# Super-shy yellow lab wont eat



## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I started a 55gal one month ago. My first fish included two yellow labs. The smaller (1") of the two swam around and ate heartily for the first 2 weeks. Since I have added 3 neolamp trets, this smaller one has gradually retreated to a hole under some bogwood. I watch the tank for hours and no other fish harrasses this one ever. at feeding, after a few minutes it'll venture out and slowly go from under one rock to another but not eating the food floating past. then he'll wander back to his hole. He must be eating someting cuz it's been 10 days of this behaviour. color is good, no change in appearance, but just wont come out of hiding.

Should I put my sad little fish in a breeder net and try to get it to eat brine shrimp or something to catch it up? or would trying to catch it stress it out too much. I have 2 other labs that have grown to 1.75". Or is it best to let nature take it's course and wait.

EDIT: sorry i know i posted this a few weeks back, but the lfs hasnt had any more yellow labs for me to add more, and he's not getting better so... what else can I do?


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## sjlchgo (Mar 2, 2008)

Turn the lights out during feeding time. He may eat more....if his color is good my guess is he he scavanging around and getting left overs. Continue to try to add more yellows. Search other sources....try craigslist.org in your state and type in fish or electric yellows in the search box.


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

if you can catch it without to much hassle, do it. I wish i did that for mine.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

If I can catch it easily, is a breeder net ok?


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## BurgerKing (Jul 1, 2008)

yah, its definately better, that way she can at least be fed without being harassed


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

I got a bristlnose pleco-super small only about 1.5". he pushed the little lab out of the hole a few times and now the lab has been coming out more, and i've seen it eat. it'll spit out anything that isnt a tiny particle, but at least he's eating! I'm gonna wait a few more days and see what happens. the neolamp trets are so busy going after each other that the rest are just watching. :lol: Have to move them into a tang tank in the next week or two. plus have to get my 40 gal ready for the FISH AUCTION on the 25th!!! :dancing: I'm going to build my own stand - a two tiered for the 20Long and 40 high. Hope Home Depot can help me out!! (I dont have a saw)

I'll keep u posted on the little guy.


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

he still isnt growing and hides most of the time. I decided to see if he'd get any better on his own rather than try a catch him - I'm terrible with the net. He's been coming out for food a bit more but I noticed right after his gill theres a little hole in his scales. the yellow is gone and it looks like white - like the meat of the fish. he's not acting weird and all fins are intact. do u think this is just him smashing into a rock? or a bite? or could it be some disease I dont know about.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

Can you post a pic?

It is possible that the fish is sick.

Are you certain it's eating at all?


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## beachtan (Sep 25, 2008)

He's in the background .










He is brighter than this pic looks, bad color in the photo, but here he is on his way back to his hole.









Also the wound on his side appears to be healing... but when he hovers, he kinda wobbles a tiny bit . Also he was laying on the gravel (on his belly) and I thought he was dead for a sec last nite. He just doesnt look like theres anything physically wrong with him. He's as bright as the others. :-? oh, and I do see him eat, just not much, and he's not growing - the other 2 are now twice as big.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

I don't see anything visibly wrong with him.

Sometimes fish just fail to thrive. I think Yellow labs are so over-bred these days that it seems to be more common to wind up with what I would call a "runt" with them than any other species.

My only suggestion would be to remove him to a tank of his own or grow out tank and see if he can "catch up".

If he's timid enough to be hiding all the time, then he's probably not going to get his share of food.

If you believe he might be sick, all the more reason to remove him to another tank.

Good colour doesn't mean alot...I've lost fish that never looked as good as they did right before they died...


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## redstallion02 (Jan 17, 2008)

I know most will say that I am wrong but in my experiance, which is not that much, my female yellow labs all grow a lot slower than my males.

Most will say it is impossible to tell sex without venting, which I agree, but I have been watching the patterns on my fry and it seems the case that they are the females.

As for the pictures you posted, it looks good to me as well.


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