Mueller's Butterfly & clams

[Ron Reefman]

I just bought a 4"+ Mueller's Butterfly from NY Aquatics that guarantees they are eating frozen food before they ship. I have mine in a 20g QT with some LR and aiptasia. It's eating live black worms and clams but I haven't tried any frozen food yet, hoping it would start to eat some aiptasia (it's only been 5 days). Given that it eats small opened clams I'm wondering if it will bother the 2 Derasa clams I have in my DT?

 

[jt_milstead]

How much do you like your clams?

 

[Ron Reefman]

I like them just fine. And I have another tank if I have to move them. But I really don't want to. One is attached to a big rock in kind of a small pocket. Do you have real experience with a Butterfly and a clam? I heard from a fellow reefer here in your local club and he said his CBB doesn't bother his clam...

 

[Daniel Reef]

You may want to post this question in the Butterflies in Reefs thread. So many of the posters there own butterflies and are experts. They may know.

 

[aquaph8]

I would say there's a good chance your clams will be fine. There's always a chance but most likely they will be OK.

 

[jjk_reef00]

Why haven't you tried frozen?

 

[Ron Reefman]

The dealer I got the the fish from said that if I want it to eat aiptasia in the DT, don't feed it frozen until it's eaten aiptasia in the DT. He said,"Once it's made the switch from live to enriched frozen food, it won't go back." I've done some reading since and I'm not sure I believe him, but then this fish is very new to me. Yesterday I read that if it isn't eating aiptasia (there are a dozen on 3 rocks in the QT) to skip a day of feeding and the next day feed live blackworms to the aiptasia. If the fish is hungry, it will take the blackworm away from the aiptasia and get some of it in the process. Thus developing the taste for them. Sounds reasonable to me and it's easy to do in my QT.

Daniel Reef, thanks for the referal to the 'Butterflies in reefs' thread.

 

[Big E]

My Mueller ate aiptasia in the first week I had him in QT. I fed him daily all kinds of frozen raw seafood and mysis.

These fish scour the rocks for food early in the morining & in the evenings. If they like aiptasia they will eat them. Those tricks are bogus to me.............they either like them or don't.

 

[64Ivy]

I've had a few Mulleri's [obviously a favorite] and, like most butterflies, I've found them to be very individualistic. Unfortunately, about the only thing, ime, they seem to have in common is that, given one, sooner or later, they're gonna pick on a clam.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Thanks guys, I really do appreciate the info. Mine is eating well and swimming around in the QT so I'm happy so far. I'll make some room in the anemone tank just in case my Mulleri goes after the clams.