Advice ... My copperband butterflyfish is not eating.

oceanrider · Jul 13, 2023

HI ALL So I got a copperbanded butterfly fish for my 30 gal reef. Its only other fish are a pair of mated tomato clownfish . There are some aitapsia pests.... spreading slowly...... and someone gifted me this CBB fish.
I acclimated him . The two clowns do not bother him at all. He hides behind a live rock, but comes out to nibble on the rocks and sand. I see him lunge at something, then backoff , seemingly peck and eat., is my guess. He searches and is very attentive to the macro algae, sand, rocks. Doesnt seem to bother the zoas, birdsnest, braincoral, cloves, etc. Its has been one week now.
THe aitapsia are still there. I even got 3 peppermint shrimp, though I dont know if they are the ones that eat aiptasia,
Water parameters are all normal.

I feed the fish frozen black worms, PE mysis, Small Krill , brine shrimp, etc...

I even placed a snmall clam opened, on bottom, but he doesnt touch it.

Any suggestions ?

blaxsun · Jul 13, 2023

PE Calanus might be something to try.

Reef370 · Jul 13, 2023

My CBB eats this right out of my hand. Also when i Stick it on the window he goes right after it.

Easy Masstick Fish Food Tabs

Everything you love about the original Masstick but now in a ready-to-use formulation that requires zero preparation! Masstick is an innovative fish food from the folks at EasyReefs that can be stuck to various surfaces in the aquarium for natural grazing behavior, and encourages even some of...

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vetteguy53081 · Jul 13, 2023

oceanrider said:
HI ALL So I got a copperbanded butterfly fish for my 30 gal reef. Its only other fish are a pair of mated tomato clownfish . There are some aitapsia pests.... spreading slowly...... and someone gifted me this CBB fish.
I acclimated him . The two clowns do not bother him at all. He hides behind a live rock, but comes out to nibble on the rocks and sand. I see him lunge at something, then backoff , seemingly peck and eat., is my guess. He searches and is very attentive to the macro algae, sand, rocks. Doesnt seem to bother the zoas, birdsnest, braincoral, cloves, etc. Its has been one week now.
THe aitapsia are still there. I even got 3 peppermint shrimp, though I dont know if they are the ones that eat aiptasia,
Water parameters are all normal.

I feed the fish frozen black worms, PE mysis, Small Krill , brine shrimp, etc...

I even placed a snmall clam opened, on bottom, but he doesnt touch it.

Any suggestions ?

Mine does not like masticks but has been an eating machine since day one and still 5 years later. Picking on rocks is a good sign as its settling in. LRS herbivore diet seeks to be a favorite food but for enticers, you can try live blackworms or brine shrimp. They are not big on aptasia opposed to a racoon and especially kleini butterfly which will attack aptasia like candy

oceanrider · Jul 14, 2023

okl
THanks for replies. I will go out and get some blackworms, live, and PE calanus. Already ordered Mastick. I will try to squeeze some frozen shrimp on it. ALso will try Rods and LRS .
Last night I saw him root around and checking out the stuff inside the Chaeto algae ( my tank is small, 30 gal, so I grow some macro gracellaria and chaeto inside the tank in the inconspicous back area. I also placed a shredded mussel in the bottom, some of it was gone by this morning,, but I dont know who ate it.
Probably not the two tomato clowns, as they tend to be column feeders. Maybe worms and or hermit crab. ?

I will keep trying and update. I dont want to lose him.

MrGisonni · Jul 14, 2023

Live food will hopefully do the trick.

exnisstech · Jul 14, 2023

If he was gifted to you most likely it was eating and is settling in. Mine loves mastick along with frozen mysis and a seafood mash I make. Mine won't touch pellet or flake but I rarely feed either. If yours is cruising around picking at rocks it will most likely be fine.

oceanrider · Jul 15, 2023

R+Thanks......

oceanrider · Jul 15, 2023

This is a video of what he looks like. Is he too thin ? What is your opinion. ? He does look almost every few minutes at the live rock or sand. I don’t have any other fish that eats pods or gammarus shrimp in the macro algae or live rock. Just two tomato clowns. And today added a small 1.5 inch blue tang.
Here is CBB