Help with getting my Copperband to eat

[Anemone0524]

Had my Copperband Butterfly for about 3 months now, its a fairly large size. The reason I bought it from the LFS was because it was eating PE Mysis. So far in my tank i have only been able to get it to eat PE Mysis and Spirulina Enriched Brine Shrimp. It won't give anything else the time of day. I've tried:

Pellets, NLS, Daichi
Rod's Food
Blood Worms
Cyclopeeze, frozen and dried
SF Bay Angel/Butterfly Mix

I'm worried that, over time, I won't be able to keep this fish healthy with it just eating these two foods. How can I get this fish to eat various foods? Any tips?

Here's a pic of my beauty CBB:

http://i796.photobucket.com/albums/yy244/anemone0524/IMG_0198.jpg

[hotrodolds]

mine just eats black worms and mysis. Cleaned the tank of all aiptasia and feather dusters. I also feed the tank Hykari S pellets and it seems excited and looks like it is trying to find the the pellets but wont/find or eat them.

FWIW Mine seems pretty fat and healthy but im on approximately the same time table as you right now. ~2.5 months

Last time i was at the LFS there was a small rock covered in small feather dusters mixed in with the other live rock, came close to picking it up for an expensive snack.

[ReeferBill]

Your copperbanded Butterfly looks real healthy . Try some frozen ocean plankton it looks like orange mysis.:idea:

[TexasMike]

Try some live worms from this place http://www.aquaticfoods.com/worms.html

and

http://www.marinedepot.com/Nutramar_Ova_Fish_Food_100g_Flat_Pack_Fish_Coral_Food-Nutramar-NM3151-FIFDFZFSFP-vi.html

From what I've been told, if a CBB gets fed only a few things then they will not try anything new. I'm in the same boat as you though. My guy only eats mysis, worms, and nutramar.

[Terence Trent]

I have had mine for almost 5 years now, try PE Mysis or clams on the shell.
After all this time, those are the only 2 items I have seen mine eat.

[Anemone0524]

Blackworms huh? That looks like an awfully expensive option. I'd have to order them pretty frequently. I wonder how many CBB owners resort to the Blackworm option.


I will try the Nutramar option, but it looks very small and my CBB basically is obvious or blind to very small bits of food. Like it doesn't even see Cyclopeeze.

[TexasMike]

The nutramar are small but the majority stay in clumps.

[lilalove]

Blackworms huh? That looks like an awfully expensive option. I'd have to order them pretty frequently. I wonder how many CBB owners resort to the Blackworm option.


I will try the Nutramar option, but it looks very small and my CBB basically is obvious or blind to very small bits of food. Like it doesn't even see Cyclopeeze.

Not really. If you rinse them daily they can last a while. Your other fish will love you, as well. Check out the CBB primer in the Reef fishes board.

[snorvich]

A difficult but not impossible fish. Mysis, Nutramar, live blackworms.

[hotrodolds]

Blackworms huh? That looks like an awfully expensive option. I'd have to order them pretty frequently. I wonder how many CBB owners resort to the Blackworm option.


I will try the Nutramar option, but it looks very small and my CBB basically is obvious or blind to very small bits of food. Like it doesn't even see Cyclopeeze.

As far as black worms go check out some freshwater LFS I got lucky and found one in atlanta that carried them. Just picked up a few spoon fulls for $2 once a week.

Now that i moved to Tampa I've been unable to locate some but dont want to mail order lbs of them to store in the fridge

[lordofthereef]

Have you tried mixing things in with the items he is willing to eat?

[AquamanE]

ive heard clams on a shell are loved by them.