The Butterfly Lover's Thread

[Fishfreak2009]

Well, I ended up cutting quarantine short, as the mertensi and the pelewensis seemed to not eat as well with full strength cupramine for an extended period. Thankfully, no signs of disease on anyone and both fish have their appetite fully back.

The mertensii seems to love clam on the half shell, the antennae on snails, and all the little worms in the sandbed.

The pelewensis eats just about anything, even small NLS pellets.

The 2 auriga (only 2" long) also eat anything, and have figured out how to steal clam from the 12" maculosus. One acts as a decoy and distracts while the other grabs a bite or 2, then they switch roles.

Other than a bit of chasing initially by the goldrim tang, they were pretty much left alone and now all of them seem to be getting along fine.

The clowns, a lightning maroon in her bubbletip anemone and a pair of tomato clowns in their sebae anemone, don't let the auriga butterflies touch their anemones, so that worked out pretty well.

Here's a couple quick videos:

 

[Louis Z]

Beautiful to see . When I get back from vacation . I am adding all of the blackbacked and white collar to main DT after I fatten them up after being gone for a week . I had someone feed once while I was gone . All of mine were eating very well before I left . Clam , smashed crab claws , pellets, bloodworms , mysis. I will look for more white collar to put in QT . I would like to see if I a get a pair together . Maybe try my hand at CBB if I find a strong healthy one . I am hooked on butterfly fish now after seeing your posts . Trying a few species gave me confidence . I never purchased cause I thought they were difficult . But with all the youtube posts on feeding CBB , it provided me a lot of info on how to feed and acclimate the non obligate corallivores.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Here are some pics from today! All 4 butterflies are doing well. The threadfins have gotten extremely bold, and take frozen and pellets from my hand. The pelewensis is eating pellets now, and the mertensii is back to eating mysis along with clam and whatever worms it can pick from the substrate and rocks.

 

[Louis Z]

Ooohhhh you got a pair !!!!!! Awesome !!! BTW the maculosus has always been one of my favorites . I love asfur and regals too . the 125 that we have is too small for what I want .

 

[Ajayabb]

Found a technique for feeding my new copperband. I run the Plank feeder to distract the aggressive feeders while I feed my new CB blood worms in the hanging slow feeder. Works pretty well

 

[Louis Z]

I went on vacation for 9 days came back and the blackbacked Butterflyfish was missing in the QT . it was the most dominated out of the three . It always seemed to be the less plump out of the three. But when I fed them he always ate . I went without an auto feeder for fear of not working properly . I have tried several different types previously . When never worked properly and one dumped too much food in . So I question which feeders have any of y’all tried that are reliable . I don’t have an apex nor other controller . And on tight budget.

 

[Louis Z]

I run the Plank feeder

What controls your plank feeder . A timer ? Or do you run the apex ?

 

[Ajayabb]

I run the Plank feeder

What controls your plank feeder . A timer ? Or do you run the apex ?

I use a smart WiFi plug

 

[Louis Z]

The transition for the white collar Pakistani BF to the main DT went well . He is front and center. Brave even though the 8in emperor shoos everybody out of the way. The remaining two blackbacked were dominated the first day by the 2yellow adult tangs . By second day they ignore them. Although the juvenile blue face that still shows full juvenile stripes has now moved out of its regular spot and now checks the two blackbacked . This blue face has always hidden itself , now it’s out more showing bravado towards the two blackbacked. The two blackbacked now stick together and the larger never shows aggression to the smaller one . I guess he is now low man on the totem pole.

 

[awwinterfall]

Well, I ended up cutting quarantine short, as the mertensi and the pelewensis seemed to not eat as well with full strength cupramine for an extended period. Thankfully, no signs of disease on anyone and both fish have their appetite fully back.

The mertensii seems to love clam on the half shell, the antennae on snails, and all the little worms in the sandbed.

The pelewensis eats just about anything, even small NLS pellets.

The 2 auriga (only 2" long) also eat anything, and have figured out how to steal clam from the 12" maculosus. One acts as a decoy and distracts while the other grabs a bite or 2, then they switch roles.

Other than a bit of chasing initially by the goldrim tang, they were pretty much left alone and now all of them seem to be getting along fine.

The clowns, a lightning maroon in her bubbletip anemone and a pair of tomato clowns in their sebae anemone, don't let the auriga butterflies touch their anemones, so that worked out pretty well.

Here's a couple quick videos:

Is this the same moorish idol you had before?

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Is this the same moorish idol you had before?

Had this guy about 2 months now. Same one as the last pics, but lost my old one in the tank crash

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Couple pics from tonight, even including the new Pakistani Butterfly (Chaetodon collare) in quarantine.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Saddleback has finished QT, and is getting liberated into the DT tonight...

 

[Louis Z]

I am looking for more Pakistani . A lfs has them for 120 . I would like a lower price , I will just have to wait . Working on my other project at the moment . Was doing Qt ing for four months of different fish and I want to take a break from QT

 

[Fishfreak2009]

I am looking for more Pakistani . A lfs has them for 120 . I would like a lower price , I will just have to wait . Working on my other project at the moment . Was doing Qt ing for four months of different fish and I want to take a break from QT

Most of my LFS have them for about $100-120, and they usually look pretty rough. One of my closest LFS special-ordered the one I just got from APet for me, sold it for $90. Its in much better shape then most butterflies I see for sale locally, nice and fat, eating well, and only found 1 fluke on it, vs 10-12+

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Saddleback has finished QT, and is getting liberated into the DT tonight...

I need to find a xanthurus, an ephippium, a citrinellus, and a couple others locally if I can.

 

[awwinterfall]

Saddleback has finished QT, and is getting liberated into the DT tonight...

Did you ever have trouble getting the Saddleback butterflyfish to eat? Where did you get it from?

 

[awwinterfall]

Most of my LFS have them for about $100-120, and they usually look pretty rough. One of my closest LFS special-ordered the one I just got from APet for me, sold it for $90. Its in much better shape then most butterflies I see for sale locally, nice and fat, eating well, and only found 1 fluke on it, vs 10-12+

It's up to the individual butterflyfish to adapt. I have a lfs with a Pakistan butterflyfish that eats everything.

I'm looking for other species though

 

[JumboShrimp]

I've gotten nearly all of my current fish (including a Longnose Hawkfish and Flame Hawk-- which are in with the butterflies), from Reef Beauties. They update their site on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Saddleback ate in QT from day one, as they practically all did. Feed small enough foods, as their mouths are small when they come in as "medium" specimens.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

I've gotten nearly all of my current fish (including a Longnose Hawkfish and Flame Hawk-- which are in with the butterflies), from Reef Beauties. They update their site on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Saddleback ate in QT from day one, as they practically all did. Feed small enough foods, as their mouths are small when they come in as "medium" specimens.

I got some of mine from Reef Beauties. The 2 auriga came from them. The melon from them slowly wasted away as it never took to feeding well, and the lattice came with pretty bad flukes and ended up getting secondary bacterial infection that erythromycin and nitrofurazone didn't work to treat.

Waiting to try another order with them using the credit from the lattice once weather is a little better here in Michigan. Hoping they get some tilefish back in stock, and want to grab a citrinellus butterfly (which they have labeled as a miliaris).