Chaetodon ornatissimus

Dmorty217

Dmorty217

Saltwater Addict
A LFS has one of these guys that has been eating clam on the half shell for several days now which is a great sign. I'm looking for more info from those who have attempted them, what if anything you were able to get them to eat and more importantly were you able to sustain them for any amount of time on said food? Also if you had one that ate what was it eating and were you able to train it to eat any other foods? I'm sure the overwhelming answer is going to be don't get it. I know they are coral polyp eaters in the wild
 
Beyond the obvious, my biggest concern would be where do you plan to keep it? The only success stories I see with coral munching butterflies is when they are either alone, or have the ability it eat without any completion from other fish.... So even IF you get it eating ENOUGH food, and that's a BIG if, you'd need a dedicated system, or fuge, or something. Butterflies take in a surprisingly huge amount of food... you'd never guess, looking at them :lol:

http://glassbox-design.com/2010/obligate-corallivore-captivity/

Note he uses a "feeding box".... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2064257&highlight=larvatus
 
SDguy said:
Beyond the obvious, my biggest concern would be where do you plan to keep it? The only success stories I see with coral munching butterflies is when they are either alone, or have the ability it eat without any completion from other fish.... So even IF you get it eating ENOUGH food, and that's a BIG if, you'd need a dedicated system, or fuge, or something. Butterflies take in a surprisingly huge amount of food... you'd never guess, looking at them :lol:

http://glassbox-design.com/2010/obligate-corallivore-captivity/

Note he uses a "feeding box".... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2064257&highlight=larvatus
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links Peter a lot of great information. If I decide to pull the trigger on it I would initially put it in the 75g I have running that has the blue line (2") and the yellow head (2") in it and see how that goes. I also have several other tanks laying around from 29g all the way up to 125g that could easily be setup for the butterfly. I like the feeding box idea. I could easily setup a tank connected to the overall system but only house the butterfly in it. I know success story's are few and far between with these fish, I guess that's why they are so striking. In the article it seems as though they ornate only ate clams and nothing else really, maybe the shrimp paste and occasional pellet. The fish is a great price but I want to be able to give the fish the best chance for success. I could also section off the 75g I'm currently using to keep the blue Line and yellow head separated from the ornate. (Currently only using half the 75g with the two fish as it is) I will have to think about this one more, thanks for managing my expectations Peter!
 
Be absolutely sure this fish is really eating rather than just picking. And if it is, assume that clams is the only food it will ever eat, and that it will need to eat frequently (multiple times per day).
 
snorvich said:
Be absolutely sure this fish is really eating rather than just picking. And if it is, assume that clams is the only food it will ever eat, and that it will need to eat frequently (multiple times per day).
Click to expand...

This is my assumption the other thing that worries me (along with about 20 others) is I get the fish home and it goes on a hunger strike and I'm never able to get it to feed on the clams again. It was at the store for several days before it started eating the clams to begin with. Also if indeed clams are the only thing the fish will eat, clams on the half shell won't be economical to buy or easily obtainable (most LFS don't carry them) so my thought was to try fresh clams and mussels from the local grocery store (they have several types of clams) but again these fish are notoriously difficult and picky... Such a shame they are beautiful fish, I wish someone could figure out the mystery to get these guys eating everything. With all the success Larry's Reef Frenzy has had lately I wonder if that would be worth a try?
 
Steve, the other thing that worries me is QT protocol for such a delicate and finicky fish. TT worries me because the fish will not feel settled in for 2 wks and in turn might not eat. Meds also scare me since again they usually cause fish to not eat or not eat as well
 
How big is it approximately? Maybe you'd have some success w/ a juvi if that's even possible... I guess a basic problem is the adults are used to eating corals for so long... I'd only consider it because I work from home ... I say go for it! We'll never learn about them if we don't work with them.
 
pktech said:
How big is it approximately? Maybe you'd have some success w/ a juvi if that's even possible... I guess a basic problem is the adults are used to eating corals for so long... I'd only consider it because I work from home ... I say go for it! We'll never learn about them if we don't work with them.
Click to expand...

