• Chelmon rostratus

  • Kristen1161

A huge request to the owners of these fish: please share your personal experience with their care, specifically whether they bite any corals other than Trachyphyllia, and if so, which ones, as the books state that only this coral suffers from Chelmon rostratus. However, there are various rumors, although I personally have not met an aquarist who said that their Chelmon has eaten any coral. Thank you in advance.

Melanie

I don't know how it is for others, BUT... I didn't bother anyone... just devoured all the worms... but it's forgivable... a cool... CREATURE.

Brent5588

I have enough fan worms for the helmons, the corals are untouched - they get Artemia for two meals a day, which is just right for them... and in general, it's best to try to fatten up helmons that come from suppliers "on wheels" with fan worms... losses are minimal, in some cases they are also fattened with live food and then switched to Artemia.

Katherine

Thank you for the advice, it came just in time. My little Helmon arrived at the store on Friday, and I wanted to pick him up today, but the seller didn't give him to me since he is in temporary care. Now I'm preparing for his arrival back home. Tomorrow I will be making a feeder. The little Helmon is very small, and I think that's good; it will be easier for him to adapt.

Nicole263

The most important thing when you pick him up is to ask if he has started eating artemia. If not, he will first look for something on the live rocks, then move on to the aiptasia, and when this food source runs out, hopefully he will switch to artemia or bloodworms. I had the same story with Helmon. First, he went for aiptasia and invertebrates on the live rocks, and later he switched to artemia.

Chad

I started off well with maggots, catching them on the fly, and now he happily takes Artemia and, as a delicacy, tubifex in micro doses. He started taking Aptasia after a month; it’s only left in the corner guarded by the clowns. He hasn’t touched the corals.

Craig7302

Hello, I had a Helmon, and from the first day, it ate brine shrimp. Unfortunately, it died after about six months. It was not only spitting at the Trichophilia but also at the Catalophilia. (At that time, I wasn't the one taking care of the aquarium, so it probably started eating the food quickly because there wasn't enough food. Therefore, I can say with 100% certainty that it's important to feed them well, as it wasn't noticed causing any harm at first, probably due to the worms, Aiptasia, etc.)

James4342

I have a helmon that has been living for a month. It doesn't touch the corals, including the trachyphyllia. But it also pays no attention to the aiptasia...

Leslie

Helmon is better fed in a "community tank" when there are other fish present (such as zebrasoma, surgeons, etc.). Watching them, it starts to take the same brine shrimp much faster. Aiptasia can start to be scraped off in a week or in a couple of months; each specimen is different.

Michael

My has been living with me for about 5 years. I have never noticed him nibbling on the trachyphyllia or any other corals. He eats artemia, shrimp, bloodworms, and always picks at something on the live rocks. He has almost completely eradicated the aiptasia.

Andrea

My 3-week-old fish only eats tubifex from a pipette, recognizes the box and dances by the glass... but it still doesn't eat Artemia, and the yellow zebrasoma won't let it pass... so they are all different...

Michele

Zebrasoma. That would be more accurate. As for the helmon, look. You will ruin it with tubifex. Try to include artemia or marine shrimp instead. Where have you seen a tubeworm in a tropical sea on a reef? That is an unsuitable food for helmon. Take Ova, read Savchuk if you don't believe me. It is written there what can happen to helmon if you stuff it with tubifex.

Darlene4238

I solemnly promise that if I see my Helmon feeling unwell because of the trumpet fish, I will report it immediately. For now, I see no alternative but to feed him; he hasn't eaten anything for 3 weeks, but he recognizes the box with worms through the glass and dances... Since I introduced trumpet fish into my fish's diet, they have all grown over the past 8 months... Of course, the trumpet fish needs to be soaked in Metrogyl for 2 hours, fed with kefir, and kept for a week... Also, when the Helmon appeared weak and in the crypt, I dissolved a Undevit tablet in the trumpet fish... Let this be my experience...

David4089

One can see, or one can see a corpse, and then wonder what happened... The obesity of internal organs from unnatural food has not been canceled by anyone yet...

Andrea9320

Doesn't it bother you?

Dawn6148

Off-topic. You can cover it with chocolate, but that's not the point. Try to translate the fish to the feed that was mentioned.

Pamela

I "emphasize once again" that feeding with such food is an extreme measure when it comes to the struggle for the survival of the fish in general. That's how I raised all the fish with wheels... later, it can be given once or twice a week as supplementary feeding... but for now, Helmon at least has the strength to resist the Zebra Som, in the first days I was the only one who could drive it away... now I feed once a day with this food as soon as I notice the consumption of artemia, I will start giving it once a week.

Randy

Well, feed...

Kevin8087

As long as you provide tubifex, the helmon is unlikely to start taking artemia. If the fish is not overfed, it will eventually take artemia. You're right! Stop with the tubifex! Especially since you have herbivores in your aquarium!

Mark9853

In the last shipment, two Helmons arrived, and the next day they started taking Artemia... a completely simple fish in terms of feeding and care.

Kevin

don't provoke the people The discussion is about fish from Asia, not from Europe

Brenda

I am talking about the fish itself...

Gene1948

Tkach A. says that it's best to fatten helmonas with fan worms... I think he is right.

Dennis

Offtopic. Right. But where to find them in such quantity, these worms...

