Ember Tetra Not Eating? The Reasons Behind It And How To Deal With Them

Ember Tetra is a beautiful species of fish found in the Amazon and Orinoco River basins. They can live up to 16 years, which is quite long for such a small creature! These freshwater tetras will eat anything from flakes to worms, but what if your Ember Tetra isn’t eating? This article will provide you with reasons behind why an Ember Tetra may not be eating and how to deal with them.

Ember tetra may not be eating because of pregnancy. Pregnancy, constipation, bad water parameters, new environment, bullying and stress, the wrong type of food are also some other reasons why your ember tetra might not be eating. You can deal with this by taking care of pregnant Ember tetra, secluding the bully, and treating digestive issues.

Reasons Why Ember Tetra Are Not Eating

Ember tetra might not eat when they are sick. You can deal with this by treating diseases and infections, maintaining water parameters, and taking care of pregnant Ember tetra.

Ember Tetra may not eat when they have digestive issues such as constipation or bloating. To resolve this problem you should treat the issue before it starts to affect their eating habits.

Pregnancy

The ember tetras are not eating because they might be pregnant. Ember Tetra may become pregnant when they are in the right environment.

Constipation

Ember tetra might not eat because of constipation which can cause bloating and pain inside your fish’s abdomen. To deal with this you should clean their tank on a daily basis, provide them with live food such as worms or daphnia, and feed them high-quality flake food.

Bad Water Parameters

If your ember tetra is not eating, it might be because of the bad water parameters in their tank. You should change 30% of their water on a weekly basis so that you can maintain good health for your fish.

New Environment

If your ember tetra is not eating, it might be because of the new environment. Ember Tetra is very sensitive to changes in their habitat and may stop eating if they feel stressed by a new tank or filter that has been added into their home.

Bullying And Stress

Your fish’s lack of appetite may also stem from bullying and stress. Ember Tetra might stop eating because of the constant bullying from another fish in their tank and may become stressed if they see your face or hands frequently as you tend to their habitat.

Wrong Type Of Food

This is a very common problem among newly bought fish. If your Ember tetra has just been introduced into the tank, they may not be eating because of stress and bullying from other fish in the tank. You should seclude your Ember tetra in a new tank by themselves.

Food Is Too Large

Ember Tetra might not be eating because the size of their food is too large for them to eat comfortably. You should feed your fish small pieces of food that they can easily fit into their mouths.

Newly bought fish often have trouble eating because the size or shape of their food is too large for them to eat comfortably. You should feed your Ember Tetra small pieces of flake foods, live daphnia and worms, and smaller-sized pellets so that they will be able to eat comfortably.

Diseases

Ember Tetra might not eat because they are sick and have diseases such as ich or velvet which can cause itching, redness in the fins and body, cloudiness in their eyes, scratching against surfaces, lethargy, and loss of appetite. You should treat these problems before your fish stop eating altogether.

Overfeeding

You also need to make sure that you do not overfeed your fish when they are sick. If you feed them too much food, it can result in bloating and constipation which will only add more stress onto their already stressed bodies. You should give your Ember Tetra smaller portions of food until they regain their appetite back.

How To Encourage Ember Tetra To Eat?

You can encourage your ember tetra to eat by taking care of pregnant Ember tetra, secluding the bully, and treating digestive issues.

Treat Diseases And Infections

You should treat diseases and infections before they make your Ember Tetra stop eating. You can do this by maintaining water parameters, taking care of pregnant fish, secluding the bully in another tank, treating digestive issues when necessary, and providing them with live food such as worms or daphnia.

Maintain Water Parameters

You should also make sure that you maintain good water parameters in your Ember Tetra’s tank. You can do this by changing 30% of their water on a weekly basis, cleaning the tank daily to provide them with a clean environment and good health.

The temperature should be between 77 to 82 Fahrenheit.

Take Care Of Pregnant Ember Tetra

Pregnant Ember tetra is very sensitive to changes in water conditions and temperature which can result in the loss of their unborn fry. You should seclude your pregnant ember tetras from other tank mates for up to four weeks so that they can have enough space, good water parameters, and live food such as worms or daphnia.

Seclude The Bully

You should also seclude the bully in another tank so that they do not stress your Ember tetra with bullying behavior. You can put them together in a separate tank for up to four weeks so you can monitor their progress before putting them back into your main tank.

Treat Digestive Issues

If your Ember Tetra has digestive issues, they might stop eating because their stomach is upset or bloated. It can cause them to become lethargic and lose weight over time.

What Is The Best Food For Ember Tetra Who Refuse To Eat?

You should give your fish a variety of different types of food so they can choose what kind to eat based on their preferences and individual taste buds. You can give them high-quality frozen foods, live food such as worms and daphnia, and smaller pellet or flake food.

The best food for ember tetras who refuse to eat is flakes or tablets. You should feed your Ember Tetra by dropping it near their mouth so they can eat on their own. Don’t forget about feeding them live foods such as bloodworms once in a while. This is because it is the best source of proteins for your fish.

You can use the following foods that provide nutrition to your ember tetras:

How To Feed Your Ember Tetra?

You should feed your ember tetras by dropping flake foods, live daphnia, and worms, small pellet food near their mouth so they can eat on their own without any difficulties. You should also give them high-quality frozen foods once in a while so they can have variety.

When To See Your Vet?

You should see your vet if your Ember Tetra does not eat for more than two weeks. This is the time frame when it becomes serious and requires medical attention right away. You can contact them via phone or email to schedule an appointment with them.

FAQs

How Long Can Ember Tetra Go Without Food?

Ember tetras have the ability to survive for months if their environment is good. This includes clean water, healthy tank mates that do not bully them, and a lack of stress in general. However, you should still see your vet because it does become serious after two weeks.

Do Ember Tetras Eat Dead Fish?

Ember tetra does not eat dead fish because they are herbivores and only feed on live food such as daphnia, worms, small pellet foods, high-quality frozen foods that include bloodworms. They might stop eating if you give them the wrong type of food or if their stomach is upset.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ember Tetra sometimes stops eating because of stress and bullying. You should seclude the bully in another tank. These fish don’t hurt your fish plus maintain water parameters to provide a healthy environment for them to live in.

You should treat these problems before it becomes too late by taking care of pregnant fish, secluding the bully in another tank, treating digestive issues when necessary, providing high-quality flake food instead of living food such as worms or daphnia.