Tips for getting Copperband butterfly to eat

[teethdoctor23]

So I recently added a CBB to my system and am having trouble getting it to eat, as expected. In my area, CBBs are picked up extremely fast, so waiting to find one that was eating ferociously wasn’t an option. I had my LFS special order me one and waited a day to make sure he arrived healthy. He did not have a pinched stomach and I watched him eat mysis off of the sand, so my hopes were high. My system is a mature one, and the CBB has spent the first few days in my tank taking out my featherdusters on the rocks and pecking the rocks/sand for pods. However, the closest I’ve gotten it to eating actual foods is a clam on a half shell that it has picked up and dropped several times.

I generally feed LRS, blood worms, mysis, nori in my system. I have tried shoving frozen food into the rocks and he just swims right past it. There’s no fish causing stress to the CBB, there’s just zero interest in frozen foods and I cannot find any live foods to feed. Any suggestions? I know that his current diet in my tank isn’t sustainable and I refuse to give up on this gorgeous fish.

 

[Daniel]

Have you tried masstick from easy reefs?

Easy reefs - microalgae specialities for your aquarium or cultures. A Fitoplancton Marino SL website - Masstick

Easy reefs micro algae specialities from the symbiosis between Fitoplancton Marino SL and Veta la Palma. Microalgae natural products with high technology. Self-production, highly technical compounds, providing balanced nutrition for omnivorous fish and marine invertebrates.”> <meta name=

www.easyreefs.com

I've tried this and broken up small clumps to stick on rocks and I've had some success with my CBB taking interest in it as he picks mostly at the rocks in my system. Seems you've got plenty of food in the system, perhaps with a little time, variety, and observation you can unlock some positive feeding behaviors.

 

[teethdoctor23]

Have you tried masstick from easy reefs?

Easy reefs - microalgae specialities for your aquarium or cultures. A Fitoplancton Marino SL website - Masstick

Easy reefs micro algae specialities from the symbiosis between Fitoplancton Marino SL and Veta la Palma. Microalgae natural products with high technology. Self-production, highly technical compounds, providing balanced nutrition for omnivorous fish and marine invertebrates.”> <meta name=

www.easyreefs.com

I've tried this and broken up small clumps to stick on rocks and I've had some success with my CBB taking interest in it as he picks mostly at the rocks in my system. Seems you've got plenty of food in the system, perhaps with a little time, variety, and observation you can unlock some positive feeding behaviors.

Excellent suggestion! Just got some and will be delivered tomorrow. Do you mix anything into the Masstick mixture? Or just the masstick by itself on the rocks?

 

[dennis romano]

Defrost some of your frozen foods, then mix the food together then put the mix into the clam shell and refreeze. He seems interested in the clam so he may pick at the mix.

 

[john90009]

I would say try clams. That’s normally what I see a store that quarantines thier copperbands start off with. Then work to mysid.

 

[Derrick0580]

Mine loves masstick, but was also eating frozen at the lfs.

 

[teethdoctor23]

I would say try clams. That’s normally what I see a store that quarantines thier copperbands start off with. Then work to mysid.

The clams have been hit or miss, I don’t have time to sit and watch him for hours, but I’ve seen him pick at the clams a bit.

 

[christwendt]

The clams have been hit or miss, I don’t have time to sit and watch him for hours, but I’ve seen him pick at the clams a bit.

You dont need to sit and watch him. Slice the clam on half a shell but keep it intact. Use a rubber band to attach it to a piece of rock. If you see him eating it great. Thats what i did. It took a few days but he would eat at it randomly. I then started trying LRS frozen foods and PE mysis soaked in garlic. He started to eat these out of the water column after a few tries.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Mine ate day 1 but have sold many that were finicky and enticers are clam on 1/2 shell, LRS herbivore diet and live blackworms (which must removed if not eaten)

 

[teethdoctor23]

You dont need to sit and watch him. Slice the clam on half a shell but keep it intact. Use a rubber band to attach it to a piece of rock. If you see him eating it great. Thats what i did. It took a few days but he would eat at it randomly. I then started trying LRS frozen foods and PE mysis soaked in garlic. He started to eat these out of the water column after a few tries.

Mine ate day 1 but have sold many that were finicky and enticers are clam on 1/2 shell, LRS herbivore diet and live blackworms (which must removed if not eaten)

I actually got him to eat brine shrimp and blood worms from the water column this morning! I forgot to soak it in garlic but later today I’m going to try again. No luck on the clam, but I’ll try slicing it like you mentioned and see how that goes.

 

[exnisstech]

I forgot to soak it in garlic but later today I’m going to try agai

The garlic is just to help entice them to eat. It really doesn't offer nutritional value so if he is eating without it maybe not bother? As suggested mine loves black worms and also mastick. Now he eats almost any type of frozen. Won't touch flake or pellet but I rarely feed anything but frozen anyways.

 

[Jekyl]

Rods brand fish eggs are always the hottest food in my tank. There's 2 kinds and the fish love them both equally.