Help with Copper Banded Butterfly

[TheChad]

Hey All,

I picked up a new Copper Banded Butterfly yesterday, to replace my old one that didn't make it threw copper treatment for Ich..

My 1st one was eating from the very beginning, This one has yet to eat. I put in some Frozen Mysis shirmp yesterday, and he was not interested at all. Today I put some frozen Mega-Marine Angel by Bio Pure (I know he is a butterfly, not an Angel, but that's what the LSF gave me to feed him).

He picked at a few pieces, but it looked like he spit them all back out...

He has only been in the tank about 24 hours now. He is basically hanging out in one corner of the tank, every so often he will take a little swim around, and then he goes back to the corner...

I just want to check and make sure there is nothing I should be worried about, and to see if there is anything I should / Can do for him?

Thanks,

-TheChad

 

[Hara]

Getting a copperband butterfly to eat can be difficult. You might want to try soaking brine shrimp in garlic. I have found that they will usually eat brine before any other frozen, then after they are eating that well enough, you can try to switch them over to mysis.

 

[melosu58]

It`s not unusual for them to be shy and hide the first couple of days.Really that`s for any fish

 

[Brenden]

Blood worms and cyclopeeze mixed together. It will love it.

 

[lando]

was the fish eating at the LFS? If so...what? Make sure you offer very small bits of food as this fish has a small mouth.

 

[TheChad]

This fih had just come in to the LFS the morning I picked him up. They offered to keep him for a few days, but it was a not-so-local fish store and I didn't want to drive back again...

I have offered him Mysis shirmp, Brine Shirmp, and the Bio Pure Mega Marine Angel frozen food, He was not interested at all with the Mysis, he picked at the brine shirmp, but I didn't see him eat any...

*** Update ***

I just feed him some blood worms, and he was all over them like white on rice...

I am very happy to see him eat... What steps should I take next to get him eating other things? From what I understand blood worms and brine shirmp are like candy to him and don't really have anything good for him... So I want to make sure I can get him to eat what will keep him healthy..

-TheChad

 

[Hara]

umm....try soaking the food in garlic oil

 

[TheChad]

I have Kent's extreme Garlic.. I aways soak all my frozen food in it...

-TheChad

 

[Brenden]

Good to hear the blood worms worked for you. Do you have any other vitamins to soak food in? (selcon, zoe, zoecon, etc)

 

[TheChad]

Nope, don't have any vitamins. The Bio Pure Blood Worms says it has some vitamins, B12, C, and a couple other I think...

I put a bunch of blood worms in a little at a time, but he stops after about 6 worms... I know our last one would eat 15 or so pieces of brine shirmp... So hopefully he will start eating a little more..

Thankfully any of the uneaten food, the crabs and shirmp clean right up...

-TheChad

 

[TheChad]

Well I am happy to see that today the Copper banded Butterfly is eating a little more, swimming a little more, and I actually saw him seek out food in the rocks...

Tomarrow I will mix some brine shirmp and blood worms together and see if i can get him to start eating brine shirmp..

Unfortunitly I did find a white spot on this tail fin, So i am suspecting Ich, My RO/DI system came today, So I will be doing some water changes in my 55g tank getting the Nitrate down to 0ppm, then I will move all my inverts over to the 55g tank, and begin treating the butterfly in the 29g with copper...

-TheChad

 

[TheChad]

I have been mixing 50/50 Blood Worms and Brine shrimp over the last 3 days, The Copper Banded Butterfly will pick out all the blood worms, and leave all the brine shirmp (The the crabs and shrimp are happy to recieve on the bottom)

Is there something different I can do to try and get him to eat brine shrimp?

How long can he eat just blood worms and stay healthy/alive?

Thanks,

-TheChad

 

[Brenden]

IMO bloodworms are much better for the fish than brine. Bloodworms are loaded with protein. Have you tried mysis, cyclopeeze or even flake?