is my african shell dweller not eating?

[finnleyocean]

I just got three multifasciatus shell dwellers for my 20 gallon long tank yesterday. They didn't eat when I fed them, though. I gave them cichlid delight frozen food with spirulina, daphnia, and turkey heart. They'd pick it up, put it in their mouths, then spit it out. Haven't fed them yet today. What's going on with them?

[juicebox]

I'd recommend trying garlic juice to get them eating - soak their food in it, see if that sparks some appetite. You might also want to take a look at their poop - if it's white or stringy, it could be a sign of worms. Given they're new to the tank, it's probably just stress, they should settle in and start eating normally once they're feeling more at home.

[finnleyocean]

Thanks for the advice. I'm still pretty new to this, only been in the hobby for about 4 months, so I'm not really sure what I'm looking at when it comes to poop. My substrate is a mix of white sand and crushed coral, so it's hard to tell what's what. I'm prepping some frozen food now, maybe I'm just doing it wrong. I thaw the cube in a glass without water for about 10 minutes until it's soft enough to crush with a spoon. Then I just put it in the tank. I'm thinking it's probably just stress, but we'll see how it goes after feeding.

[finnleyocean]

Try adding a bit of garlic juice to their food, it can help stimulate their appetite. Check their poop, is it white or stringy? That could be a sign of worms. Since they're new, it's probably just stress, so let's see how they do after they settle in.

[luminx]

I think they just need a bit more time to settle in, you know. They're probably still getting used to their new tank. Also, I've read that multis do really well in groups of 6 or more, might be worth considering for the future.

[juicebox]

They can go without eating for a bit, like almost two weeks, so a few days after the move should be fine as long as there's nothing else wrong with them.

[bigtop]

I had a similar experience with my shell dwellers - they took about 3 days to start eating after I brought them home. Make sure you've got enough shells for them to hide in, at least 2-3 per fish is a good rule of thumb, it really helps them feel more secure.

[coltin]

First off, double-check your water parameters - you want zero ammonia and nitrite, and nitrates below 20ppm. Also, make sure your water chemistry matches the shop's as closely as possible, since shellies originate from Lake Tanganyika. They thrive in water with a GH above 300ppm and a pH above 7.8.

When it comes to feeding, I'd advise against using raw poultry products, as they often contain drug-resistant bacteria. Instead, focus on feeding your shellies marine-based foods like shrimp, squid, fish, daphnia, brineshrimp, mysis shrimp, Nexarios, and microworms - these are more in line with their natural diet.

[detroit]

When fish spit out food, it's often because it's too big or hard for them to eat. Try soaking the food in water to make it softer, or break it into smaller pieces, that usually does the trick.

From what I've seen with South American dwarf cichlids (not sure if it's the same for African ones), they tend to prefer smaller food. I've found that Dr Bassleer Biofish Food Regular M size pellets work well for my cichlids, even the picky ones like Apistogrammas and Blue Rams. My 4" Geophagus also love these M size pellets, which are about 0.5-0.8mm in size.