Never thought this would happen

[zinful]

My Tetra won't eat! He's always been the little, scraggly one because his tank mates chase him from the food sometimes, but now he refuses to eat (won't even go near the surface). I've only really noticed this for the past 3-4 days; I've only had the little guy for maybe 3 months and have not experienced this yet, haha. Quite the opposite. No ammonia problem, and his buddies are healthy and happy.
Is he dying, or just the craziest fish alive?

 

[rhoymand]

one of my tetras got into an accident while I was redecorating and he turned pretty timid due to the injuries. I never saw him eat during feeding time or swim excitedly for a few months after that. then out of the blue he begins to chase the zebra danios and feed with the others when I drop the flakes.

anyways... 3-4 days of not eating is borderline bad for fish. Im sure its probably scavenging around when youre not looking. if it goes a longer time without eating try switching up your food. bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, etc.

 

[radamsk1]

I agree also, fish can survive for a few days no problem without food. I've noticed fish can go through some behavioral changes and not eat, or become extra finicky. Try to ensure he gets some live food if he's really becoming a problem feeder -- try some live or frozen foods like bloodworms, daphnia or brine shrimp. Over time I've noticed some of my fish's favorite foods will even be turned down at times. That's why I view it's extremely important to have a wide variety of foods for them -- different brands/variety of flakes, pellets, freeze-dried bloodworms, and so on. The occasional live/frozen feeding will greatly be appreciated, as I do this every few days. I know the feeling of worrying if they're eating, as sometimes one or two of the fish won't eat what everyone else is or they spit it back out. In a community tank I've found that at times it can be difficult to have food that they all enjoy or take readily to. Try mixing things up a bit, I even use a turkey baster/dropper to spot feed them so I don't make a mess of the whole tank. They've grown accustomed to it and know when it enters it's feeding time! Good luck with your finicky feeder!