CBB Alive for 2 Weeks w/out Eating

[euphoria]

I bought my copperband butterfly 2 weeks ago and it has NEVER come out to eat when i throw food in the tank. It won't even eat algae sheets.
Yet it's alive and doing great all this time. It's not thin, hasn't lost weight, and is always picking on rocks. I have no clue how this is working and what it's eating, because the tank is only a month old and doesn't have much to offer as far as algae or pods.

 

[tizzo]

What are you feeding it. I mean, what are you attempting to feed it. Mine ate everything except algae based foods. It ate mysis shrimp, as well as brine. and cyclop eeze, and even flakes!!
Maybe you could try to garlic soak...

 

[euphoria]

I feed mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, silversides, bioplankton, formula 1, formula 2, pellets, flakes, algae sheets, and I put 2 drops of garlic extreme in the food every time I feed. The other fish go nuts when being fed, but this guy doesn't care.
I'm just surprised it's still alive and doing so good. Don't know what it's feeding on.

 

[tizzo]

It should have completely cleared out your feather dusters by now. They eat those.

 

[euphoria]

I had 1 feather duster and it never touched it. I bought another 2 of them two days ago and hasn't touched those either.

 

[tizzo]

Are you SURE it's a copperband?? No, i am kidding.
I mean the tiny hitch-hiking feather dusters. Do you have any of those??

 

[euphoria]

can't see any tiny dusters. I have 3 right now and each one's crown is about 2" in diameter and the worm probably 3-4" long.
Maybe I DO have pods and it's eating them at night? I've only been able to see very tiny pods on the walls of the tank. They don't look like copepods or anything, just very tiny specks that move around.

 

[slipknot23]

sent you a e-mail plz get back to me thank you

 

[euphoria]

to me or to tizzo?

 

[slipknot23]

to you EUPHORIA my e-mail is jaymespielyk@verizon.net

 

[ricks280]

euphoria,
my copperband did the same for a month then it started to feed on live brine shrimp after that i was feeding it mysis shrimp (dead) but i was feeding it not direct from themain tank
instead i was droping a block in the sump and as it defrosted the return pump was sucking them up and discharging into the main tank from the outlet making them look as if they were alive he was eating like crazie!

he also cleaned up all my f/dusters! well after all that (3months)

it went to fish heaven , it looked fat, always alert and then

.
i heard that they dont do very well so i havent tried another i would like to hear from anybody that has kept them for over 18 months whats the secret?(rick)

 

[jacklax]

I recently obtained a CBB as well...mainly to take on an Aiptasia (sp?) outbreak. He has yet to touch the pests. The few feather dusters I had were toast in no time. After that, he wouldn't touch a thing...minus picking around the live rock. I finally got him to eat live brine shrimp after a week. Knowing that brine are about as healthy as eating cardboard, I've been looking for another alternative as well. Even tried a live clam...no glory. My other fish (Clowns and Cardinals) happily tear into mysis shrimp, pellets, and kelp (for the clowns)...but no interest from the CBB. Any adivce? I'd like to broaden the menu for the guy...

 

[clownfish4]

Originally Posted by EUPHORIA
I bought my copperband butterfly 2 weeks ago and it has NEVER come out to eat when i throw food in the tank. It won't even eat algae sheets.
Yet it's alive and doing great all this time. It's not thin, hasn't lost weight, and is always picking on rocks. I have no clue how this is working and what it's eating, because the tank is only a month old and doesn't have much to offer as far as algae or pods.
When he eats the rock it is like you feeding him whatever you feed him.

Your fine and he will be fine to.

 

[trainfever]

He could be eating Aipstasia off of your rocks. With a crown that big, I coubt the CBB will bother it. It's the smaller ones that they will attack. Try feeding it some live black worms. I promise you it will go crazy for them.

 

[euphoria]

3 weeks now and it's still alive. I have 3 feather dusters and they are still alive. At least I think they are, cuz their crowns go in and come out sometimes.
Are live black worms ok for the other fish too?

 

[trainfever]

yup, everything will eat them.

 

[tizzo]

OK Euphoria, I think I found another possible solution. There is a sight called mysis dot com. It sells a product called PE mysis, a friend of mine has fed 3 of his copperbands with it. These are all copperbands that did not eat anything else. he owns a fish store, so that's how he came across all these copperbands. If you try it lemme know!!

 

[dogstar]

As said already, feed it LIVE brine if you can get it. So it starts to eat and then it should start eating mysid. Thats how I got mine to start eating and afterwards it would eat from my hand.

 

[zman1]

Who are it's tank mates?
Mysis (frozen) shrimp is what I feed mine. It was a slow start (at least a week), he runs right to take his share now. I don't remember who on this board who said it's a bunch of Mysis heads and eyes floating after they are done. - LO so true... I think I have had him close to a year now.

 

[euphoria]

I did buy live mysis shrimp and fed the tank w/ it for about 3 consecutive days, but the CBB wouldn't eat it. My other fish devoured it though.
Tankmates are a yellow tang, 2 anthias, 3 green blue chromis damsels, 1 fiji damsel, 1 royal gramma, 1 candy hog.
I think it's staying alive by eating the pods in the tank, but I don't want it to do that, cuz I was hoping to grow the pods and put a mandarin in the tank.
I will buy live mysis one more time and try to feed it, and if it doesn't eat those again, I'll try the worms.
TIZZO - I'm guessing the PE mysis would be the same stuff as the live mysis I fed it ?