Any hope of persuading a CBB to take non-mysis foods?

[Delphinus]

Since the summer I've had a copperbanded butteryfly in my tank.

I'm a *little* concerned because the *only* food it will take is mysis. Historically, any fish I've cared for that exhibited such a strict monotypic diet eventually would run into troubles. Cardinals and mandarins, in particular, I've lost due to some kind of intestinal distress.

Has anyone been able to feed their CBB's anything other than mysis? I was hoping it might develop a taste for NLS pellets since all the hoo-haw about those pellets made me think it had promise ... but so far, no-go. I don't know how hungry I can make him in order to encourage him to try other foods, without bordering on the cruel.

What about putting in a clam once in a while, just as something different for him to munch on? Only thing is I don't really want him developing a taste for clams since there are 4 tridacnids in the tank and so far he leaves them perfectly alone.

Is there any hope? He doesn't have to eat flake like the others do, I just wish I could feed something with a little variety.

Or any suggestions for other frozen foods that might be good enough to offer once in a while, besides just mysis?

[Dave C]

Surely you must have some LFS in town that have small coral covered with aiptasia. Just kidding.

[Doug]

Tony, the guys that told me to feed the Manila clams to my copperband, were aquarists that had them in tanks with ornamental clams. Thats was their solution to the copperbands sampling them.

I never did put any clams back in my tank after I started to feed them, so cant comment how how it would go. I, like you, have a hard time grasping how they can tell the difference but its what these guys told me. Several being advanced aquarists.

Mine also never ate much else besides mysis or the clams. He once ate bloodworms but quit. He did eat a type of frozen plankton on occassion.

[EmilyB]

Mine loved Fenners recipe for homemade frozen food.

[Jaws]

I had good success with buying bulk clams from superstore. Most of them would survive in the sump in a basket so I'd just take one out every couple days and run it under hot water until it died. Then I'd crack it open just enough so the CBB could get it's beak in there while most other fish couldn't. He'd feast for hours. If you keep rock in your sump too, you probably notice small feather dusters grow all over. Every once in a while I'd take a smaller piece out put it in the main tank. He'd clean it up within a few days. Good luck.

[Delphinus]

So basically so far nobody's saying that they had one that would take flakes or pellets ... I'll take that as a "don't even bother trying" perhaps. And make up some Fenner food, or similar .. or try the clams. Sounds like a pretty keen idea actually ...

I was thinking of a small PVC capped off with holes drilled, that he could sneak his snout in and grab some food. A CBB feeder similar to a nori tang feeder .. but maybe those little clams would work well too.

Thanks all!

PS. Anyone else with some experience to share? Thanks!!

[Ruth]

Tony - no experience with a CBB but I do have a huge a$$ Naso tang and all he eats is nori and occassionally I put some grape calurpa in the tank. That's it - he won't touch anything floating in the water column, no clams, no spiralina(sp), no homemade goop, pellets - nothing else. Short of force feeding him somehow that's his diet. I've had him for over a year and he is fat and has good colour but I know that I worry about his limited diet. I thought of maybe going snorkelling in the tank and showing him (jk) but every other fish in that tank with the exception of the Conspic Angel eat out of the water column and eat a variety of food.
Sorry no suggestions but maybe your PVC idea will work.

[marie]

Ruth, all my naso would eat for the first 1 1/2 was nori and then right out of the blue one day he started eating flake, from then on he would eat anything that I put in the tank.

[Ruth]

Thanks Marie. There may yet be hope for my guy. My completely unproven theory is that as he was large when I got him and has gotten even larger in the past year plus he was probably older when he was caught so will only eat things that resemble his diet in the wild.

[Chaloupa]

mine eats bloodworms soaked heavily in garlic and vitamins - I know not an ideal diet choice but he samples all frozen foods in the tank and sometimes seems to eat some, plus it will also eat fresh sliced off bits of scallops and of course clam from the local seafood shop