Brandy1134

Isn't the moth similar in properties to the caddisfly?

Kevin3114

Absolutely different things. To begin with, remember the nature of each: one is a worm made entirely of flesh, while the other is just an insect larva made of skin and filler. By the way, a live moth is more suitable for fattening than a bloodworm.

Mitchell7972

+100, a good moth contributes to good digestion, just don't overdo it.

Michelle1505

Among the drawbacks, the maggot is absorbed only 20-25%, the rest goes to "fertilizer." On the positive side, the sight of a wriggling worm (the liman maggot wriggles in the aquarium for about three days) stimulates the hunting instinct, and the skin (chitin) irritates the stomach and enhances the feeling of hunger.

Lauren

I fattened it up on maggots and worms that multiplied over the year; a month has passed, and it eats everything except dry food.

Jerry

My moth hardly eats, it seems to be spoiled... The moth eats Tubastrea from me, I started giving the tube worm to Helmon once every 2 days, just a little bit at a time... and at night... shhh.

Zachary

And mine has already switched to artemia. In the company of a yellow zebra and a sailfish, there's not much need to pick with tweezers.

Brent8919

Maybe I should make him a feeder? Mine has really fattened up... he usually gets his food from various crevices in nature, not from freely swimming in the water... My fish is now over a year old, and he only eats artemia in the water column and very rarely I give him bloodworms. Since he was six months old, he has been eating flakes, but only from my hand; I take a pinch and hold it until he pecks it... at first, he spat it out, but now he eats with gusto!

Keith7534

Perhaps I have never encountered a more curious and easily tamed fish than the Helmon. It calmly feeds from the hand and loves minced shrimp meat the most. If you start doing something in the aquarium, the Helmon is right there, getting in the way, and you have to shoo it away like an annoying fly. It especially enjoys exploring lifted stones and the spot where they used to be. If a new stone enters the aquarium, the Helmon will linger around it for a long time, searching for treats...

Wanda666

He manages to catch enough even without a feeder. And why does he sometimes give very little maggot? Are you saving his precious supply?

Whitney

In general, my Chelmon rostratus doesn't eat anything except for tubeworms, it's been two months... I tried not feeding it for a week, but it still didn't eat anything... even Aiptasia is still there... I'm curious how it made the feeder... On the other hand, the little fish is surprisingly smart, it sees the box with worms from afar and distinguishes it from the others, dances like crazy, and takes food from the plastic grabber, which also drives away other junk food lovers... oh, and Zebrasoma flavescens has been bothering it all day, maybe that's the issue...

Jessica8898

I don't know how Tanya made the feeder, but I first made one like this. Both the helmon and the forcipiger ate excellently from it. Then I removed it, as the fish had adapted and there was no longer a need for the feeder.

Kevin

Offtopic Take a 10-20ml syringe. Discard the plunger. Make a hole at the top for the suction cup. At the bottom, 5mm from the tip of the syringe, cut a groove 5mm wide and about 10-15mm long. That's it, the feeder is ready. I made one for myself. Simple, original, and discreet. The idea is from Volodya, presented on a neighboring forum.

Kevin3579

I had a Helmon for 2 months, I got it from Tkach, who was feeding it with brine shrimp and bloodworms, and it was eating with pleasure. A month and a half ago, I bought a Centropyge bicolor, and it started to chase the Helmon a little. The Helmon was still eating with appetite as before, but then it stopped eating, fasted for 3 days, and died. I think the primary cause of death was the stress from being chased by the Centropyge. I did not observe any outbreaks, like crypto, on the Helmon.

Andrew9581

And my zebra is chasing a heniocus, and that one is tearing it up on a helman. That's how we live.

Amanda

Odessa, you know, this fish of yours had a character like my Helmon, Zebrasoma flavescens, who was tough on him from the first minute and even left scars... but he claimed a corner by the front wall, where he resisted her by displaying his dorsal fin... he lives there all day, while the Yellow carefully monitors whether he has forgotten himself and left that corner in search of food... for that, she would get a smack on the forehead from me... but when the lights go out, it's Helmon's time; I've never seen when this fish sleeps...

Stacy6866

Is Helman's belly noticeably plump? I mean, is it as noticeable as in other fish, or is he always slim? Has anyone tried feeding the cornetfish?

Timothy

My cat eats croquettes and prefers the smaller ones.

Kenneth7331

It should be very noticeable when he is full. His belly definitely gets bigger.

Jeremy3637

My fish is catching bloodworms and sometimes takes brine shrimp. But I've only had him for 2 days. By the way, today he started behaving interestingly, pressing against the back glass and hanging out as if there's a mirror there. I can't understand what he saw, but I have my guesses. I've observed a similar reaction in chrysurus; the black background creates a glare, unlike the blue one. The fish seems to be interested in that. I think they just see their reflection. I'm curious how long he will keep swimming like that.

Angela

This is how he reacts to his reflection, seeing a rival in it. The Helmon is a territorial fish, so once it has settled in a reef, it will not allow another Helmon to inhabit it—it will drive it away.

Karen1649

Is it clearly visible in adults or in little ones too? Do they eat hydroids?

Wendy8540

It's been 2.5 months - just the pipe smoker, I don't give him anything and he doesn't eat, that's how we live.

