Hey guys, we're struggling with one of our Rainbow Forktails. We only have females in the tank, and this one has developed an obsession (is it stress eating?) with hanging out in the pearlweed, eating the shrimplets she finds there. It's becoming a big problem, as you can see by her size, and I'd like to find a way to keep her from making herself sick.
She's gorging herself every day and we're not sure if we should put her in a quarantine tank and fast her or what, considering she'll just start doing it again once she's returned to the regular (29gallon) tank.
Our parameters are: 0 ammonia, 0 ppm nitrite, 20 ppm nitrates. pH is 7.5, temp is kept at 75°F. TDS is 203. She's not showing signs of pineconing or any sickness, and she poops regularly (often because she's clearly got an eating disorder). We thought it was constipation initially but it's not, her belly goes down between meals but she looks like this often. I thought maybe she was eggbound but she seems healthy and again, her size fluctuates.
What do you guys suggest? The pearlweed is there for the shrimp as a safe place, and they hide in it but anytime they move up to the top, she eats them, which is fine but oh my gosh, she's not stopping. She literally hangs out here specifically to eat them even though she looks like she's about to explode. We need a better, more permanent solution. The other Forktails aren't doing this, only her. Thought I'd ask you for help, this is a strange situation for us and we've been dealing with aquariums for a long time.
Posted by gruntykin