Need Help With Black Back Butterfly

[justfish]

Please help, I bought a Black BAck Butterfly last week and hasn't eaten in 6 days

I tried shrimp, and a clam and still no luck!!!

How long should it take for him to eat and how long can he go without eating? I have him in a qt tank with a longnose, he eats well but not my black back

 

[lion_crazz]

What are the levels in the QT (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, kH, salinity, temp)?
Were these fish eating in the LFS?

 

[justfish]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
What are the levels in the QT (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH, kH, salinity, temp)?
Were these fish eating in the LFS?

the longnose is eating with no problem, its the black back. qt levels are: amn=0.25, nitrite= 0.1, nitrate=20, ph=8.0, kh=2.0, salinity=1.019, temp=80

 

[emperor11]

Oh my...I remember mine. At flake the MINUTE he went in the tank. What a pig. He was an aggressive little bugger too! Killed a yellow tang twice his size! If my memory stands me, I believe they are an SPS eater. Go to your LFS and tell him you've got a butterfly who's not eating..and you're trying to get him to eat. Ask if he has any acros or anything for real cheap thats dying. At least it'll buy you some time. Try some cyclopeeze, or mysis dipped in garlic. Mine LOVED garlic dipped food.

 

[lion_crazz]

First things first, you need to fix your water parameters. That is probably stressing the fish very much. Ammonia and nitrite need to be 0, and you want to get that alk a bit up, up to at least 2.86 if not around 3.0.
Is there any reason your salt level is at 1.019?

 

[justfish]

Originally Posted by lion_crazz
First things first, you need to fix your water parameters. That is probably stressing the fish very much. Ammonia and nitrite need to be 0, and you want to get that alk a bit up, up to at least 2.86 if not around 3.0.
Is there any reason your salt level is at 1.019?
my parameters are hard to keep steady since I'm also using copper in my qt tank. If I use some chemical to bring my amonia and nitrite to 0, it will drop my copper as well. What do you suggest?
Thanks for responding

 

[emperor11]

Originally Posted by justfish
my parameters are hard to keep steady since I'm also using copper in my qt tank. If I use some chemical to bring my amonia and nitrite to 0, it will drop my copper as well. What do you suggest?
Thanks for responding
Well, since you already used a chemical in the tank (copper-butterflies really can't handle it), I would most certainly NOT put another chemical in there to bring ammonia down. How about a water change? That'd lower the copper, as well as the ammonia content...due to the fact that in the case of copper, ammonia is related to it.

 

[lion_crazz]

Yes, I agree. I would not copper a butterfly. If the butterflies have ich, hyposalinity would be a much safer, and much less stressful procedure on the fish.