My Fish May Be Dying?

Question
Hi Karen, I don't know if you can help me,I'm only 16, but I'm worried about my fish. I have a Clown knife fish that I just got about a week ago, I originally got three and put them together in a 65 gallon tank, They were put in with a couple of cichlids and unfortunately two others died from the cichlids but I took the one out and put it in a separate tank. I've been feeding it brine shrimp every 3 days. Should I stop or continue? Also, It has been swimming at all, all it does is lay on it's side and doesn't move all day. I don't know if maybe it's stressed or quite possibly light sensitive but I really would like it to survive. I love clown knife fish. Could you help me out? Sorry for taking up your time.

Answer
Hi Barbara,
I love clown knife fish and they are so fascinating to watch. I am so sorry you lost two of yours.
I don't know how large your knife fish is but when they are small such as 5-6 inches they are more sensitive to any water conditions that might not be ideal. They really need clean water. As they get older they are more hardy and withstand fluctuations in water quality. If the tank you have placed yours in is getting regular and frequent water changes he will probably be ok. If you haven't recently done a partial water change then start doing small frequent water changes and then get a schedule set  up to do water changes on his tank at least 2 times a week and remove at least 1/3 of his water. Be sure to use a really good water dechlorinator such as Amquel Plus or Prime to help with any ammonia or nitrites that might build up. If your tank is cycled that he is in then doing the frequent water changes should keep ammonia and nitrites under control. Also, try not to overfeed him since this will really get your water dirty fast and that will cause him to get sick. If the water quality isn't good if could be causing him to lay on his side.
Clown knife fish are also a bit shy and require hiding places. Make sure he has a place to hide since many times they mainly like to come out at night to feed. Put some types of plants, either real or fake in his tank if you don't have any. The more hiding places and plants he has will make him feel more secure. Sometimes fish will behave as yours is if they are really scared. They also don't like too much light so extra plants would even help with that.
I would continue to feed him brine shrimp and any other frozen foods. They are supposed to like to eat live feeder fish but you have to be carefull about some feeder fish since they can have diseases and transmit them to your fish.
Keep his water clean and make sure he has a place to hide and see if he improves.

Best of luck.
Hope this has helped,
Karen