Dr Colliebreath
New member
I thought I would see if anyone had something like this happen with their established copperband butterflyfish or whether it might be an effect of old age.
I purchased my Australian copperband butterflyfish from Divers Den more than 3 years ago (October 2011), and it has been a good fish. It was around 4" when I received the fish. Until recently, it ate chopped seafood (shrimp, scallop, salmon and clam) and mysis every day, plus other foods from time to time when fed like spirulina brine, blackworms, and Ocean Nutrition gel food.
Two and a half weeks ago, the fish just stopped eating and it hasn't eaten since. It hangs around one side of the tank, frequently with its head pointing down, but it comes to the other side of the tank and swims around when I feed. Food is all around the fish bouncing off it, but the CBB doesn't eat at all. It isn't working its beak open and closed like it normally did at feeding time in anticipation of eating. The past couple of days it has been coming to the surface and pushing its snout out of the water like it is seeking food when I feed and makes a popping sound but it won't eat. (This is normal feeding behavior for this fish as it used to do the same thing when eating food from the surface before it stopped eating.) I tried dropping food on and into its beak but it won't eat.
I don't see any evidence that it is blind as it doesn't bump into anything and the fish reacts to my presence.
For people who have had fish die of old age, how did they succumb? Over a couple of weeks or more quickly? At 4", the fish might have been a small adult when I got it and perhaps 3+ more years is its lifespan, but it doesn't look old.
Its fins are not frayed yet and it has maintained its coloring, its eyes are clear, and there are no other signs of distress or a problem. It isn't being beat on by another fish.
I will try feeding with a pipette to see if I can get some food in it. Because the fish is not interested in food, I haven't tried putting a clam on the half shell in the tank or putting garlic on the food.
The day it stopped eating, I blew the rock off with a powerhead. I am pretty sure that didn't cause any water quality issues as I have 5 other butterflyfish and 2 tangs plus a flame angel in the tank and none of them showed any signs of a problem. I dosed the tank with Prime as soon as the fish stopped eating just in case. Nitrates are 10-20 and ph and alk are all normal. Salinity is 1.024. I don't see any other tank or environmental issues that could be a problem.
Thanks for any ideas.
I purchased my Australian copperband butterflyfish from Divers Den more than 3 years ago (October 2011), and it has been a good fish. It was around 4" when I received the fish. Until recently, it ate chopped seafood (shrimp, scallop, salmon and clam) and mysis every day, plus other foods from time to time when fed like spirulina brine, blackworms, and Ocean Nutrition gel food.
Two and a half weeks ago, the fish just stopped eating and it hasn't eaten since. It hangs around one side of the tank, frequently with its head pointing down, but it comes to the other side of the tank and swims around when I feed. Food is all around the fish bouncing off it, but the CBB doesn't eat at all. It isn't working its beak open and closed like it normally did at feeding time in anticipation of eating. The past couple of days it has been coming to the surface and pushing its snout out of the water like it is seeking food when I feed and makes a popping sound but it won't eat. (This is normal feeding behavior for this fish as it used to do the same thing when eating food from the surface before it stopped eating.) I tried dropping food on and into its beak but it won't eat.
I don't see any evidence that it is blind as it doesn't bump into anything and the fish reacts to my presence.
For people who have had fish die of old age, how did they succumb? Over a couple of weeks or more quickly? At 4", the fish might have been a small adult when I got it and perhaps 3+ more years is its lifespan, but it doesn't look old.
Its fins are not frayed yet and it has maintained its coloring, its eyes are clear, and there are no other signs of distress or a problem. It isn't being beat on by another fish.
I will try feeding with a pipette to see if I can get some food in it. Because the fish is not interested in food, I haven't tried putting a clam on the half shell in the tank or putting garlic on the food.
The day it stopped eating, I blew the rock off with a powerhead. I am pretty sure that didn't cause any water quality issues as I have 5 other butterflyfish and 2 tangs plus a flame angel in the tank and none of them showed any signs of a problem. I dosed the tank with Prime as soon as the fish stopped eating just in case. Nitrates are 10-20 and ph and alk are all normal. Salinity is 1.024. I don't see any other tank or environmental issues that could be a problem.
Thanks for any ideas.