 weeks i will take her into a 10 gal and take the babies away if you want to keep them. Some times oldr more experienced moms let them go on there own. It is hit or miss some times they eat them. When your fish poops is it white and stringy and what do you feed them.


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## soulpride (Aug 30, 2009)

she/he might be holding unfert. eggs or maybe been stressed out to much. but i'm 75% sure it not holding. yellow labs will not breed with damsoni. but not sure about the red zebra. fronts don't breed with damsoni too.


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## lizziewine (Sep 12, 2010)

Am so sad!!!! Bwwwaaaahhhh!!!!

My beautiful Demasoni was found dead .... this morning when we woke up!!! What happened? I don't think it's due to anything else besides starving to death .... why??


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## torin32 (May 24, 2010)

I am sorry to hear that yellow labs and zebras can mix. I also see you posted again saying it was swimming vertically you should have posted this before it would have made a difference in diagnosis. Was she swimming all over wierd if she was possible swimm bladder. Fronts also hunt small fish at night if there larger could have been stress and the fish could have hurt itself than just stayed at the buttom hidding . Sorry you lodt your fishy sometimes its just happens. Check water perameters and watch for other fish to make sure everything is ok.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Sick fish don't eat. Are the rest of them eating?


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## lizziewine (Sep 12, 2010)

Torin and DJ - The rest of the fishes are not just eating - they are gobbling up the food! Eating too well i think ... we are under-feeding them and still there is a nitrite spike in the water test we just did today...

The filter pump am using is Dolphin p708 - any idea if water levels i have need a stronger pump than this?

Thanks for advise! Learning so much .... still sad over beautiful demasoni ... sigh

Cheer! 
Lizzie


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

The filter will not help with the nitrite. For that you need an established colony of beneficial bacteria.

How many gallons/hour does your filter turn over? You want at least 4X, I like 7X and some even prefer 10X hourly turnover.


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