Multibar and Rock Beauty from DD

[pinnatus]

Nice Ken, didn't know you got a rock beauty! I still have mine.... SLOW grower though...

Yes, I've had him about 6 months, and I don't think he has grown at all. The high hat on the other hand I think has doubled in size.

Current stock list:
Moorish Idol
(2) Adult emperors
(2) Royal Grammas (down from 6)
(2) Blonde Nasos
Powder Blue Tang
Atlantic Blue Tang
Rock Beauty
Reef Butterfly
Hi Hat
Blue Devil

 

[horseplay]

Multibar still not eating frozen or any other food I put in. 3 weeks in. It has been sustaining itself by eating pods (and sometimes algae) off rocks. In the last couple of days it has become bolder and swim outside of the rock work. I wonder if it will ever eat prepared food. Skinny but not in terrible shape. The rock beauty is doing really well. It's always full and constantly grazing. I probably don't have to feed the tank it will be fine.

 

[caribfan]

Have you tried a fresh little neck clam for the multi yet? I would recommend that.

 

[horseplay]

Not yet. I will give it a couple more days since he really just recently became comfortable to get out of rock work. I saw some pretty solid poop today so he is ok for now.

 

[Spartanman22]

I had a Multibar for almost 6 months that I never witnessed eat prepared food. He did chow on SPS though

 

[horseplay]

Spartan did it slowly waste away or started eating?

 

[caribfan]

Not yet. I will give it a couple more days since he really just recently became comfortable to get out of rock work. I saw some pretty solid poop today so he is ok for now.

He needs to start associating you with food, it will help in getting him to eat other prepared items.

I'd start with a clam right away if he hasn't picked at anything else you've offered. I can't remember completely, but I think that's what mine preferred when I first started out.

It eats pretty much anything I feed now, with the exception of pellets. FWIW, I quarantined mine for the better part of 6 months without live rock. Started with live brine and clams. Mine also went through a 30 day cupramine treatment.

 

[caribfan]

What's the latest? Did you try a fresh clam yet?

 

[horseplay]

Multibar and Rock Beauty from DD

Not yet. I went to store they already closed their seafood section. Will try in the weekend. I did try a frozen mussel, no luck.

 

[caribfan]

My fish have never really cared for mussels.

A freshly shucked, still living oyster is my last resort if the little necks don't do the trick.

Find the littlenecks, preferably not frozen.

 

[rc1626]

I have a DD Rock Beauty going on 3.5 - 4 years. Eats anything I put in the tank. Frozen mysis, pellets, flakes, live blackworms, etc. My favorite fish and the boss of the tank. As long as it's eating you should be fine. As for the multibar (stunning fish) unfortunately I have no experience. Sorry if I missed it but is the multibar quarantined by itself? I'd say you're doing it right with your food selections. Hope it eventually eats for you.
Good Luck!

 

[horseplay]

Does not eat clam either. Here is a screen shot from my ip cam. Rock Beauty is eating the clam while Multibar pick at the algae above. Plenty of pods in the tank but enough as main food source.

 

[Spartanman22]

Spartan did it slowly waste away or started eating?

No he got super fat which seemed odd since I never saw him eat. I had him for probably 3 months and he got progressively fatter in that time span. He must have sustained himself on foraging and SPS polyps. Unfortunately I lost him while trying to remove him.

It got to a point where I had 0 PE, so I tried to catch him and give him away. During the attempt he swam head first into my blue gig. I managed to get him out but he didn't make it.

 

[horseplay]

No he got super fat which seemed odd since I never saw him eat. I had him for probably 3 months and he got progressively fatter in that time span. He must have sustained himself on foraging and SPS polyps. Unfortunately I lost him while trying to remove him.

It got to a point where I had 0 PE, so I tried to catch him and give him away. During the attempt he swam head first into my blue gig. I managed to get him out but he didn't make it.

This is interesting. I hope this is how it's going to turn out for mine. But so far it has not put on weight. The brown turf algae are mostly gone not I have trouble growing some algae in the tank LOL.

I've been tempted to get a gig but man it sucks to have a plump multibar eaten by a nem.

 

[Spartanman22]

Ya the gig hasn't been too much of an issue. That was more my fault than the gigs.

Have you tried roe? I use roe in my homemade blend and my fish loved it.

 

[horseplay]

Have not tried roe. But we are due to go to the korean place so we'll pick up some. Maybe steal some from a sushi restaurant LOL. Is there a particular kind? Or the small orange one is fine? I probably should feed some to all my fish anyway. Variety is spice of life.

 

[Spartanman22]

Have not tried roe. But we are due to go to the korean place so we'll pick up some. Maybe steal some from a sushi restaurant LOL. Is there a particular kind? Or the small orange one is fine? I probably should feed some to all my fish anyway. Variety is spice of life.

I can't remember which kind it was. Nothing fancy because it was cheap!

 

[Rare Angels]

Years back the Rock Beauty was always great eater but would develop a dark spot on it's forehead after a period of time. The fish would die a short time later.

Good luck with yours, they are beautiful and have a great personality.

Dave

 

[horseplay]

Years back the Rock Beauty was always great eater but would develop a dark spot on it's forehead after a period of time. The fish would die a short time later.

Good luck with yours, they are beautiful and have a great personality.

Dave

Thanks Dave. Mine is a great eater and eat its heart out. It's always full so I only feed the tank to entice the multibar. It's a great little fish to have and do not touch corals.

The multibar is still doing great. Just skinny but not getting skinnier. It likes pods of course but also like short hairy algae growing on rocks. I went to Sandy Hook and collected some algae covered rocks and seaweeds. It eats the hairy stuff on the seaweed.

I moved my adult regal angelfish into this tank because of the rock scape is more suitable for it. So now I have a regal, rock beauty and multibar in the 80g. No aggression so far.

I am thinking about getting another 2 or 3 multibars but want small ones, about 2". I have not seen any in liveaquaria nor the LFS. Everyone seems to have the larger ones which is what I currently have.

 

[Ambition]

I have attempted the multibar angelfish, one of my favorite fish, several times and all of them came from DD. My goal was a pair and I ended up losing 3 fish before getting a pair that made it through QT. Sadly the first pair was lost to velvet, and the female/smaller specimen died during QT. After losing the female and the male still doing well I got a smaller specimen from DD and successfully paired the two. They made it through QT eating a wide variety of frozen foods (not clams or mussel) and even started to eat pellets and some flakes. From QT I transferred the pair into my 65g tank, where the female disappeared shortly after the transfer and the male continued to do well. I eventually got to the point where the food he ate with the most gusto was Formula 2 flakes. Unfortunately, he and the pair of clownfish disappeared over the course of 3 months after I moved to college. None of the fish showed signs of disease when I visited home, so I have no idea what happened to them.