I have read many complaints from people citing that their Royal Gramma fish is not eating, why, and the possible solutions.
After thorough research on this, I decided to write an article on this topic to at least help some people understand the possible causes and also the possible solutions.
Royal Gramma is a very nice, beautiful, and colorful saltwater fish, I understand how painful it would be to lose one of your precious fish like this, so read this article to the end to comprehend.
Royal Gramma is a very hardy fish, that’s why they are among the beginner-friendly saltwater fish.
Despite being very hardy, they could be prone to certain conditions and illnesses that may cause them serious life-threatening health issues such as the inability to eat anything.
If you have these fish, you will know that it is not ordinary for them to stop eating all of a sudden because they are greedy eaters and will eat anything edible that they could see in their environment.
So, why is my Royal Gramma not eating? There are many reasons why they might be refusing to eat and we will talk about that in a second.
Why Is My Royal Gramma Not Eating?
1. Diseases: Many diseases are life-threatening to fish that fish of any type could suffer which might prevent them from eating by killing their appetites for food.
Despite being hardy fish, they are still prone to certain diseases which might infect them as a result of their living conditions, the type of food they eat, the introduction of wild-caught fish in their tanks, and many more.
Many factors could breed diseases in the aquarium which could affect your animals, but the commonest is introducing a wild-caught animal that might have diseases that it is immune to.
The fact is, those aquatic animals in the wild are far stronger and hardy than those captive-bred animals and they might not be easily affected by diseases, but your captive-bred will! no matter how hardy they might be.
This is why it is not advisable to bring in fish or any other animal from the wild into your aquarium and it might be the reason why your Royal Gramma is sick and not eating or eating enough.
Once you suspect your fish of being sick, I would advise you to get a veterinarian doctor for possible diagnosis and medications.
2. Toxins: Another possible reason why your fish could stop eating is because of the accumulation of toxins in their water.
Toxins such as ammonia, chlorine, nitrites, etc are very dangerous to any living thing because they could cause many health issues for them and might even kill them if nothing is done about it.
These toxins breed in the aquarium as a result of dirt and decayed organisms such as dead animals and poops. Other causes are uncycled tanks, water sources, etc.
When these or any of these toxins develop in your tank, your animals are at risk and the only way to solve this problem is to buy water testing kits and be testing your water every week.
Again tools like filters will be of great help too to keep the water clean to some extent.
So, if you happen to dictate any toxin in the water, try as much as possible to change the water, at least do a 50% change of water every week and it helps a lot in keeping toxins in check.
3. They are shy: We all know that Royal Grammas are very shy fish that loves to hide and could hide all week without leaving their caves.
With this behavior, you might be worried that they are not eating anything based on the fact that they don’t always come out to eat and you don’t normally see them eat.
If this is the case, I don’t think you should be worried about that, the only solution is to keep enough food in your tank and go to sleep, they will eat them before other fish will wake up to snatch those foods.
This is because Royal Grammas are nocturnal fish, they may hide all day and perform their normal activities at night when the light is off and when other fish, especially diurnal fish are fast asleep.
It might seem to you that they are not eating and other fish are taking all the foods without knowing that they normally come out at night to eat their share, so leave something for them and they will eat them before down and go back to their hiding places.
I don’t think this is a serious issue, but I you are not convinced, then watch them and see if they are getting skinny or normal, that will convince you that they are eating enough.
4. Wrong water parameters: Every aquatic animal, be it freshwater or saltwater dwelling animal has its ideal water parameters and when they are not in such ideal water conditions, it could be harmful to them and may lead to some health issues.
This includes temperature, pH and salt level, etc.
Royal Grammas are tropical fish and their ideal temperature is a steady temperature between 68°F to 80°F or a bit more than 80 for the fact it is steady.
Avoid keeping them without the presence of a Heater, so buy one for them and keep to their ideal water temperature.
Their pH level should not be less or more than 8.1-8.5.
Again make sure you acclimate them when you got them new and it could solve many health issues for you in the long run.
5. Old age: We all know that every living thing has its specific lifespan and when it elapses, the animal will die.
There are many signs that animals show when they are at the end of their lifespan and refusal to eat is one of them.
The average lifespan of Royal Gramma is 5-7 years, although they could stay up to 10 years if they are treated exceptionally fine and if they are in the wild.
When they are very old, some behaviors will creed in such as not eating at all or eating very less.
So, calculate the age of your fish and know if it is very old and if it is, am sorry I can’t help you with this because there is nothing you can do than to allow nature to take its cause.
FAQs
How Often Should I Feed My Royal Gramma?
Royal Gramma just like every other fish should be fed once or twice per day with a quantity of food they could finish in less than 5 minutes to avoid overfeeding.
Overfeeding is Avery serious issue for many fish keepers, especially the newbies.
Overfeeding is not caring and it could kill your fish, so give them little so that they could eat in less than 5 minutes twice a day and they will be very fine.
If you are the traveling type, I would advise you to get an automatic feeder which will be feeding them on its own and at a normal quantity.
What Does A Royal Gramma Eat?
Royal grammas are greedy eaters and scavengers too. Just like every other fish, they will eat anything eatable.
Royal Gramma could eat Pellets, Worms, Crustaceans, Corals, Vegetables and Plants, Insects, Grasshoppers, and many more.
The fact is, they could eat whatever other fish eat, and that is one of the reasons why they are considered to be beginner-friendly fish.
Conclusion
These are the possible reasons why your Royal Gramma might stop eating.
I hope you find this article helpful, good luck with your fish.
References