Chad4168

Even for the smallest ones, with a penny coin.

Cheyenne2747

Did you all buy him when he was small (iron, two sizes) or already when he was big? Are there any differences in the speed of fattening - do small/big ones start accepting bloodworms and artemia better?

Charles4157

I have heard from many that the smaller ones transition to artemia much easier, as they don't have established preferences yet. I later regretted taking the largest one... many have had them die from non-normal conditions for a long time.

Debra6575

I acquired mine somewhere with a desire... Having lived with me for about 6 years now, it is currently 8.5 cm long and about 7 cm high. It could have been bigger. I just don't feed it for growth. At this point, it is larger than mine, even though it arrived much later than mine, and its size was roughly the same.

Kyle

Yes, it will be easier with the little ones.

Courtney4094

Can we say that, assuming the aquarium is free of aiptasia, the helmon should start taking the offered bloodworms and artemia within a week? (a month?) The aquarium volume is acceptable at 300 liters. The statistical amount of live rock is 20-30 kg, with a small quantity of fan corals.

Heather

My helmon, from the airif, seems to be well-fed; for the first week or even longer, it didn't take any food at all and didn't even look at the artemia. But it was constantly pecking at something in the rocks. As a result, there are no aiptasia or feather worms left. Then it gradually started taking fresh liman midge larvae. A week later, it began eating artemia, and it did so eagerly and right away. The aquarium is exactly 300 liters, and there are about 30 kg of live rocks.

Nicholas

In my opinion, the friendliest fish in the aquarium, I have managed to get it to catch flies instead of using tweezers... it spits out brine shrimp like a nuisance if it accidentally grabs one... it also very skillfully hunts for cherry shrimp, catching flies... but here it has a lot of competition from the antias and wrasses... thanks for the advice, I will focus on brine shrimp...

Debra

Will it ease up on him, or will the back wall have to be cleaned?

Cassandra7840

I think these fits of rage should eventually stop. He'll get tired of it... So it's better if the back wall stays clean. In general, if you don't clean the back wall in a reef aquarium, the aquarium ends up looking somewhat lacking in spatial perspective.

John

The fish is actually super mega cool! Very beautiful and smart!

Emily3144

If anyone has worms from the polychaete group in the sand, it's like a find for Helmon as a spy. He clearly detects them by the movement of the sand, then skillfully snatches them up and devours them with great appetite.

Jason5071

It's true, I saw in the morning before the lights were turned on how my Helman pulled out a worm about 5 cm long and as thick as a match from under a stone, tore it for a long time but didn't eat it, apparently it was too big for him. Best regards.

Rachael

These small polychaetes cannot cause this fish any significant discomfort with their poisonous bristles when eaten. However, the larger ones can. Once, I found a thick, enormous worm under a rock, and Helmon was, as usual, always nearby. I deliberately released the worm into the water, thinking he would try to grab it, but he just looked at it and didn't even approach the object. A clever fish, as Max noted.

Christine864

My Helmon has practically stopped eating bloodworms and artemia, although at first he devoured bloodworms eagerly and took artemia reluctantly. Now he only eats feather worms and various things from J.K. (live rocks). I understand that until he is satisfied with the available food from J.K. (live rocks), or more precisely - until it runs out, he won't get hungry and won't want to take my dishes? Right now, I just throw 3-5 small bloodworms on the rocks 2-3 times a day. He partially devours them, while others get to them first.

Marie5735

Max, try turning it on for shrimp...

Christine864

Should the shrimp be chopped finely or cut to the size of a bloodworm?

Jeffery7866

try feeding by holding the food with plastic tweezers, worms mixed with artemia and flakes, that's how I'm training him now... he pulls out the worms, and sometimes other food... of course, he spits it out...

Wendy

What my fish eats today. I completely refused live bloodworms, artemia, etc. The fish is ready to jump out of the aquarium for the tubifex. I was giving frozen tubifex, not live. I was giving it in small amounts mixed with artemia. But today I gave small frozen bloodworms instead of live ones - they eat it just as well as the tubifex. How often can I give bloodworms?

Tracy4603

The main thing is that it should be fresh. He won't eat much of it - just a chainmail. And then you can switch to something else. P.S. There’s probably a lot of chitin in fan worms too - it’s okay, they eat and still ask for more.

Brenda

Be careful with frozen bloodworms and moths; there could be spoilage. It's better to use live and well-prepared bloodworms and moths, and even then, just a little, not to the brim, God forbid.

Susan9583

The whole point is that it doesn't eat live food. Alright, let me ask the question differently... In Aira, it ate brine shrimp; I also tried it at first, so it should eventually start eating it, I just need to not overfeed it and let it get hungry. The question is, how long can I let it go hungry? I tried for a day - it didn't work.

Melanie

I didn't eat for 1.5 months, just picked at stones and smashed bugs on the glass. I thought it was the end for him. Then suddenly, he started eating frozen moths. Now he's going after brine shrimp, even jumping out of the aquarium for them. At first, he spat out the brine shrimp, but then he got a taste for them.

David2398

Max, I'm trying method a - I pinch a maggot and a bloodworm with tweezers. He's already eating 2-3 maggots.

