A Crime

[180large]

I may have committed a crime. Yesterday i bought a cbb from my lfs that wasnt eating yet. Today i tried some mysis,brine,pellets and blood worms all at different times. Nothing but it does seem to be picking at the rocks though. I need help figuring out how to get him/her to eat. Maybe its to soon for it to eat only one day in my system. I also have a Kole tang in there that seems to be chasing the cbb around but the cbb dosent seem afraid really. the cbb's belly is not pinched in at all it seems very healthy right now. Does anybody know any secrets to getting a cbb to feed I really dont to lose this fish i think they are so good looking and i have wanted one for a long time. Thanks -Dave-

 

[AllenFord_SC]

It seems as though you commited two crimes:
1) Impulse buying (which we all are guilty of)
2) Unless I'm missing something you didn't quarantine this fish. From what I have gathered, that is how most people get them used to eating other tpes of food. This way when put into the main tank, the fish will be used to eating other types of food other than foraging on the rocks to keep them from starving.
I wish you the best of luck.

 

[180large]

yeah you are right. I just had to have it and I hope i can keep it. maybe it should have gone in my sump first but that too has live rock in it.

 

[BMitch]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6560040#post6560040 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 180large
yeah you are right. I just had to have it and I hope i can keep it. maybe it should have gone in my sump first but that too has live rock in it.

Putting a new fish in the sump is NOT QTing that fish. You need to have a separate, isolated tank that is in no way connected to main display tank or sump. As a general rule, a fish should be QTed for no less than 4 weeks, but 6 weeks is better.

 

[2crazyreefers]

Try going to the local supermarket and buy a live clam, in most cases the cbb will eat it . (You may want to do this atleast twice) then put krill in the clam shell and rubberband it leaving a small opening so the cbb can eat the krill. After the krill then change to myses (in the shell). After that you should be able to just feed without using the shell.

 

[ray-ray's_55]

go to grocery store get a fresh clam break him open drop him in....If the fish is starving this would be my idea.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Suck up some live brine and/or blackworms in a baster, and feed him from it. After he starts to associate the baster with food put in some frozen brine/mysis, and eventually flake/pellet. I have a CBB in QT and I am on step 2 of three now

 

[fishgeeksrus]

generally if its picking at your rockwork it IS eating. Copepods/amphipods other little critters. You shouldn't worry too terribly much right now. We had one that was eating Spectrum pellets. Just make sure you dont overfeed and cause problems within your tank. You can try the clam, but it's doesn't always work. Good luck

 

[180large]

yes i understand that bmitch. You might think i am crazy but in my ten+ years in this hobby i have never qted a fish before. I have red sea purple tangs, african hippos that i kept for 8 years. Admittingly i never added fish like i am now since i recently went through a viscious divorce and all my inhabitants mysteriously died overnight. I dont want to accuse anybody but i dont believe in coincidence if you know what i mean.

 

[180large]

2crazy,rayray,and lobster good ideas i'm gonna try it . and fishgeeks point well taken thank you all for your input. I will let you know how it works out over the next couple of days or so.

-later-

 

[T-6 Driver]

Hate to sound ignorant, but what does CBB stand for?

 

[T-6 Driver]

Nevermind, figured it out
(copperband butterflyfish, correct?)

 

[AllenFord_SC]

CBB = Copperband Butterfly.

fishgeeksrus: The point was not that the CBB was not eating, it is that he will eventually run out of stuff to eat on the rocks. By not QTing the fish and getting him used to eating what the tank is fed, he may eventually starve to death. This is worst case scenario, but as we all know well enough, that is usually how this hobby goes. If it can go wrong, it probably will. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Sicklid]

I got my CBB to eat by offering it frozen scallops from the supermarket pinched off into little pieces . The CBB loved it, and became a pig at feeding time waiting for the scallops.

 

[fishgeeksrus]

I agree fully on the QT part. But ive personally seen CBB's that haven't eaten ANYTHING in Qt and starved to death. If 180large's tank has enough LR and a healthy pod population, then depending on his other tank inhabitants, the cbb should never run out of natural food.