It's 3" or so I would say. I don't work from home but I literally could walk home for lunch. My wife works from home but she is about as interested in the fish tanks as she is about fantasy football... Dedication is the biggest thing like Peter said to me, then one day... Well you know how delicate hard to feed fish are:uhoh2:
 
snorvich said:
Be absolutely sure this fish is really eating rather than just picking. And if it is, assume that clams is the only food it will ever eat, and that it will need to eat frequently (multiple times per day).
Click to expand...

^^^This exactly. I've attempted this fish before and got it picking at clams. Picking and consuming are two very different things...it did not make it.

I'm keeping an Octofasciatus right now that eats everything except pellets, and it needs a huge amount of food on a daily basis, however it is doing well.

That being said, if it truly is eating clams, I personally would buy it, this is my personally speaking though. Clams are a large part of my feeding regimen anyway. Expect to feed this fish clams every day for a long time.

I'm curious as to which store has it, PM me if you don't mind. Don't worry, I won't go snatch it away from you, but if it truly is eating and you decide to not go for it, I might have a look at least.

I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the last one I tried. There is nothing worse than watching a fish starve in front of your eyes.
 
Did your Octo start eating immediately or did it take a while? I've had fish not eat for a week & then go crazy & devour everything.

My only success with a butterfly (if you can call it that) was a Collare that destroyed clams & touched nothing else. It died for reasons unknown & wasn't skinny or bloated ... I figured a straight diet of clams wasn't the best thing for it..
 
I ordered it from DD, and it was advertised as eating mysis and pellets well. It might nibble at the occasional pellet, but readily accepts the LRS foods that I offer multiple times daily.
 
SDguy said:
Beyond the obvious, my biggest concern would be where do you plan to keep it? The only success stories I see with coral munching butterflies is when they are either alone, or have the ability it eat without any completion from other fish.... So even IF you get it eating ENOUGH food, and that's a BIG if, you'd need a dedicated system, or fuge, or something. Butterflies take in a surprisingly huge amount of food... you'd never guess, looking at them :lol:

http://glassbox-design.com/2010/obligate-corallivore-captivity/

Note he uses a "feeding box".... http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2064257&highlight=larvatus
Click to expand...

I'm seriously wondering why that fish is swimming in those circles like that, is it happy? Is it establishing it's territory? I'd ask the OOp, but he hasn't logged in since 2012, :lol:
 
Dmorty217 said:
I wish someone could figure out the mystery to get these guys eating everything.
Click to expand...

I always wondered if it was something physical, like throat size. I mean, they basically eat slime in the wild. Is it surprising they won't eat larger foods? And the success stories involve either rasping at clam flesh all day long or a paste made of all sorts on tiny particle, including fry food. Even common butterflies have a hard time with larger foods at first... the classic swimming backwards while moving their head side to side is an easy clue. I can tell you, easy established butterflies suck down chunks of clam. If I fed my butterflies clam one day, all day, they wouldn't need food for days after that.
 
Something else of interest to add, when I kept my ornatissimus, it was very specific about the surfaces that it would pick at. I found it trying to eat the outside of the clam shell more than the actual meat of the clam. It also really preferred picking at the ends of the PVC fittings in my QT as opposed to the smooth surfaces.

If this fish is truly eating clams and not just nipping at them, with enough diligence I believe you could get it to live. It will take a lot of effort though and the right environment.

It all comes down to is it truly eating the clam.
 
They can be trained to eat prepared food.

There is a user named Boruzoo on youtube
His is competing in a tank full of other fish, including a three stripe damselfish.

He also has a blog in Japanese about how he trained it to eat.
 
NarakuAulonocar said:
They can be trained to eat prepared food.

There is a user named Boruzoo on youtube
His is competing in a tank full of other fish, including a three stripe damselfish.

He also has a blog in Japanese about how he trained it to eat.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure SDguy put a link to who you are talking about.
 
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