John

To be honest, I still don't understand what's so bad about aged tube worms... for adult fish, yes, obesity... but for growing ones (and those are the majority in the sea), it will never lead to obesity, especially if it's been aged for more than a month... besides, tube worms can be fed vitamins (or medication if necessary)... I've had them in the diet for almost a year now, specifically and once a day (currently Helmon, Kuzovok, and anemones once a week), some are flying off, the anthias are grabbing them, I chase away the surgeons, but Hepatus still catches them... no fish has died so far (knock on wood), on the contrary, they've grown like horses... (two lysematids died, and for some reason a tridacna - I suspect Helmon, by the way).

Brent7831

I also give well-aged pipefish. I used to give it to Helman when he was a teenager, once or twice a week. Now I spoil them with good live maggots and coretra, in spring and autumn with mayflies, little devilfish, and large live daphnia. By the way, this feed culture lives in seawater for 20-30 minutes. So the fish have enough time to search for and catch live food. And there’s also freezing, artemia, and streptocarpus, a bit of mussels and shrimp.

Debra8438

I also provide well-aged bloodworm. Can you send a link on how to do this? I just haven't kept a freshwater fish and I'm not sure what to do with bloodworms or tubifex. P.S. Yarik is swimming away from the tweezers - he's scared.

Randall7906

There are plenty of ways to clean a pipe, and each has its own BUT, either due to the lack of necessity for a particular method. It's easier to buy one that's already aged.

Elizabeth

Off-topic No faith... no... if you count the waste of the plumber, the choice of planarians... who does this?

Anna9752

It's nonsense; until you endure it yourself, there will be problems... read the topic about feed, a bit higher in the freshwater section... I even befriended the seller, and still managed to last a week; they are not able to track everything on such a scale!

Breanna9982

Offtopic +1000. I remember from the press that I just bought some frozen food. When thawing - 30/70 white (weak) and red-pink tube feeder. At most, they will disinfect it. But the situation is even worse for the sea; it might backfire. The best and rarest (and smelliest!!!!!!!) tube feeder is from milk separators. I hope this reads as - for fish that are difficult to fatten, it's preferable to give them a pure product (as Biocon has been saying for the 2011th time), rather than the complaints of sellers of this wonderful and convenient feed!

Sheila

Guys, on Anatoly's advice, I gave my shrimp - it's going for both cheeks! It's pulling out from the mouth of the chrysiptera, it's a pleasure to watch. And it's not just small pieces, but decent ones.

Elizabeth6302

And this, comrades, is pleasing...

Diana7891

And my advice is that Anatoly doesn't want to eat. I waited and waited for the plumber... but didn't wait for him. Instead, he bit and spat out the artemia. And he ate one bloodworm.

James5032

Off-topic. So, non-partisan... But with Max, a true Leninist, there will be some benefit from this...

Raven7170

Max has a beast from another region. Off-topic. Not local. Doesn't act up much.

Patrick4439

So we need to lure him well with some good bait to get him to go to the natives faster... try to get some cornet, it might help, and try streptocephalus, they go crazy for it...

Holly

Is it shell-less? Doesn't eat, damn it.

Elijah7048

Natural.. Tomorrow I will go to the forum, maybe I will remember more about the Helmon boost, I will definitely write. I'm leaving now, no time, sorry please.

Sherri1320

Yarik, developed by Seachem, called Entice TM (Scent and Flavor enhancer for finicky eaters). It can help. It is used for marine fish that are difficult to entice to eat. It is effective, a preparation that has a range of scents that attract fish. Soaking food in it can eventually lead to some progress in getting Helmon to eat.

Jeffery

Yarik, and Helmon, have you already eaten?

Joseph1346

No. It's spitting with a moth. It's been three days already. Tomorrow I'll give a pipe smoker.

Ricardo7341

As for my Helmon. Diet - tiger shrimp grated three times a day in small portions. Once or twice a week I give a little tubifex. Two to three times a week - live bloodworms. Sometimes I catch gammarus from the sump, break their legs and throw them to Helmon - he devours them eagerly. He doesn't eat Artemia. He recognizes me and my wife, waits for us to throw food. He looks us straight in the eyes.

Crystal

Hitchcock is nervously smoking in the corner.... Max, have you tried giving him frozen gammarus? I can throw in a cube for a test. And about the shrimp - great... Soon he'll switch to minced meat.

Stephen

Only the amphipod with broken legs is not dead...

Anne

My ice cream gammarus is devouring with great pleasure. Especially the small ones.

Frank7213

Today I fed my pet a moth by hand.

Nicole7122

I started using maggots. If he spits them out, he swallows them again. (TTT) A month has passed.

Natalie

So, the question of his proper varied diet is a matter of time. I think I won't have to train him for long anymore.

Rita

Sadist.... "Your Galya is spoiled...."

Bonnie

How does Helmon get along with Forcipiger? Does the order of settlement matter?

Kenneth7210

Better both at once, and even then, there is no certainty that Helmon will not pursue Furcipiger.

Thomas5021

By the way, cherry shrimp are the favorite food of Helmon and Antis. I have a small freshwater tank nearby: occasionally, cherry shrimp and guppy fry are dispatched from it, and a fierce hunt begins, with only the Antis eating the fry... Helmon pecked at one once, then spat it out for a long time, but the live shrimp make a lot of noise, I recommend it! They often sell culls for pennies here... P.S. By the way, can freshwater algae be given to Surgeonfish, or...

