African Butterfly Fish

[cbster]

I bought an African Butterfly Fish 6 days ago and he will not eat i have tried crickets and meal worms and he will not eat. is there anything i can try to entice him to eat or is there something else i can try to feed him.

Thanks Greg

 

[OrionGirl]

I fed mine mostly Tetra Crisps--they floated, and he loved them. Small insects will sometimes work--but I had problems getting mine to eat them before they jumped elsewhere. Some blood worms, still abit frozen so they float, may work to entice him into eating.

I wouldn't worry yet--most fish can go for several weeks without food with no ill effects. Keep offering food, make sure the water is in good shape, and make sure the fish has a good floating hide out--floating plants or wood are a good option.

 

[andruboz]

could ask the store what they were feeding him if anything... mine would take the baby size hikari gold floating pellets.. but preferred baby crickets- wasnt crazy about full size crickets.. it wouldnt eat grub worms either.
but it jumped...sigh..

 

[Leopardess]

That is common when you first get them. They are usually stressed out since they are very nervous fish and fish-store care isn't the best. Mine didnt eat when I first got him for about 2 weeks. They can go a bit longer than other fish without food because of their predatory nature...they are somewhat used to eating, say, one meal then going a little while before they eat again.

Give it time and I'm sure it will come around. Keep trying small crickets and frozen bloodworms if you can get them to drop above his head. Also, you may want to try flake food. Some of them are accustomed to food that doesn't fit their real needs (such as flake) because its cheaper for the stores to feed them (if they feed them at all).

If you haven't already, add some floating plants to the tank - real or fake. They really need cover

 

[missymoo]

did some research and this hopefully this will help:

Juveniles sometimes eat parasites off of other fish. ........
Some preferred live foods are; small fish, tubifex worms, glass worms, bloodworms, brine shrimp, crickets and daddy long leg spiders. They also do quite well with frozen foods such as; frozen brine shrimp, plankton, beef heart, glass worms, bloodworms, daphnia, and hi-pro. Many will also eat freeze-dried pellet and flake foods. It is important to make sure these foods float as these fish remain on the surface at all times. They will not do well with sinking foods

 

[BBN]

I've had mine for over a year now and he's done fine on flakes. However, If I can catch a fly that buzzes in my house I'll feed him that treat.

 

[BBN]

BTW, what town do you live in St. Clair Co.?

 

[cbster]

Hey BBN,

I live in Freeburg which is a little bit north of marion but i do have a clubhouse down by you around dutchman lake near vienna.

Thanks for the input Greg

 

[Jayhawk]

Mine eats just about anything that floats, and has tried to eat several things too big for him (like a congo tetra). Primarily, I feed him flake, freeze dried krill (loves this and it floats well), and he also eats Wardley sinking shrip pellets that if I lay them on the water just perfectly, and no other fish tries to eat them, will float long enough for him to pounce them . If he's getting the shrimp pellets or lots of freeze dried krill, he'll sometimes skip a day on eating, but it's amazing how much he can pack away.

They're way cool fish. I've had for at least 6 months now (I think), and he's great.

Eric

 

[Bristlenose Chuck]

I agree with andruboz