Flowerhorn will not eat

Question
Hi,

My boyfriend got a 4 inch flowerhorn on Saturday (5 days ago). At the shop we got it at, the fish was very healthy and was eating regularly. Upon bringing him home we introduced him to 4 other fish, which did not go well and within 24 hours we removed the other fish. He is currently the only one in the tank, along with a few snails. He is moving around normally and seems ok except for the fact that he will not eat normally. He nibbles at the food but ends up dropping it and swimming away. The food is Xtreme Monster, which is the same food that he was eating at the shop. As of yesterday his intestine have started to come out after eating as well. We began to treat the tank with metronidazole.

I believe that the issues may be do to stress but I was wondering if there is anything else we can do to keep the fish happy and healthy.

Thank you.

Answer
Hi Kelley,
 Hopefully over time he will get better.  Moving from one tank to another can be very stressful. That said, the fact that his intestine is protruding is not a good sign and usually indicates some sort of intestinal infection.

-- Ron Coleman
  rcoleman@cichlidresearch.com
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