Valenciennea Strigata

[cricas]

After reading the "Fish tales" column wrtitten by Henry Schultz III, I had the feeling that something was missing...

cuote: "Valenciennea are fantastic aquarium fish! That is, they are highly disease resistant and are rather easily fed most any prepared aquarium foods"

cuote 2: "Since these fish are sand sifters, internal parasites can be a common problem".

First, I've had lots of trouble trying to feed my goby and he's pretty skinny right know :( .

Second, how can you recommend a fish saying it's "highly desease resistant" if internal parasites are a common problem, that needs medication treatment???

Sorry, but I love this fish and I read the article to find a key or so, but I just foung more questions.

regards,

[Turf]

I heard one guy would take his turkey baster and "inject" the food into the sand and that started to get the fish use to is... don't know, I guess it worked for him.

[cricas]

Thanx Turf,

Do you know what kind of food did he injected???
I'm willing to try anything.

Cheers,

[Turf]

I can't recall off hand... I want to say to tried a little bit of everything and placed it near its hangout. Look around and see if there is one type of food they would gererally prefer... also I know this is the case with many Lawnmower's that you almost have to trick them into tasting in... like maybe pushing some food/sand into its burrow if it has one so that it has to pick it up and carry it out of its hole. Just a though.

[hcs3]

don't confuse "disease" and "parasite" - they are not the same thing.

[cricas]

hcs3,

What is Crytocarion for you??? cause The White Spot "desease", is caused by a parasite. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

[hcs3]

i'm not sure of your question :confused: if you are asking me what ich/ick is, it is a parasite.

perhaps this will help...

disease 1. A pathological condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, genetic defect, or environmental stress, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs or symptoms.
2. A condition or tendency, as of society, regarded as abnormal and harmful.

parasite 1. An organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host.

does that help?

[cricas]

Hcs,

My point is, that even though I do understand the difference between disease and parasite, you know that almost any non-symbiont parasite, can and might cause desease in their host (such as Chryptocarion).

All I wanted to say, is that the author of the article may confuse his readers saying that this fish is a nice & easy fish.

In fact it is not. It is a very hard to feed animal in a not well stablished tank, and due to its feeding behaviour, its very possible that it get parasites. Those parasites my friend, generate "an identifiable group of signs or symptoms", such as stop eating, loosing color, swimming difficulties, etc.

That was my point.

Sorry if I confused you.

[hcs3]

as the author of the article myself, i'm pretty sure i know what i meant :)

It is a very hard to feed animal in a not well stablished tank

i am of the opinion that if your tank is not well stabalized, it should not house any fish.

Those parasites my friend, generate "an identifiable group of signs or symptoms", such as stop eating, loosing color, swimming difficulties, etc.

generally, this is not the case. if parasites caused harm to this degree, they would in fact be commiting suicide as once their host dies, they do, too. internal worms will not cause fish to stop eating except in the most extreme of cases. if anything, it induces a greater appetite.

[Kettle]

I have had a bit of success keeping these fish. I would say they are very hardy, having had one just survive a tank crash. To get them feeding, I just overfed the tank for a week or so, allowing plenty of food to fall to the bottom where the goby would eat it. It soon put two and two together and it now eats from the water column. Anyone know how to sex these fish? I want to get a mate for mine.

[cricas]

Kettle,

That's Great!!!... What kind of food are you feeding your goby?

Cheers,

[Kettle]

It will accept any prepared foods now, so it depends what I can get my hands on. Things I have fed it include: Pellets, Brine Shrimp, Mysis Shrimp, "Marine Plankton", "Marine Dinner" and "Marine Green". These last three are frozen mixes, not sure whats in them, but the fish love it. I don't think you can really over feed these fish, they like food and lots of it. I think it also helps to have a fuge that produces pods. Once I get enough pods I hope to harvest them instead of just relying on the ones that get pumped up to the tank.

[cricas]

THANX KETTLE...

I already started the overfeeding plan. Hope it works.

Cheers mate!

[Kettle]

Goodluck, and let us know how it goes. I'm very interested in hearing others experiences with them (especially positive ones). Hope you have success.

[cricas]

Bad news.

My dearest "NICE & EASY" Goby died. Even though I can't find his body (maybe 'cause I have an excelent cleaning crew), I KNOW he's dead.

I miss him.

I tried everything, enriched brineshrimp, zooplex, garlic soaked food, injecting food in the sand, overfeeding, everything....

AGAIN for newbies and people looking on the valenciennea spp. :

THIS IS A VERY HARD TO HAVE FISH, THEY NEED LOTS OF FOOD IN THE FORM OF COPEPODS, WORMS, AMPHIPODS, AND ALL THAT LIVING CRITTER THAT POPULATE OUR SAND AND LR. ALSO, THEY NEED LOTS OF SPACE AND SAND CAUSE THEY ARE VORACEOUS.

I used to have a nice population on copepods and after two months with the goby, they were all gone. He ate them all.

sadly,
:(