Help - Copperband Butterfly will not eat clams..

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You can keep blackworms alive for months in the fridge with little effort. If your CBB takes to them, and you want some pointers on doing so, let me know...

Seconding the recommendation for white worms. Especially if your blackworm source is not close/convenient.

Awesome! Thank you. The CB did eat one so maybe it will get used to it. If so then I will reach out. Thanks again!
 

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You’re welcome. If the CBB already ate one on the first try, it will probably quickly take to them. You seem to have already noticed that the other fish go nuts for them :)

Grab a worm feeder cone for $2 and it will level the playing field for your CCB. It will slow down the other fish being able to scarf them up so quickly. These cones work “really” well with white worms as they live longer in the salt water. You can load the feeder up and let the CBB pick at it over time...

 

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Glad to see you got worm. I usually get mine from aquatica but they were out for a while. Good that he ate, if just a bit. Keep us posted
 
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You’re welcome. If the CBB already ate one on the first try, it will probably quickly take to them. You seem to have already noticed that the other fish go nuts for them :)

Grab a worm feeder cone for $2 and it will level the playing field for your CCB. It will slow down the other fish being able to scarf them up so quickly. These cones work “really” well with white worms as they live longer in the salt water. You can load the feeder up and let the CBB pick at it over time...



Great idea! Ordering one now.
 
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Glad to see you got worm. I usually get mine from aquatica but they were out for a while. Good that he ate, if just a bit. Keep us posted

Upscale aquatics has them and they are close so not bad. Will do!!
 
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Good news is he just ate some more!! He ate atleast 3 worms real quick. Let the rest go on by. I then fed pellets for the tangs and he was really curious for the pellets. He didnt eat any but seemed like I triggered a response. I feel between the worms and masstick he is going to fatten up real quick!

Thank you everyone!!!
 
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Just to let you know, Masstick works great for my CBB. He'll even take to it as I'm still sticking it to the glass.

Awesome!! Mine comes in Thursday so hopefully he is going to get a good variety between Masstick and worms.
 

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Don't know if it's already been mentioned but try a feeding grid (pic below), and an oyster on the half-shell. But some CBBs will only eat pods on a rock or aiptasia no matter what you try. In nature they rarely eat out of the water column.

images
 
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Don't know if it's already been mentioned but try a feeding grid (pic below), and an oyster on the half-shell. But some CBBs will only eat pods on a rock or aiptasia no matter what you try. In nature they rarely eat out of the water column.

images

Thank you. I am thinking I have one of those types. He destroyed my Aiptasia within 2-3 days and pecks at rocks and sand like it is hunting for PODS. Won't touch anything else....don't know what else to do
 
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At a loss here. Masstick has been in for 2 hours and the CBB doesn't even care it is there. My tangs and Chromis love it though. I fed black worms twice and it just watched them go on by..... :(

Do you think it will take time until it takes to these or is it a loss cause?
 

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It's never over until it's over. Keep trying everything, and keep drifting a few BW's in front of the CBB. If it ate some yesterday then your odds are good that it will eat more of them

Hopefully the cone feeder helps. The CBB can pick the worms out of it in a more natural fashion
 

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There blackworms and that slimy thing is a leech.

thank you for clarifying this, paul. i always thought they were freshwater flatworms. they never worried me (for the fish's sake), but i always siphon them out of my blackworm container because i wasn't sure if the flatwor-- err-- i mean, leeches, were making a free meal out of the blackworms.

that cone feeder is handy for blackworms, but i usually just broadcast feed the worms into the tank. if yr CBB isn't getting a decent share, there's a guard that can go around the cone feeder that let's the CBB's snout get exclusive access first.

oh, i like to soak the worms in vitamins for 15-20 minutes before feeding btw.
 
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thank you for clarifying this, paul. i always thought they were freshwater flatworms. they never worried me (for the fish's sake), but i always siphon them out of my blackworm container because i wasn't sure if the flatwor-- err-- i mean, leeches, were making a free meal out of the blackworms.

that cone feeder is handy for blackworms, but i usually just broadcast feed the worms into the tank. if yr CBB isn't getting a decent share, there's a guard that can go around the cone feeder that let's the CBB's snout get exclusive access first.

oh, i like to soak the worms in vitamins for 15-20 minutes before feeding btw.

What Vitamins do you use?
 
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It's never over until it's over. Keep trying everything, and keep drifting a few BW's in front of the CBB. If it ate some yesterday then your odds are good that it will eat more of them

Hopefully the cone feeder helps. The CBB can pick the worms out of it in a more natural fashion

You sound like my old Coach. Lol. Thanks for the advice. I just purchased the Lee's cone feeder.
 
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The CBB is just hanging out in the middle under this ledge and has been for over an hour. I hope nothing is wrong with the him.

20191113_152016.jpg
 

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CBBs can be frustrating due to their "finickiness". One time I trained a CBB to eat clams --> blackworms --> frozen. Even had him eating out of my hand! A friend had an aiptasia problem, so I "loaned" him my CBB to take care of it. When I got the fish back it wouldn't eat frozen or blackworms or clams anymore. :mad: I've also seen it happen the other way... a CBB will get so used to prepared foods that it shows no interest in eating aiptasia.
 
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CBBs can be frustrating due to their "finickiness". One time I trained a CBB to eat clams --> blackworms --> frozen. Even had him eating out of my hand! A friend had an aiptasia problem, so I "loaned" him my CBB to take care of it. When I got the fish back it wouldn't eat frozen or blackworms or clams anymore. :mad: I've also seen it happen the other way... a CBB will get so used to prepared foods that it shows no interest in eating aiptasia.

Don't you wish that upon me.... LOL :D . I am just glad he is visually eating. Don't want to lose him. He is such a cool fish.

That is cool that you hand fed him.
 

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