My skinny clown update

[chefkeith]

It's been several months or even a year since I last posted about my problematic skinny clown loach. This clown has been a very picky eater since I got him. He's never touched any kind of processed fish foods and he was always too weak to compete with the other clowns for the good meaty foods that feed them daily.

Back in Febuary, he was getting very skinny again so I Quarantined him in attemp to bulk him up. I treated the the Q-tank with Prazipro for a few weeks, and I was feeding him home-grown snails, bloodworms, and shrimp.

I never liked feeding bloodworms because I'm very allergic to them, but it seems I found some that I don't have a bad reaction to. I've been using frozen Red Bloodworms by San Francisco Bay. These worms are neatly packaged in plastic cubes so I don't have to touch them. All I do is cut open the foil top, then drop the plastic cube in the water. When the worms are eaten, I grab some tongs and retrieve the empty cube. Here's the brand that I'm talking about-
http://www.sfbb.com/product_popup.asp?c ... worms&id=2

Anyway, the skinny clown bulked up while in quarantine so I moved him back to the main tanks about 2 weeks ago. This clown has really changed. He is no longer the weakest clown in the tank. He was actually fighting another clown last week and that was the 1st time I ever saw this clown get into any kind of scrap with another clown, and I've had him for about 2.5 years. Furthermore, last night this former skinny clown was going at it with the big mean boss clown in the tank. I couldn't believe it. This once skinny clown now has a gut and is getting bigger every week.

Here's pics-
Pic from Feburary 5, 2008.


Just now, April 20, 2008 (Best photo I could get, but you can see that special something in his eyes now compared to before.)

[Tinman]

Good job Keep us posted

[chefkeith]

I got one more picture during shimp kabob feeding. He was the most aggressive eater of the group during this feeding also. What a huge change.

[Mad Duff]

Great job Keith, looks a totally different fish

[Pilze]

Do you just thaw the cocktail shrimp out or cook it a bit?

[Ashleigh]

Looking great Chefkeith, I remember the first time you posted about this guy. Looks like a completly different fish, lovely markings as well


Ashleigh

[chefkeith]

Thanks all.

Pilze- I use precooked cocktail shrimp. I thaw it out real quick under hot water, then I just pull off the tail, then put it on the kabob.

[Diana]

I feed a LOT of different frozen foods that come in these trays, and there are ways to get the food out without touching it.
If you cut the foil directly behind the bloodworms you can pop them out without touching them, and the plastic tray does not go into the water. You can aim them at the tank, or into a dish, then tip that into the tank.

[Gary Stanton]

I feed a LOT of different frozen foods that come in these trays, and there are ways to get the food out without touching it.
If you cut the foil directly behind the bloodworms you can pop them out without touching them, and the plastic tray does not go into the water. You can aim them at the tank, or into a dish, then tip that into the tank.

All I do is PUSH the plastic side and the cube of worms breaks through the foil. ???

[chefkeith]

I try to keep the worms inside the cube and keep the foil intact so the worms don't go all over the place. I have 45 clowns and only want "Rocco" (the once skinny clown) to eat the blood worms. I built a pvc feeding chamber to help keep other clowns from getting the bloodworms.

I just drop the frozen cube in the top. Rocco has learned to get to it and eat everything inside before other clowns have a chance.


This has worked well for me. Another thing is if I open up the cube and let the worms out I might get sick. In the past, my hands, eyes, face, and throat would start swelling up and I have a hard time breathing. If I just cut the aluminum top, then drop the cube in frozen, I usually only get a slight headache.

[Emma Turner]

Top job, chefkeith!

I have read more and more instances of this bloodworm allergy recently too. Seems it affects quite a number of fishkeepers.

Emma

[Diana]

Playing it safe with minimal exposure is best. That sounds like a REALLY strong reaction, with such a small contact. Perhaps it would be better for you to find another food for the fish, or have another person feed the bloodworms.
Do you later react to the tank water where the worms were?

If I pop the food out without breaking the foil first the foil tears, opening more than the one cube. Often enough I am feeding the whole package, anyway, so this is not an issue, but there are some foods that I only feed to certain tanks, so keeping the rest of the food properly packaged is important.

[chefkeith]

I hadn't used blood worms in a few years because of my allergy, but I think this method I'm using is safe for me. I've had reactions to tank water before, but not recently. I try to keep my hands out of the water anyway. I usually wear long aqua gloves.

[taxidon59749]

thanks for letting me know. can you tell me where i can buy Erythromycin, Prazipro and Levamisole from. Many thanks taxidon

[chefkeith]

Try online. Froogle usually has good results.

http://www.google.com/products