# Archer Fish Not Eating



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

So I have two juvie banded archers in FW. One is eating like a champ! Anytime food goes in he eats like crazy. The other one...I have yet to see him "shoot" at any food. We put crickets in the tank a couple times a week. He used to eat flakes just fine. But it's been over a week since he's eaten. He did have cloudy eyes for a while, we did a big water change and medicated. The cloudy eyes are gone, but he's still not eating and is getting really skinny. This is not an easy fish to obtain, and if we loose him I fear the other one would get stressed not having a friend. They are schooling fish.


----------



## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

normally a school of fish is more than two individuals. it could be that the skinny one is getting bullied by the healthy one. Have you seen the color of his poop? is it the color of the food you feed, or is it white and stringy?


----------



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

I know that a school is more than two, but I was only able to get two, and when a fish is a schooling fish it is not good for it to be solo. This is why I am seeking help. I know how to handle this with all the other fish I have. But this fish, isn't taking to what I could do with all my others.

You do make good points with the bullying and poop colors. But there is actually no bullying going on, and I have yet to see either one of them poop. Oddly enough, especially with other one eating so much.

What I am not sure of, is what I normally do to treat my freshwater fish, is it going to work with BW fish, even with them still being in FW?


----------



## sivakv (Aug 6, 2010)

Could try bloodworms, either live or freeze dried. I have one that likes freeze dried bloodworms. It has a large mouth, mine can take jumbo carnisticks easily but still prefers bloodworms !! Also look for color patches, either it used to get flushed or black patches appear and bands will not be clearly visible. I had an american flag that used to tag the archer very closely, and archer used to get black perhaps due to stress. Perhaps hardness has got something to do, somehow mine has got used to my tank mates and water. He need not shoot always to get his food, mine i just drop it on surface, he will not try to take anything that is not on surface. Pls do let know how you managed for me to learn as well, eventhough this fish is common in India too, but difficult to get, not many have expertise in guiding too !!! This is an amazing fish to keep.


----------



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Well I tried the bloodworms. My one guy seemed to like them ok. But the one who isn't eating...still didn't take. I will continue to try some things. I will keep posted. Anyone else who has any input would be most welcome.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If possible place a divider in tank to seperate them.Often companionship is easily mistaken for friendship or playing.If they are both males this may not be the case.Just a suggestion as the archer is usaully an aggressive feeder and if it doesn't eat for long,it won't last long.If possible(other tank mates{what are they?} will tolerate) start to add a little salt and see if this helps.


----------



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Ya I just picked up some salt. Going to start adding brackish conditions. Maybe this will help. What's in there now is a few mollys a couple swords and variatus. Not necessarily prime tank mates. But everyone seems to get along and get enough food. Except the one guy. 

So shortly here I'm going to move all but the mollys and archers to a different tank and change some water with a low sg. Hopefully this helps. 

No the tank is pretty bare on the surface. Is it possible that he is stressed from lack of cover/environment?


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

The swords and platies will tolerate at least 1 tablespoon of salt per 5 gallons (I think,it may be per gallon though).I know for fact that swords are aggresive feeders(have around 500 right now)and remember one of the best members we had (navigator black) saying that swords should be fed twice a day although I never asked him why(wish I had now that he is gone).So maybe if you can handle the maintenance(more water changes if necessary) you should feed more,giving the other archer a longer window to eat.I personally feel that most "keepers" boarderline starve their fish in an effort to avoid maintenance or for better water quality(is perfect water worth anything if no fish are in it )?I feed heavy and change water.


----------



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Ya I agree most people not only don't feed often enough but they don't vary their diet at all. I do think even though the swords and variatus can handle semi brackish. I figure ill just avoid that so I can slowly can go full brackish and not have to re acclimate them back to fw.


----------



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

So when I got up this morning my guy was floating around barely holding himself up. He couldn't swim against the current but wasn't getting thrown around. I didn't have time to get anything done in the morning. But I went home for lunch and cleaned out an old 1 gallon critter keaper. I put in a small amount of salt like a half a teaspoon, I added some aquarium salt, some slime coat stuff (don't remember then name) it's in a little bottle and you put like a drop per gallon. Then with fingers crossed I added some nurish. I know your supposed to add to it the food. But he is not eating some the hope is he will obsorb the vitamins when he gets a drink.


----------



## Manafel (Sep 4, 2011)

Have you tried soaking the food in garlic juice? Garlic juice helps to improve the apatite of the fish, and also helps with internal parasites. try soaking your bloodworms in some garlic juice for about 5 min after thawing out. I hope things improve.


----------



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

I will try that when I get home thank you!


----------



## hotwingz (Mar 3, 2013)

Unfortunately...he didn't make it *frown . He did seem to perk up when I added some salt to his tank. But it wasn't enough. Thanks for the help guys. Hopefully someone who will have the same issue I did with one of these fish can read this and gets good information and has a better result.


----------



## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

sorry your fish did not recover.


----------



## CAM (Jan 27, 2013)

Bummer... sorry you lost him ! :-(


----------



## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Always sad to lose a fish, especially one that is hard to come by. I would search through aquabid for a few more just because they are schoolers. This will help the other one by not feeling singled out. Also look into a grindal worm culture, I believe Akinaura or Auban who are both members here can hook you up with a good culture, with instructions for a very fair price. I have a few picky female macrostomas who refuse most everything but eat these with vigor. Live foods help bring out the prey drive in them.


----------

