Copperband Butterfly Feeding/Weaning

[jef4y]

I picked up a gorgeous CBB last week which had gone through QT & was eating mysis. As expected with the environmental change, the first few days it wasn't eating.

I offered a lot of different foods but no dice, so I picked up some freshwater clams and popped one in. The CBB went NUTS for it. Spent hours pecking it and eating. And the Wrasse gets in there too. Between the two of them they finish it off in 24 hrs.

I've been doing this daily since.

However, now I'm kinda stuck. I'm thinking this probably isn't healthy and sustainable long term, but I don't know.

Any advice or thoughts on weaning it off of the clams?

 

[camellia]

Try to trick it like you would a dog with a pill. Use an ice pick and poke several tiny holes in it and insert different foods with a <span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">syringe a few times, i</span></span>t may get a taste or the flavor at least. Then try giving it only the other food. It may decide when it's hungry that it's better than nothing! Just a thought!

 

[ripped tide]

Have you tried black worms?

I house my copperband with clams. He doesn't bother them.

 

[reef coffee & curly hair]

+1 so far. A lot of times when a new fish begin's to notice everybody else eating something they eventually start to go for it. Both my cleaner wrasse and dusky wrasse beat out my foxface and powder blue when I feed pieces of nori. Situations like this may take more time due to Copperbands usually being pretty shy/picky in new environments. You might have to try something like blackworms, different food brands/types, Selcon, and/or any other food additive/enticer. Good luck.

 

[jef4y]

Will have to get out and pick up some blackworms. I need some more CUC anyhow so I guess I can venture OTP for an afternoon. sigh..

I already do selcon & garlic in everything, and Dylan, he's not eating my reef clam, but rather freshwater clams that I got from Publix =)

Think I may take a spent shell & fill it with misc foods and some clam, and rubberband it semi-closed to see if he will eat some other foods. If nothing else, it'll annoy the wrasse which is always a highlight.

 

[ripped tide]

You like it when that wrasse doesn't get his way!

I bet putting the foods on the half shell will work.

 

[jef4y]

Ripped Tide;816827 wrote: You like it when that wrasse doesn't get his way!

I bet putting the foods on the half shell will work.

The bear is keeping them there with the flow in the tank. Never ending challenges =)

 

[ripped tide]

The good news is that he is eating. I bet he will come around.

 

[jef4y]

So I took the clam shell that was in there, pulled it out and put some eggcrate in it to create a gap. Then I cut up 1/2 a freshwater clam and took 1/2 cube of frozen mysis & put it in with some selcon. Wrapped with a rubberband and dropped in.

The wrasse is most intrigued but can't get into it.
The CBB can get into it and I watched him pull out a piece of mysis & spit it out. He went to eat it again and the wrasse snatched it. LOL. Watching him dig in there though, I'm pretty sure he's getting some mysis.

But yeah, he is eating so that's what's most important.
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[slickwill613]

I read clams fw or sw are one of the best things you can feed any carnivorous fish. Pm me for a link.

 

[camellia]

NanoHooked;816579 wrote: Try to trick it like you would a dog with a pill. Use an ice pick and poke several tiny holes in it and insert different foods with a <span style="font-family: Times New Roman"><span style="font-size: 13px">syringe a few times, i</span></span>t may get a taste or the flavor at least. Then try giving it only the other food. It may decide when it's hungry that it's better than nothing! Just a thought!

:up:
Its similar to children with food. They must be made to try new foods to develop a taste for it. It's the "new" the "unknown" that is scary to many children, fish, adults, etc...:unsure:

 

[kirkwood]

Whats the latest on the feedings?

Is the CBB nipping at anything SPS, zoas, acans?

 

[jef4y]

Kirkwood;820145 wrote: Whats the latest on the feedings?

Is the CBB nipping at anything SPS, zoas, acans?

Sad to say, I got in over my head with it. I lost it the other day. =(

He would eat clams, and things that were stuffed under/around clam in the half-shell, BUT so did everything else in the tank. I put some eggcrate over the half shells to keep the wrasse out which worked, but the blenny & goby both loved the clams and would bully the heck out of the CBB. The CBB I had was a ridiculously timid fish.

I considered pulling him and getting him into the sump to feed and build some strength and I ultimately DID that, but it was too late.

 

[gmpolan]

Sorry to hear Jeff...

 

[jef4y]

Thanks man. Definitely been learning lessons lately.