Guide to proper ADF care

[Olympia]

My community tank is full of sissies.

[ChoclateBetta]

So my species are compatible?

[LadyVictorian]

Very picky ADF

He will no longer eat food from my fingers or a tweezer and he will not eat food on the bottom of his tank. He will only eat food floating and if it's at the surface he won't eat either. Should I just start feeding him only live food because the way it's shaping out he won't eat unless he is forced to hunt it down.

[Chesherca]

Hmmmm... that's a new one! I'm assuming he was eating well before? How long have you had him, and what has he been eating until now? Water parameters all okay?

[ChoclateBetta]

Arent they slow swimmers?

[LadyVictorian]

He ate well before and I can tell he still wants to eat because he moves towards my finger when he sees the food but then backs up and runs away when he notices I'm holding the food. I have to throw the food and make it float and then throw it in the water again until he notices it in the collum of water, normally mid to bottom mid. Once he sees it free floating he darts over to nab it then goes back to his temple to hide. It took about 10 minutes of this to feed three shrimp. I have had him over a month now and the water is all good, I did a 100% water change not long ago.

It's odd, he use to have no issue eating from my fingers but now he acts like my fingers are going to eat him. Same with the tweezers but I think that is because they poked the inside of his mouth and now he is afraid to get close to them anymore. He won't eat food at the surface because I don't think he can see it that well and he only notices food jerking around/free floating in the mid the bottom mid range within the tank. I think if it's on the ground he can't find it either. Do you think he just has unusually poor eyesight or something?

As for what he eats, bloodworms, blackworms, brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, and beefheart. Seems to prefer the beefheart and worms but seldom eats all the shrimp. I normally end up throwing the shrimp to my betta.

[ChoclateBetta]

Did anything change in the tank?

[LadyVictorian]

Nope, not even a new decoration. Nothing has changed aside from same old obvious tank cleaning so if you count the water then it gets changed twice a week....but that's it. Same old same old.

[ChoclateBetta]

Sounds like eyesite.

[LadyVictorian]

It's odd though, he didn't have bad eyesight before. What could have caused that? I know he had been sick, very sick and recovered, he's still in QT so doesn't have anything else around him other than himself, a cave, and a plant. Could his illness have caused his eyesight to become poor? He seemed fine after recovery even, he would eat his food from the floor of the tank. Could it be he is having issues shedding and the skin on the eyes if clouded? Though when I look his eyes are very clear.