raccoon and saddleback BF's.

[geaux xman]

are they pretty easy to get to eat and keep?

LA has large sizes 3.5-4" available. i figure i can try one of each.

my experience with BFF hasnt been very good so i figure i ask first.

the last pair i had were blackback butterflyfish. they came in at about 1.5"(a lot smaller than i wanted). they were alive in QT for about 7 days.

 

[snorvich]

If you do butterfly fish, you better be quarantining! Both of the ones you are asking about are on the easier side although both are not reef safe.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

My saddleback was looking for food in acclimation and is the first to go after food I put in the qt. It eats pellets and all else I have offered. I expect the raccoon will be
pretty much the same if you get a normal one. My saddleback is 3 inches.

 

[geaux xman]

My saddleback was looking for food in acclimation and is the first to go after food I put in the qt. It eats pellets and all else I have offered. I expect the raccoon will be
pretty much the same if you get a normal one. My saddleback is 3 inches.

thats what i wanted to hear. where did you get your saddleback from?

If you do butterfly fish, you better be quarantining! Both of the ones you are asking about are on the easier side although both are not reef safe.

i dont think you have to worry about me. i'm about to put up a fourth running QT tank. also, i'm FOWLR.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Wow, 4 QTs. You must like doing water changes or have a good water change system.

My saddleback is from Blue Zoo, the same as my falcula.

 

[snorvich]

Wow, 4 QTs. You must like doing water changes or have a good water change system.

My saddleback is from Blue Zoo, the same as my falcula.

How long have you had it? Quarantined?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

The saddleback and falcula are in a 37 gal Q tank with 1 airstone, 1 air pump sponge filter, a HOB Hagan Aquaclear 50, heater, and 2 sizable pieces of PVC for shelter.

They were put in with a YLB on June 10, so they have been in quarantine 10 days. The YLB died Tuesday June 14. It never started eating. I fed the tank a little bit extra trying to get it eating.

I have been doing 40-60% water changes every 2-3 days (DT water) to let the water quality stabilize and am now ready to start medicating. The fish are very active and eating aggressively every time I feed them.

I am trying to figure out whether there is a good reason not to start with the Cupramine and then add Prazipro a couple of days after the Cupramine dose level is established (at around .3).

 

[snorvich]

The saddleback and falcula are in a 37 gal Q tank with 1 airstone, 1 air pump sponge filter, a HOB Hagan Aquaclear 50, heater, and 2 sizable pieces of PVC for shelter.

They were put in with a YLB on June 10, so they have been in quarantine 10 days. The YLB died Tuesday June 14. It never started eating. I fed the tank a little bit extra trying to get it eating.

I have been doing 40-60% water changes every 2-3 days (DT water) to let the water quality stabilize and am now ready to start medicating. The fish are very active and eating aggressively every time I feed them.

I am trying to figure out whether there is a good reason not to start with the Cupramine and then add Prazipro a couple of days after the Cupramine dose level is established (at around .3).

Prazipro sounds good. What are you treating them for with cupramine?

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

The Cupramine is a precaution for parasites. There is no evidence of parasites on the fish. I know it is controversial - some do, some don't unless there are signs. I don't have any confidence that I can maintain the hyposalinity as closely as is needed.

The tank was without fish for 8 weeks during setup and I quarantined the only two fish in there (percula clown and sunrise dottyback) with Cupramine. I rinsed the cuc as they were brought in and the tank didn't have any fish. Thus, I have some reasonable hope there is no ich. I plan on adding a flame angel and possibly a tang down the road, so I am willing to risk the fish in quarantine to try and preserve an ich-free environment.

 

[geaux xman]

Wow, 4 QTs. You must like doing water changes or have a good water change system.

My saddleback is from Blue Zoo, the same as my falcula.

I keep some LR(dry rock w/beneficial bacteria) in most of my QT tanks. So I dont worry much about ammonia, but i still test it at my job(especially after the initial dosing of copper). I still do WC, maybe once every 10 days or prior to my 2nd prazi treatment.


I'm like you, just starting my tank. so thats why i'm getting a lot of fish in and having to QT them. getting them from several different places, usually about a week or so apart. it will only be 6 fish total(got 2 coming in tomm).

a 5"+ PBT thats been a PITA to QT, so that gets a 29g by itself from since may 17th.

 

[Big E]

What's the rush? 6 fish in what.... four weeks?

Gotta have patience in this hobby........the tank's not going anywhere or the deals on fish.

Just a general fyi............a good QT tank needs an established bacterial filter first & foremost. Everyone knows this, yet they continue to set up poorly designed QT tanks & then blame deaths on the QT tank instead of their poor setup and lack of patience.

I did this stuff 20 years ago because I ddn't know any better.......people have all the info they need now yet are still making the same stupid mistakes after they have been told how to do it the right way.

 

[geaux xman]

3 of my QT tanks has been running for months. I keep my fish in QT for a month, sometimes even more. 3 weeks of cupramine+2 treatments of prazi. If i was in a rush, I would be dumping them directly in my DT.

 

[Big E]

I was making a general statement about poor setup QT systems..............it wasn't directed at you.

You are rushing things, I don't care how many QT tanks you have. One fish per QT tank is the right way to do things, unless you are buying pairs of the same species.

You are aquiring fish too fast............think in terms of months not weeks to aquire 6 fish. This is just my opinion & personal experience talking........good luck.

 

[geaux xman]

Thanks for your attempt to answering the question in the OP.

 

[Big E]

Thanks for your attempt to answering the question in the OP.

LOL................whatever, it's comments like this that make me ask myself why I bother.

my experience with BFF hasnt been very good so i figure i ask first.

I have years of experience with BF's & made a few general suggestions, if your offended because you are doing things wrong then so be it.