Just bought a black cap basslet from LFS, was eating when I bought him. Hea been home now in QT tank for about 2 days and won't eat. Tried frozen mysis and new life marine spectrum pellets. He also doesn't swim around much, he more so just pins himself to the top of a PVC elbow. Don't know if that's their nature or acting wierd. Anyone have any suggestions?
Black cap basslet feeding
- Thread starter puck3
- Start date
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Give him some time. these are shy fish and can take several days to start feeding. I know its always great to see a new fish eat; but going a while without eating won't hurt them.
Edit: Just looked at my notes. MY BC didn't even emerge from a PVC elbow for 3 days, ate on the 5th day. Had him about 6 years now.
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aandfsoccr04
Active member
What great timing for this thread! I just received my black cap basslet from live aquaria yesterday. He has been hiding in a PVC pipe since I got him. I have him in QT and have kept the lights off since he came. I haven't seen him come out and put some cyclopeeze in there yesterday. I'm going to try NLS spectrum pellets and crushed flakes and see if he will take that.
I didn't find a lot of information on them surfing for them either.
I originally saw the fish in Marks tank and knew I was going to purchase one for my reef. Any information that either of you could post that you wish you had known when you first purchased one that you know now would be appreciated.
Thanks
I didn't find a lot of information on them surfing for them either.
I originally saw the fish in Marks tank and knew I was going to purchase one for my reef. Any information that either of you could post that you wish you had known when you first purchased one that you know now would be appreciated.
Thanks
MrTuskfish
Team RC
These are gorgeous little fish Very similar to Royal Grammas, but shyer and come from deeper water, so they aren't nuts about bright lights. You wont see a BC as often as most basslets. Will really defend his territory, but doesn't do well with large, more aggressive fish. Mine eats a lot of pods, but they aren't necessary, just good, meaty foods. You'll love them, I've never kept a reef tank without one. Mine also scarfed a couple of small shrimp my daughter tried to add to the tank.
aandfsoccr04
Active member
well I have a few peppermint, a cleaner, and a pistol shrimp paired with a watchman so we will see how that goes. I really do like the fish but he hasn't come out from the pvc. So you'd suggest a diet of NLS pellets, mysis, brine, krill, blood worms, black worms, nori, soaked in selcon and they should be good to go? I'm looking forward to getting him in the reef but am going to do a week treatment of prazi pro and watch him for a month or so first.
aandfsoccr04
Active member
wooohoooo!!! Mine ate like a champ tonight. I fed cyclopeeze with frozen baby brine and a touch of crushed flakes and pellets soaked in garlic and amino omega supplement: http://s3.amazonaws.com/tc-photos/11442/product/standard/514460.jpg
I'm so stoked and holy smokes is this fish a beauty. I finally got a good look at it but it didn't leave the pvc pipes. Good luck with yours and thanks for all the info!:celeb3::bounce1::beer::celeb1:
I'm so stoked and holy smokes is this fish a beauty. I finally got a good look at it but it didn't leave the pvc pipes. Good luck with yours and thanks for all the info!:celeb3::bounce1::beer::celeb1:
mark54321
Active member
Great news.It is not very hard fish to get to eat,but it must feel comfortable to do so.Normally they are very shy,mine after few months in my reef is one of the most visible fish in my tank.Every time I walk by, it swims out hoping to get some food.
MrTuskfish
Team RC
Good! I'm convinced that cyclopes-eeze has something that will help get any fish, of any size, eating. Just its scent im the water seems to get very fish in the tank excited.
aandfsoccr04
Active member
I have had really good luck with cyclop eeze. I really like this fish a lot. I hope that he gets comfortable in the DT and is always out and about. The fish is so beautiful. If you guys have pictures of yours, I'd love to see them.
aandfsoccr04
Active member
How's the fish doing? I'm finishing up a week of prazi pro and my fish is still eating well on everything from nori to mysis
Soso, still alive lol. Still not eating that well. Won't touch cyclopeeze. Only thing he's attempted is mysis. And he'll only eat like 3-4 pieces and that's it. Hides all day for most part on a piece of live rock in the QT. if I do see him swimming as soon as he sees me he darts and hides. So well see hopefully I can get him eating sooner rather than later.
lostmyz
New member
I know this thread is old but I figured I would write on it because i am having a similar issue with my black capped basslet.... I have had him for about 5 months maybe 6.... I recently upgraded my tank size to 90gal. Put a Purple tang in adn a mysterry wrasse and transfered all my fish over the same day. EVERYONE is out but my black capped.... The first few days it didnt emerge at all... than it started to come out only during feeding times and occasionally out not during feedings but never swimming around and than i dunno what happened but now i haven't seen him in about a week.. The mysterry wrasse is liek 1.5" my black capped is about 3" and used to be the bully of the small tank..... i dunno what to do... I cant even look at the cave that he goes to to see if hes still alive because its in the back of the rock in the middle of the tank.... Suggestions?
aandfsoccr04
Active member
The purple tang and mystery wrasse are a tad more on the aggressive side so the basslet may not feel safe yet. In my experience it's normal for them to hide the first few days especially since you upgraded tanks and all the fish have to establish territories in the new tank. After 5 months or so now mine is out and about swimming all over with the tangs. An excellent choice in fish :celeb1:
lostmyz
New member
Oh i agree i love this fish when i see it! He freaking beautiful and has a little green linning between the purple and the black and around his face! I also agree the tang and the wrasse are a little more aggressive (so their species say so) but I also have 2 black and white clowns, 2 helfrich gobies, 1 yellow watchman goby with a pistol shrimp (who hide more days than not lately...i know they are alive because every few days i breakdown their rock pile to make sure he rebuilds it at night hahah), a green mandarin dragonet and a longfinned fairy wrasse. The purple tang and the mystery wrasse get along great with all of them swim around the tank with them and play with the clowns usually all the time. I mean the helfrichs are swimming all over the place. I hope he comes out he was starting to after a few days and than i dunno what spooked him into hiding that i dont see him (during the day atleast...i dont stare at the tank at night) at all even during feeding times...
lostmyz
New member
Question for all you black capped basslet fans.... SO its been about almost 2 wks and I havent seen my beautiful fish.... I decided to take a mirror to the back of the tank and use a flashlight to see the rock formation that I can't see that opens up to the back of my tank where i know the black capped was hiding initially when I put him in the tank. I noticed about 3 large turbo snail shells empty... and they werent on their backs or anything.... kinda blocking the enterance on the back side. Do or will a black capped basslet eat snails? It looks like thats probably the case... because why else would they be back there and why he hasn't come out for feedings in almost 2 wks now....
Thoughts???
Thoughts???
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