Rodney

Algae yes, but plants... Some are not quite edible. P.S. In the photo, mostly plants.

Jesse

I recently bought a helmon with wheels and temporarily housed it with a dendrochirus. At first, it ate fan worms and nibbled on the smallest maggots, only those that fell on the rocks. Then it started taking larger prey and snatching live nauplii of artemia in the current. Today, it took frozen cyclops, which is already a joy. It showed no interest in the legs of ophiuroids, live pressed gammarus, or frozen artemia. There are no "roses" either; maybe I should try to chop up its tentacles and at the same time lure them with Seachem bait. If it doesn't get its act together, there will be a million of them later.

Kathy

Try the tiger shrimp. My cat eats it.

Carrie1606

Off-topic By the way, the highest indicator of this fish's condition...

Sarah7284

The second month of keeping the helmon is approaching. The tube feeder has been eating since day one. The bloodworm was trained to eat from the third to fourth week. Now it confidently snatches from my hand or tweezers. It also collects very actively from the bottom and stones. Artemia has been eating for a week now, although it sometimes spits it out. If you introduce a new type of food each month, it will master the entire range of frozen food in a year. P.S. Is everyone using 2 cm long shell-less shrimp in blister packs? Does anyone's helmon eat it (the 2 cm one)? Or do you buy smaller ones separately somewhere?

Michelle104

In blisters... Maybe there is some other option, I haven't come across it. My 2 cm shell-less one only grinds up rags. It eats so much that its belly turns into a "ball"... And also from the hand... By the way, yours is on the right diet, just be as careful as possible with the tube feeder. When it starts taking artemia, tiger shrimp, and shell-less ones, you can eliminate the tube feeder. What you have is quite enough, and the rest will find it on the reef. Is there Gammarus on the live rocks and on the sand? This is chocolate for Helmon, sometimes it can skillfully fish out a worm from the sand...

Mike

Yes, no questions about it, the constant rinsing of the pipe is getting annoying! There are fish. They are constantly pecking during the day, both with live rocks and from the sand. P.S. Sneaky snake... As soon as you put a moth or artemia in the water, it's already in position, ready to snatch pieces. But as soon as I put in a soft-bodied one, it looks as if it doesn't see it... like, "Hey, owner, why did you put a dummy in the water?!"

Michele

Offtopic At first, my fish didn't react to the streptocarpus until I started giving it along with artemia, slightly crushed, "on the sly." Eventually, they got a taste for it, and now you can't pull them away.

Laura4892

My helmon understood one simple thing today - if the owner doesn't feed him until the evening, he can nibble on the tentacles of aggression from the brainiac. I understand that if he did it once, he will always do it this way! Am I right?

Angela7060

They have individual habits that cannot be suppressed. My one does not practice this; the brainiac is standing without tentacles of aggression. Max, look at who is near him and causing such a reaction. If there is a chance to move him, do it, and then the brainiac will calm down, and Helmon will have a day off...

Danielle

It seems my fish will pass away, more than two weeks have gone by and it hasn't eaten. I've tried all kinds of food, even live bloodworms, but it ignores them, both in the water column and in the sand. It doesn't even search for live rocks anymore, just swims back and forth along the glass.

Lisa

What if we try to give live daphnia, cyclops, and coretra, go for some fish and look for something from live feed? When I was stubbornly trying to feed them, I used these feeds plus some black fly larvae to fatten them up. By the way, live daphnia lives for about 20 minutes in a marine aquarium. Maybe we can ask around for some shrimp fry from those who have them.

Nicole

I will go and look for the living, but should there already be some? I thought summer was the season.

Leonard

Live shrimp are awesome! Unfortunately, there are fish that are quicker... I grab a live shrimp with tweezers, and it gets pecked at in a race with the bait!

Kimberly3727

Offtopic Everything genius is simple!

David4968

Don't criticize - you won't catch enough shrimp. Pinch the pipefish with a tweezers and a bloodworm! Try the formula with a period of one day: 1m-1t-2m-1t-3m-1t-1m-1t-2m-1t-3m-... then artemia-bloodworm. The bloodworm is small.

Alejandro

Not eating yet. When you approach the aquarium, it hides behind the reef. Something is nibbling on the rocks and the bottom, but I can't figure out what. I'm giving it bloodworms and shrimp. The fish is not being held back. Let's hope for the best. There are a few aiptasia, but it ignores them. There seem to be some feather dusters as well.

Johnny

first day in the reef?

Jennifer7159

this is for now, later everything will be knocked out

Anthony4281

I took the second one, which was about a month and a half old, and after the journey, it was hiding in the reef for about three days. I don't even want to talk about feeding; for five days, I didn't pay any attention to it. Then it got bolder and started to show curiosity. When I approached the aquarium, it would swim up to the glass, but when I threw in the food, it got scared and went back to the reef. This went on for a couple of days, and then it started to take almost all the food I offered, which was about seven types of live food and two frozen ones. So I hope your NOSE will get used to it, settle in the aquarium, stop being afraid, and start taking food. The main thing is that it shouldn't be poisoned. Good luck.

