Blacklip butterfly seems stressed.

mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
Ick will attach it self to any surface when it is in the Protomonts stage (the stage when it leaves your fish) live rock, corals even the shell of a hermit crab. Yes you van use LR to cycle your QT leave it there for 6 weeks (feed your QT as if the LR is a fish), also you need some type of bio filter device so once the LR is ready to leave the QT you have a established filtering system. Good Luck
 
tkarman

tkarman

Member
what bio filter would you recommend and what should i use to treat the LR. Also are there any good websites to order LR off of that is decently priced?
 
mr. limpid

mr. limpid

Active Member
I built my own filter using a cheep plastic container w/ bio balls and power head. I built a wood box to have the container sit above the tank, drilled holes in the top lid and pumped the water up to the lid and let it trickle down. I cut a hole in the side at the bottom and used 3/4" PVC (2 pieces of coupler w/ rubber washer) for the return. Also added a flat piece of plastic ( put a angle on it down) under this spout, this is for when you turn the pump off the water will not spill out of the tank. You don't need to treat LR ick will die off in 6 weeks without a host. As for live rock this site is a good source, I bought mine B4 I found this site, paid alot more than i should have.
 
tkarman

tkarman

Member
i was going to go to the fishstore today because my butterfly has been eating an algae bassed food but i can seem to find a meaty food for it. it ate mysis at first but now it will not touch it. what would be another good meaty food for a blacklip?
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Try Emerald Entree, it's a frozen cube designed for tangs, angels and butterflies. My Copperband devours it.
You could also try enticing it with a little bit of mysis soaked in garlic. I'm not a believer that garlic does anything beneficial for the fish other than entices finicky eaters to start eating. You could try Spirulina enriched Brine Shrimp as well. Also, Reef Nutrition Articpods can help. Another thing to try is shaved wild salmon. I buy wild salmon from the fish market, cut it into cubes and freeze it, and grate it on a cheese grater as needed. Salmon has some really beneficial things in it and can entice finicky fish to eat. It's very fatty, so you don't want to use it as a main stay in it's diet, but as a treat or to help it start eating, it works great. I'm sure your LFS will have frozen food designed for butterflies. They're usually designed for butterflies, tangs and angels. Just make sure it is not an herbivore only blend and it has some meat in it.
 
tkarman

tkarman

Member
i got the blacklip to help get rid of my Aiptasia but he hasnt touched one. he could be eating the ones invisable to my eye. however i was wondering if there was anyway i could get him to eat them. or if it is just his personality and he will not touch them.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I have a copperband butterfly and a Aiptasia Eating Filefish in my tank and a ton of aiptasia. Here's the problem: If they eat the anemone, they usually only eat the smaller ones. Sometimes they don't eat the whole thing, which results in spores being released for new anemones to start growing, OR they pick at a larger one and realize they can't eat it without being stung/etc and since it's irritated, it releases spores. Either way, they're continuing they're food source if this is what they eat. My filefish was eating aiptasia when I first got him, now that he knows there's other food supplied and that I am "the food God," he doesn't even attempt to eat any anymore. This too is a downfall of these guys. I wanted both of these fish either way, but it would have been nice if they helped clean up the aiptasia that I can't reach as well.
 
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