fish wont eat

Question
Hi,
I bought a dwarf gouramis on Dec 27, and have not seen him eat anything. It's now Jan 11! How long can he live without eating? I saw him take in a piece of food and spit it right out, just the other day, but that's been it! Is there anything I can do to get him to eat? He's not been bothered by any other fish in the tank. He keeps to himself and just won't eat when the others do. I feel so sorry for him and want to help but don't know how. Take him out of the tank? Would he eat in a bowl by himself? Give him special food? Any help would be much appreciated.
thanks,
Linda  

Answer
Hello,

This is very odd, because it is rare a fish will not eat for so long and not show any signs of deterioration or disease. There's not much that can be done unless you can pinpoint the cause of his loss of appetite.

First you might want to try tempting him with some things. Try live or frozen blood worms or brine shrimp, which is a favorite of my gouramis. If he turns that down, he may be sick. You shouldn't put him in a bowl unless it is filtered and heated, but if you have a hospital tank you should put him in there. If you don't have a hospital tank either then you'll have to treat the whole tank. I recommend just trying an antibiotic, because if it was fungal or parisites you would see a sign of the illness. Keep offering him food throughout his treatement.

I hope something here helps. Keep a close eye on him. Maybe he is eating plants (if you have live ones). Maybe he is not used to your food.

Good luck,
Stephanie