Yellow lab won't eat...

[Hoontar]

Hey - I just set up a tank two days ago, with four cherry barbs and one yellow lab. So far the yellow lab seems completely uninterested in eating. When I put dried flakes into the tank the cherry barbs go crazy over them and I even bought some cichlid specific food (dried sticks) to try and encourage the yellow lab - but he just doesn't seem to want to eat yet. It's been 2 days, should I be worried and how should I get him eating?

Thanks

- an amateur

 

[cheshirecatxx]

Sometimes fish don't eat for the first few days after you bring them home. Its normal.
One of my fish was like that.. but I convinced her with bloodworms.

You should read up on fishless cycling.

 

[brian1973]

welcome to the tank...when you say you set it up 2 days ago..does that mean you filled it up and added fish the same day, if so you are going to have other problems to deal with. Look under the stickies in the beginners forum and look for cycling info.

Very improtant to get the cycle done...if you havent cycled then I would return your fish and get it cycled then put fish back into it.

what size tank is it?

do you have a test kit, if so what are the ammonia,nitrate,nitrite readings? If not your goign to need one, go with the API master kit and stay away from test strips they seem cheaper but in the long run more expensive.

I knows theres other questions that need to be asked but right now I am functioning on almost no sleep so someone else will have to pick up the slack there.

Goodluck.

 

[unwritten law]

That's strange cause usually cherry barbs are picky eaters at first. Try brine shrimp or blood worms?