Andrea6761

I have a bad experience with them; I had two, and both died. After that, I somehow lost interest in that fish. Although when I switched to a larger volume, I really wanted a yellow zebra, a haplochromis, and a helmon.

Jessica8898

I lost two Chelmon rostratus; the first one was poisoned and didn't eat, the second one died due to my negligence, all because of my foolish haste. Still, Chelmon and Hipatus are my favorite little fish. After two failures with Chelmon, I gained experience, although it was expensive, and only then did I understand what these beautiful fish need and how to optimize their feeding and everything else related to their care.

Tammy

It seems not. I hope so too. He takes the food, but very passively. But I've only had him for five days. I got him "off the wheels."

Elizabeth882

I have the same story, it hides, even the moth doesn't eat... it ate all the worms, now it's losing weight - I gave it live worms - it doesn't eat... what a pity...

George5104

Today I introduced Helmosh into my tank. Size 4-5 cm. I got a cyclops from the previous owner. It’s not scared and is pecking at something on the rocks.

Alexander

Well, it's clear, overcooked. A savage would be scared.

Marie5735

This morning I couldn't find my Helman. I took a day off work, came home, and started searching. I didn't disassemble the reef. I took a small pump and blew into the little caves, but the result was zero. I looked at my bubble coral and saw that it was spitting something out. After about 5 minutes, I saw a half-decayed Helman. When it emerged halfway out of the torus, I quickly started helping to pull it out. I took tweezers and removed what was left of it. I also recorded a video of the whole process. It was intense!

Sandra7004

I have nothing coming up, soon it's all over... me too...

Jennifer9100

People! Stop scaring others with horrors and taking away their hope!

Monica

I need to buy small ones, it's good that at A-Helman the prices are not sky-high... I've been overfeeding the aquarium for a week because of him, and he still won't eat...

Erin2730

We will all die someday - this is a real fact of life, but if we keep talking about it, then... we won't want to live. ....................... I have read about the content of the helmons, and I see the same thing myself, but I really want to hope that this cup will pass me (and him).

April3499

And I disagree with this! Dogs die. Off-topic: Do not fear death, it will come to us anyway, just prepare for it and then it won't catch us off guard. Memento mori - Remember death. Forewarned is forearmed!

Laura7633

I still come to the conclusion that fish should be bought from Europe. More expensive, but...

Linda

but of course with the video editing, I usually quickly throw away the dead fish and try not to remember...

Theresa5149

I have such a wasp left that on the weekend I will sell the bubble, I can't stand looking at it. When Hipatus pecks at something near it, it gets a bit scary.

Leonard

Don't sell her, she's not to blame for being approached by a little one, if not dead, then already a dying Helman. Her instinct is to grab, and that's how he got caught; she wouldn't have caught a living one.

Crystal

Forget about that fish, there are plenty of others. I once had a white-bellied cichlid, and the poor thing died right in front of me. It started thrashing around for a couple of seconds and that was it. I didn't buy another one because I felt sorry for it, I kept remembering the old one.

Andrew7823

only a bunch of others don't want to eat aptasia, or they start eating aptasia and soft corals. I bought it as a cleaner for glass anemones, although the fish is really cool.

Tami

Yes, you can't ignore such a little fish, you can ignore the goby, the Apogon, even that white-breasted one, but not Helman.

Kimberly

I am just in awe of the helman. So graceful, calm, and elegant. There are no pointless movements back and forth. Just yesterday, I released the wild one, and the yellow zebrasoma immediately attached itself to him. It spread its fins and started pressing him against the rocks. He moved a bit for decency, then pushed himself against the viewing glass. Half an hour later, the zebra was already racing along the viewing glass, trying to escape, while this beauty was nibbling on something in the rocks, but intentionally staying close to her. Always in sight. The only fish that hasn't been scared since day one when I approach the aquarium. An interesting fish.

Hannah

I stopped by the Central Asia today, bought a flavor enhancer... soaked the artemia, Helmon is taking it and spitting it out for now... the others are going crazy... the wrasse is ready to chew through the glass, Helmon is a tricky fish.

Jacob4800

I wonder, is this also used for fish? Or is there something specific for fish?

Leslie

+100, wonderful fish, one of my favorites.

Nicholas5194

I can tell you about my fish: There is no crypto. It's active. It swims all the time but hides when you get too close (not always). It befriends clowns. It eats something (picks up food from the bottom and from the stones), but it's not clear what yet, as the food is quickly picked up by other inhabitants. I hope it will start eating more actively. So far, I'm offering live bloodworms, shrimp, artemia, and dry food. I got it from Sasha, who seems to be a reliable seller and won't sell anything bad. I was told right away that it wasn't overfed and about possible issues with fattening it up. So I didn't buy it blindly. And the fish is very beautiful.

Caitlin3279

I got my fish a couple of weeks ago from A. It's active, swims around, makes friends with everyone, and constantly grabs things from the rocks and sand. It doesn't take food. Over the weekend, while I was away, it ate a few polyps of favia. I ordered garlic, let's see how it reacts.

