Copperband Food and J&L
 

One of the foods my Copperband (and my other Butterfly fish) really likes to eat is the San Fransisco Brand freeze dried plankton. I used to buy it from J&L, but they didn't have any stock the last couple times I was there. So I tried the Omega One freeze dried plankton (from J&L), but my Copperband (and all my other fish) just spits it out after a taste. I tried feeding them a little bit for several days now (after starving them a bit, too), but they still will not eat it.

I phoned around, and could not find another LFS around Vancouver that carries the San Fransisco Brand of freeze dried plankton. However, one LFS, Pet Boutique, in North Van, offered to special order some in for me, and I accepted. I don't think they even sell salt water fish, but I do appreciate their willing to help.

I had also phoned J&L to ask if they would order it in for me, but they refused. I was a little peeved with that, actually, given the thousands I spent with them in the last year.

Has anyone else tried the Omega One freeze dried plankton from J&L, and do your fish eat it? I am wondering if my batch is maybe bad, as it is seems a little dry and dark colored, compared to the San Fransisco Brand. Also, I noticed that the expiry date on the can is Aug/12, while other Omega One food (not from J&L) that I have is into 2013 and was bought several months ago.

I do have Omega One freeze dried mysis (not from J&L), which my Copperband and other fish really love, so was more than a little surprised when they didn't like their freeze dried plankton.

Did you try soaking it in garlic or selcon? My copperband will even eat flake food if it's soaked in garlic or selcon.

My Copperband is pretty fussy. I tried soaking food in selcon and garlic, and he then just spits it out. This includes the freeze dried plankton and mysis, which he really loves, but without the selcon or garlic.

I have not got him to eat any kind of pellet food either, although my other butterfly fish eat it.

The only thing my Copperband eats is the freeze dried plankton and mysis, frozen PE mysis and brine shrimp, and fresh chopped clams (won't eat the frozen clams). I have tried lots of other foods as well, but like I said he is pretty fussy.

I have had him about a year and a half now, and while I wouldn't call him fat, he is pretty healthy and happy in the tank. I have to feed often though, because his tank mates are all voracious eaters, and the food gets eaten quickly before he has his fill. That long snout is not the best for picking off food from the surface, and he misses a lot.

Mine does not even eat mysis...all that he eats are live white worms and fresh mussle once in a while.

He use to take a few mysis but not for a long time now. he's fat as can be and has slowed down the amount of white worms that he eats. He's pretty close to its maximum size I guess, at a year and half.

Which frozen mysis have you tried? Mine only eats PE Mysis, and does not like the Hikari mysis. I am not sure what is the difference, other than the Hikari is smaller. But he certainly has his preference.

And he likes the Omega One freeze dried mysis.

PE mysis. He use to eat a little bit of it here and there when very very hungry, but not any more.

I have never tried white worms (not sure if they are available in the Vancouver area), but would be interesting if my Copperband would take those. That might be a way to get him used to selcon, if I feed the white worms selcon and garlic.

I feed the worms with bread soaked in a bit of milk and about 10 drops of Selcon per slice of bread. I don't think it does much to soak the worms in Selcon after that. I don't see the use of garlic being relevant here. I don't think there would be anything usefull left form the garlic if the worms would actualy eat it, and they would not absorb the garlic if soaked into it as they only absorb stuff when they eat.

new copperband will eat live bloodworm. i dont know any lfs that carry bloodworm anymore, they're for freshwater fish.

You might want to try some of the Ocean Fresh Pacifica Plankton.

I have had lots of copperbands eat it as well as Moorish Idols etc.

Here is the link.
http://www.oceanfreshaquarium.com/pacifica-plankton/