General Care Discussion :: RES Not Eating, is Water Temp to Blame?

[cmcd24]

I'm transitioning my 10 yr (approx) RES from an indoor tank to an outdoor pond. We just finished installing it, and adding the finishing touches but wanted to let the water rotate for a few days before putting her in. I'm in Maryland and the temperatures have been kind of up and down but the water temp is staying anywhere from 60-70 degrees.

To prepare my RES to going from her comfy indoor water temp of 86, I have slowly been decreasing the temperature on her water heater. However, I have noticed she now has no interest in eating. Usually she can't get to the pellets fast enough and is splashing about. I have her water around 68-70 right now.

When I first got her I was young and oblivious and didn't even have a heater in her water, so I know she can handle the cooler temperatures but she has obviously been spoiled since! She is spending a lot more time basking on her platform than usual as well.

Has anyone else experienced this? should I be concerned or will she acclimate and get back to her usual self? It has been about 4-5 days of no eating now. Any advice is appreciated!

[steve]

I think she'll adjust fine. Have you tried any treats? is she still basking?

[cmcd24]

Thanks for getting back to me steve.

She is still basking, actually she is doing so more than usual.

I did try some treats and last night I managed to get her to "nibble" but after a couple of bites she seemed fairly uninterested. She is still responsive when she sees me, follows me, but is a little more 'slow' than usual.

[steve]

What kind of thermometer are you using? Also 86 is pretty high for water temps, 76 would have been better as her staple temperature.

[cmcd24]

I currently have a thermometer stuck to the glass of her aquarium. I have one at each end of the tank. I don't know the brand of the thermometer or the water heater off the top of my head. The water heater has marks and numbers on the dial to show what temp it is supposed to heat the water to.

She still hasn't eaten and has spent a lot of time on the bottom of the tank, I just bumped the temperature up about 4 degrees yesterday to see how she does. I plan not to keep it that high anymore especially since I would like her to be outside in the pond soon and be able to adjust with the weather changes, but this now has me concerned that she won't take to it so well.

[steve]

Are there any other symptoms?