Alec9378

Phew... It's been 6 days with the brine shrimp. In the morning, I hadn't looked at them yet, but now I've thrown some in and they started eating. Interestingly, they didn't go for the ones that were floating individually in the water, but rather the ones that were clumped together. They started tearing at the zebra from both ends, and the zebra managed to snatch and eat it whole. But then, Helman seemed to get the hang of it and started catching the ones that were swimming alone. Finally, things are moving! I'm as happy as a clam! It's not for nothing that they say you should feed them frozen brine shrimp instead of thawed, so they learn to pick at it from the cube first. Once they get the taste, they'll start eating the free-swimming ones. And that's exactly what's happening.

Joseph9203

If the moina is of poor quality, the interest in it from the helmon is adequate, maybe even not worth watching. This is at first. When the fish has fully adapted to the conditions, it may take moina of not very good quality, but only weakly. At least that's how it is for me.

Mike

Well, I'm making a second attempt, I booked Helmon in Airife.

Monica

The road will be mastered by the one who walks it.

Javier5186

Today a miracle happened, I started eating frozen shrimp soaked in flavor enhancer, I had almost given up... I tried everything, even got a burst of nitrates, overfed fish, and a giant clam in the holes... but I think I've found the key now, fortunately, not many people eat shrimp besides me... Wishing everyone a happy upcoming holiday, health and prosperity to you and your pets!

Nicole7122

I have a miracle too! After a month, I started using maggots soaked in Sichyemov garlic. Hooray!!!

Loretta5483

Cool riff! In the first video, at minutes 1:03 - 1:06, it seems like a helmon, but with some strange coloring - or is it not?

Bridget

Odessa, yes, this is Helman, but interestingly, the fan worm in the left corner is alive and not touching anything. I saw a little foxfish, Siganus puellus, and as far as I know, it is quite fond of corals, yet it lives there, which is quite interesting.

James5103

I wonder what kind of head is sticking out of the sand there? Who is it? It's not LYOSHA, it's not a fan worm in the left corner, it's a Cerianthus.

Daniel

Yesterday I received the Helmon from Airif. Its size is about 6 cm. It arrived clean and lively. After being placed in the reef, it sat in the corner until 7:00 PM. Then it started making trial excursions. While it was sitting, it was periodically attacked by shrimp-toras. Now it swims everywhere. When approaching the aquarium, the Helmon does not get scared; on the contrary, it shows interest and also swims up to the glass. It swam in Airif for about a month and actively ate artemia. For now, it is digging in the rocks and sand. After the scheduled feeding with artemia, the Helmon is picking something off the bottom, seemingly artemia.

Leah

Why is no one trying the fattening feeder? They used to be almost universally used. PS photo with logo. The second one is from our forum member.

Brenda

It's certainly an interesting idea... now we just need to find a helmon who will fall for it...

Jeremy

For fattening, fattened. That's more accurate. If he doesn't take from the reef, then what kind of feeder is there.

Christopher1252

How do you know?

Gary6376

I ordered Helmon a long time ago. The delivery was on December 22. I received Helmon on January 12. Denis told me that Helmon eats artemia very well. Personally, I have no doubts about the truthfulness of Denis. As of today, I have 4 visible aiptasia left in my aquarium. Helmon eats artemia well.

David4968

You know better, of course, but in my humble opinion, if the animal is not poisoned and is not eating, then the problem lies in the way the food is presented... As for the second photo, again from our forum member.

Heather6148

My helmon got fat from such a feeder... and as I was later told, one survived from the shipment! I didn't notice my photo... the second one, with my fish.

Michelle1505

If the animal is in shape, it will take the food even without this gadget... But I'm not saying I'm against the aforementioned method. As long as it works...

David953

I repeat, the fish survived alone from the shipment, which means it wasn't poisoned... the problem is the difficulty in fattening it up and the owner's patience. I think there's no point in waiting, try the feeders; it definitely won't get worse... and don't waste time...

Thomas1044

I only catch shrimp and crushed shrimp "from the floor," nothing is caught in the water, the feeder made from a syringe didn't work :-( before that, it ate all the worms, the aiptasia... and the tridacna for 60 rubles, such a "cheap" Helmon it turned out to be.

Kevin3579

It's all very individual. My one didn't eat from that feeder (didn't even try). He only started eating actively when the yellow zebrasoma appeared; he became friends with it and started eating for company.

Ross

I agree with Sergey; my two Helman fish were skittish around the feeder and kept their distance from it. For the first two weeks, they behaved very cautiously, gathering something on the reef, but it was not enough since they did not take any additional food. The presence of other established fish (just not large or aggressively territorial ones) will have a greater effect, preferably Hypatitus zebrasoma or the foxface, as they become friends right from the first day. After being acclimated and getting used to the aquarium and its owner, they will take food from the hand, swimming between the fingers without fear.

Katherine

Well, you have to try everything, especially when a week has passed and the fish are still scared of the feeder. So I had to climb through pits and reeds in those water bodies where there are no fish and look for bloodworms, maggots, large livebearers, daphnia, and cyclops. These baits were devoured immediately, and the most interesting thing is that, on average, all the mentioned baits live in seawater for up to half an hour, while bloodworms and maggots can last up to two hours.

Alec9378

Tanya is right - Helmon has a specialization in extracting something from stones/tubes; therefore, a feeder is a good idea, the only wish is for it to be in place before the fish are introduced. Offering bloodworms in such a feeder is very convenient, as they are alive, visible, and not accessible to other fish (until they come out to be eaten). In terms of feeding, the fish are difficult, so it's better to introduce them into an already established aquarium (at first, they will find something to eat) before introducing aggressive surgeonfish (the less stress, the better); essentially, the choice is not great: either take a baby and "feed it with a spoon," or take already well-fed fish.

