# yellow box fish help!!



## lexxxpensive (Sep 25, 2007)

just recently purchased a baby yellow box fish and its the third day i have it and i cant seem to get it to eat anything i feed him frozen brine shrimp and its not eating at all but its very active and picks at live rock..somebody help before this thing starves to death and wipes out my whole tank


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

They typically don't make it when purchased that small. It won't wipe out your tank. Pray that it is eating microscopic critters from your rock work, hence why live rock is so important. As always a general recommendation of soaking food in garlic for finicky eaters is about all that can be suggested. It's probably been weeks since the tiny guy has eaten anything at all. It's stomach has probably caved in and begun digesting/constricting itself like so many critters caught and shipped using bad methods.


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## gymnothorax (Sep 20, 2007)

if it is picking at the rock that's a good sign, continue offering a variety of different foods, possibly try some small chopped frozen mussel or squid. keep an eye on the fish and make sure you have activated carbon in your filter because your boxfish, assuming when you say yellow your talking about ostracion cubicus, is very capable of excreting ostracitoxin into the tank which if left untreated in the confines of an aquarium could be...........not good, (massive water change and activated carbon asap).

hope this helps and good luck getting him to come around, they're great fish but have a better survival rate if purchased at 2" or more.


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## freeman (Oct 31, 2007)

i bought this cute fish from about 20 days and it wasnt eating for the 1st 3 days then i asked in an arabic forum for saltwater tanks they told me it eats algea so i can feed it anything green and yes i tryed and she ate very well then after she got used to her new home my tank :mrgreen: she started to eat frozen shrimp meat


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