Copperband Butterfly not eating

[NC2WA]

Imagine this, a CBB not eating. The fish has clear eyes and fins and appears healthy.

I know this fish can be hard to feed, but I would like to know what other foods I can try. This fish is in a 20g QT tank (yeah, Lee I got a QT up) and I have tried mysis shrimp and brine shrimp. I was going to try a clam on the half shell but 1. didnt know if a CBB would eat this and 2. where does one buy such a thing.

Suggestions are welcomed.

Kirk

 

[jesshimom]

One of my CBB's loved steamer clams from the store. I froze them first and just dropped one at a time in the tank.

 

[Jan]

Kirk, did you feed frozen brine? If so, would you like to try live baby brine? I have some I could hatch for you, and/or give you the eggs to hatch yourself. You could also buy some Ocean Pods to plump up your pod population if needed.

 

[NC2WA]

Jan,

Yeah, I fed frozen brine. Haven't tried live brine yet, but willing to. At this point, I am just trying to find **something** that will interests this fish's appetite.

I do have Cyclopeeze, but havent tried it yet.

Kirk

 

[leebca]

The Copperband is a challenge mostly because it doesn't acclimate well. Nothing the aquarist can do can force an acclimation. Hence their reputation. The older ones (over 3") are usually more difficult to acclimate.

How does the fish react to you? Does it hide? Does it come forward? If the fish hides from you then you need to spend more time just sitting in front of the QT. Keep other people and distractions away from the tank.

Can the fish see out of the four sides and the bottom of the QT? Try putting black paper around the tank so the fish just only sees looking out the front.

Look for other sources of stress and remove or reduce them.

Get a piece of fake live rock and wash it off very well. Put some mysis and/or Brine Shrimp into it (not much) and see if the fish's instinct to pick at rock will kick in. Try putting tiny bits of fresh sea scallop into the rock, too. The clam as suggested is good too.

If you can manage all the above, the fish's chances to acclimate will improve.

 

[krisfal]

Kirk,
I got mine eating by pressing clam flesh into a piece of rock like Lee has suggested. I think their instinct to find food on the rock is strong, so it is a good place to present the food. After just a few days the CBB was going after the clam before I could even get it into the rock.

You should be able to find fresh clams at a seafood section at a grocery store, I know I have seen them at albertsons. If not try an asian market in your area. Down here we have a Johny's seafood on the waterfront, how far are you from the Pike Street market (seattle)?

At first it is probably not the food as much as the presentation; although I was never able to get mine to eat anything that was not white!

 

[NC2WA]

Lee,

The QT is in the garage and most of the day the lights are off. So I would think the stress factor is low. I only turn the lights on when it is feeding time. However, the fish does come forward to the tank when I approach it and normally goes to the right corner and hangs out.

I assume I can use a rubberband to secure a food of my choice on to the LR ??

Does one need to rinse the fresh clams before it enters the tank?? How long do you leave it in the tank if the fish does not take to it??

The last CBB I had devoured PE Mysis Shrimp. I know this is not the best choice of foods (as it is freshwater), but is this something to try??

Kirk

 

[leebca]

Kirk,

Anything goes in trying to get fish to start eating.

The lights on/off is not what the fish is used to. Leave lights on during day/off at night.

Rubberband is okay. Push food into fake rock before putting it inside the QT the first time. Remove food after a few hours or before sunset.

Buy living clams. Freeze first or open first then freeze. Freeze at least 24 hours or longer in a warmer freezer. Rinse the opened and thaw clam then put into QT. Remove clam before sunset.

 

[NC2WA]

Lee,

What is the signficance of freezing the clams first??

 

[leebca]

Depends upon when you're freezing. If they are alive and unopened, the freeze will open them and make it easier to finish opening them AND kill parasites. If they are live, then opened, the freezing will kill parasites.

 

[mmkeeper]

I got mine eating with live brine and live tubeflex worms. Now it eats frozen and flake

 

[krisfal]

Kirk,
Any luck getting it to eat yet?

 

[NC2WA]

Kris,

None. I am going to try clam strips on a rock today and if no luck there, going to Jan's this weekend to get some live baby brine shrimp.

Kirk

 

[krisfal]

I really hope it starts eating soon. That is the scary part about QT'ing fish that are more difficult to get eating or that are pod eater, at least in your display you can hope they are finding something to eat.

 

[simplybill]

I think mysis shrimp too big. if you have aptasia in tank cbb will eat that too dont cut or damage the aptasia just take the rock out of which ever tank and put in qt.if im not mistaken it shouldn't be too hard to find someone with aptasia to help you out i'm sure they are having their struggles as well

 

[Sherman]

How long have you had the fish? I have a CBB that is a known good acclimation candidate. In his old home, he ate aptasia out of your fingers, literally. He lets me pet him now (It's only been a month in the new home) and he actually competes for his food (frozen mysis) at feeding time. However, it even took him over a week to eat anything.

It sounds like Lee has a ton of good ideas (go figure ). My immediate thoughts were also to cover up the sides of the tank, and leave the lights on 8 hrs/day with a timer, so it's regular. Does he have anywhere to hide? Sitting out in the garage, it sounds like he's out in the dark, alone, and every now and then, a huge human being storms in, turns on the lights, scares the crap out of him, and tries to feed.

Hopefully he eats soon. A friend of mine recently commented "I don't pay attention to eating habits for the first week or two, it's just so depressing." He wasn't totally serious, but it does convey the difficulty in acclimation.

 

[leebca]

The problem with that suggestion is that the purpose the fish is in the quarantine is to keep it free of disease and acclimate it. Providing rock or materials from another aquarium runs the risk of infecting the fish. Although it seems like a good idea -- just to get the fish to eat -- the fish is not acclimating as it is and the rock won't make the fish acclimate.

If the fish won't acclimate, there isn't much anyone can do. It is the problem with this fish -- they don't acclimate well. So acclimate and you'll hear aquarists telling you that this fish is easy; others have tried three or four and not gotten any to acclimate.

 

[NC2WA]

Well happy news, I soaked some mysis shrimp in garlic (don't know that garlic was the answer) and it is now eating !!! Has been for 2 days. I try and spend at least 15 mins in front of the tank for it to get use to my prescence.

will keep you posted...

 

[Jan]

That is great news, Kirk.

 

[mmkeeper]

Another reason to give thanks..