Christopher3770

My fish started taking food directly from the water, not waiting for it to fall to the bottom. I think we can consider it "well-fed." It ignores the feeder and only catches the bloodworms that fall from it.

Christopher4125

I fed the white-breasted and Helmon (both have gone to the rainbow) with ice cream moths and Artemia (but now I also bought a flavor enhancer in Kyiv, from Siachem)... My fish ignored the feeder at first, but then showed interest (I made a transparent Kinder Surprise from an egg), drilled holes in it, and stuffed it among the stones,...

Phillip9722

Hi. Which helmon should I buy, a big one or a small one? So that two surgeons don't touch it. Blue and yellow.

Ronald

If the yellow surgeon refers to Zebrasoma flavescens and you want to introduce a Helmon, I wouldn't take the risk. The Helmon won't survive. It will be slowly and steadily overwhelmed. Of course, as with everything, there are exceptions. But in this case, the chances are very slim.

Thomas

I had a zebra that lived with two or three Helmans (in turn). The zebra didn't notice the Helmans, just like the other surgeons.

Christopher8654

I had yellow zebrasoma try to attack the introduced helmon in five different aquariums five times. All the other surgeons didn't react to the introduced helmons at all. That's why I warned you. If not, then not.

Laurie3842

Very beautiful fish, but it doesn't live long in an aquarium. I had three of them (one after another), I fed them well, they ate brine shrimp "with enthusiasm." But... after a year to a year and a half, they eat in the evening, swim normally, show no signs of problems, and by morning, they're already dead.

Susan1358

It's a pity, is it like this for everyone? On the other hand, a goal and a half is also a period... I have six months, and already a bunch has left...

Nicholas5194

Taki seems to have lived for about 2 years.

Michael

The tube fish is probably the only thing I haven't tried in the feeder, and it's currently not available for sale. Well, I could feed it from a bottle with a nipple. Although the store assured me that it had been sitting in an empty aquarium (without live rock) for three weeks and was taking Artemia from the bottom. But I have zero reaction from the substrate and rocks to food! I just wanted to warn people that if you find it hard to cope with a fish passing away, Hellmon is not the fish for you! It was too sad for me to see its hungry little eyes.

Julie3950

Out of three, two started on a live bait.

Robert1845

I read here about the chimney sweep. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a chimney sweep for sale. And I wasn't prepared in advance for the appearance of Hellmon. Don't repeat my mistakes. My husband even accused me of animal cruelty.

Crystal4879

My fish clearly did not die from exhaustion. Both ate in the evening, and by morning, they were gone. In the previous days/weeks, they did not refuse food. The aquarium is over 600 liters. The feed is mainly Artemia and Moina. Sometimes I use tubifex with tweezers. And it's not just me; I know two other forum members who experienced the same issue. So, please reveal the secret of what everyone is doing wrong? Why does the fish die if it eats normally and shows no signs of exhaustion?

Christina9947

Did I write that I know and won't tell anyone? I didn't go into details, so I won't make up what exactly they lack in Artemia. This is my opinion; you can ignore it, no one is imposing it on you. Above, I described the fact of the practice of keeping Chelmon rostratus in a classic manner. The practices of myself and some colleagues. About 10 fish from different batches in different aquariums (from 200 to 1000 liters). I want to emphasize in simple words: this fish needs an individual approach to feeding for subsequent proper maintenance in captivity. You yourself lean towards such an opinion; a little above are your words:

Sydney

interesting

Debra6575

Feeder with flutes

Diana7891

I used a 10-cubic syringe decorated with small stones for fattening three Helmans. At first, there were live tubifex, then bloodworms, and finally frozen brine shrimp...

Christina9947

On the third day, we started to take Artemia and Streptocephalus by hand. But for three days, we were a bit nervous.

Debbie3587

So far, I've had experience with two helmonas. I couldn't get the first one to thrive. A week of dancing around it, I started using tube worms, bloodworms, and sometimes artemia. Then I had to leave for two days. In the end, it was a little corpse. Conclusion - a break in feeding is unacceptable. The second one started, quite literally, eating artemia on the second day. Now it's trying to taste the dry food.

Nancy758

My wheels were...

Debra8438

Eating

John5528

I acquired a Chelmon, the feelings are indescribable, beauty, grace, curiosity. It hid in the reef for about 3 hours, then started to come out. Sometimes, something bites in the rocks. The offered food /soft-shelled shrimp, artemia, pieces of shrimp/ is currently being ignored. Tomorrow I will go for live tubifex and bloodworms /day one/

Natalie

/Day two/ A bit bolder now, he is sorting things out with the zebrasoma. Still not eating, except for sand worms and fan worms. I put a live maggot with chopped shrimp and mussel in a shell at the bottom; he shows interest but doesn't eat. In the evening, he swims up to the shell with a mixture of maggot, shrimp, and mussel, and bites at something. But it's not what we understand as fish eating greedily. Something bites, swims away, and after a while, bites again. He is not taking food from the water yet.

Meghan

Help with advice for those who are aware of the transition from live feed to artemia, etc.