help with feeding CBB - Page 3

Delphinus · #21 11-14-2007, 07:01 AM

I hear ya. Now I more or less do it just to see the looks on their faces.

Actually sometimes they'll just give you the oyster since they'll weigh all off about 0.000001 grams and that's not enough to register on the weigh scale. I've had it happen a couple of times, but I felt kinda bad about doing that so I make a point to ask for 4 or 5 oysters. The oysters seem to stay alive (not always, but usually) in the sump at reef temps, whereas clams and mussels seem to die off pretty quick.

Once, at Superstore, I had my son with me, at the time he was 1, and the lady thought I was asking for the oyster for him to play with. I was sorta too dumbstruck for words. "Ummm .... yeah, I'm giving my ONE YEAR OLD an oyster to play with. Of course that's what I want it for!" ... "No, no, it's for my fish .. no, my fish at home, oh never mind.." But she gave the oyster to me for free .....

fishoholic · #22 11-14-2007, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Once, at Superstore, I had my son with me, at the time he was 1, and the lady thought I was asking for the oyster for him to play with. I was sorta too dumbstruck for words. "Ummm .... yeah, I'm giving my ONE YEAR OLD an oyster to play with. Of course that's what I want it for!" ... [size=1]

What you don't think oysters make good toys

(sorry I couldn't resist)

On a side note we just bought a CBB and I'm paranoid now that he's not eating. How common is this? I've tried to watch him eat and he'll go hide under the rocks, from a distance it sort of looked like he might be eating a small piece of mysis and sort of looked like he might of picked up some pellets off the sand bed, however I wasn't close enough to tell. Our CBB seems healthy and swims around a lot so I guess I'll just try to make sure he stays that way.

Delphinus · #23 11-14-2007, 03:47 PM

I honestly almost regret buying my CBB because he is such a ridiculous feeder.

I can't remember how long it took for him to become a total fiend with regards to mysis, but he is that way about mysis now. Other than the shellfish I put in for him, mysis is the *only* thing he will eat. He would rather starve than eat flake or pellet. I've gone as long as 2 weeks and I thought it was cruel and unusual. My problem now is that I try to feed other things mysis, and I can't, because he steals it all, no matter how long I try to chase him away. My dendrophylla, my blastomussas, my bubble coral .. in fact I've all but lost my dendrophylla because it can't eat enough. What tiny polyps I have left I faithfully try to feed everyday but because it takes 20 minutes to swallow the food, all it takes is for 1 second where he dashes in, steals the mysis and is off before I can swing my net angrily at him. And I've tried putting a jar over the dendrophylla, but the slightest movement and those feeding polyps are retracted and that's the end of that for that day.

Second only to my sixline wrasse, I have to admit this fish is among my least favourite additions to my reef now. When the tank is torn down I might move him into my ritteri tank, he can steal all the mysis he wants in there and it won't matter.

surgeonfish · #24 11-15-2007, 03:29 AM

fishoholic:
For the first 2-3 weeks, my CBB also looked non stressed and appeared to be actively looking for food mostly on the bottom. He would occasionally pick at the live rock and sand but don't think he was actually eating anything. He refused anything except blood worms. He did get pretty thin.

Delphinus:
Besides the CBB, what else is in your tank? Do you have any aggressive eaters such as tangs that would out compete the CBB. My fish is now eating blood worms. However, he still takes his sweet time inspecting each worm before eating it. I think he will starve in my main tank with several hungry tangs and damsels.

Delphinus · #25 11-15-2007, 03:41 AM

He's in with a desjardini tang, flame hawk, sixline wrasse, and potters angel. The tang the CBB had a few territorial skirmishes at first, the tang was really annoyed to get a newcomer and I thought I would have to remove the CBB for his safety. But eventually he accepted him (although he still won't tolerate the CBB hanging out near "his" nori stick).

Technically they could all outcompete him but since they're not fussy they get all the other food I feed first. Flakes and pellets and nori, and then a few minutes later I feed the mysis. I use a turkey baster and feed him a couple at a time. This method takes forever, but he's learned to wait at the front and watches that turkey baster.

It did take a while for him to sort of "get" it though. I hope yours comes around ....

surgeonfish · #26 11-15-2007, 03:59 AM

Tony
Thanks for the advice. Maybe I will try training him to feed from a baster as well so if he is not getting enough food when I move him out of the quarantine tank I could always "target feed him" so he doesn't starve.
Thanks

Borderjumper · #27 11-15-2007, 04:15 AM

I've been tagging along here. I bought a CBB a month ago, and to this day he wont accept any food. He picks at the rock constantly so something is keeping him alive. Ive tried 2 brands of mysis, bloodworms, brineshrimp, live clams and live muscles. Like yours.. he doesnt appear stressed at all.. looks at the food and swims away. Hes in tank with other fish ( who ignore him), and I was hoping he would see the other fish eat and at least get excited. I've pretty much decided Ive done all I can do, and its up to him to either eat.. or............

surgeonfish · #28 11-15-2007, 04:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Borderjumper

I've been tagging along here. I bought a CBB a month ago, and to this day he wont accept any food. He picks at the rock constantly so something is keeping him alive. Ive tried 2 brands of mysis, bloodworms, brineshrimp, live clams and live muscles. Like yours.. he doesnt appear stressed at all.. looks at the food and swims away. Hes in tank with other fish ( who ignore him), and I was hoping he would see the other fish eat and at least get excited. I've pretty much decided Ive done all I can do, and its up to him to either eat.. or............

Borderjumper
Frustrating isn't it. Do you know if he was eating at the LFS before you bought him? Is he looking thin? I was told my CBB was eating brine shrimp but mine has not eaten three brands of frozen or even live brine shrimp. Is he looking thin? Someone suggested that if he is not eating within a few days, he will NEVER eat and recommended I return him to the LFS as he will inevitably die. If I ever decide to buy another CBB in the future, I will make sure to see it eat myself before buying it.

Borderjumper · #29 11-15-2007, 04:55 AM

Yes its fustrating.

He's a very small CCB..toonie size.. maybe thats part of my problem. He's a tad thin, but not skinny or showing any signs of pinching.

The money doesnt bother me.. and if he wont eat here he wont eat at the LFS so I will not stress him out by trying to catch him and return him just so he can die there.

He will eat feather dusters.. but those were cleaned out of my tank the second day I had him. LOL I have even tried supergluing the ends of bloodworms onto a rock so they wiggle in the current. I know he isnt eating aptasia.. they are looking just fine

I stressed for weeks overfeeding my tank hoping maybe he would pick some food off the rocks if it settled. I gave up doing that after checking my nitrates. He will live or he wont.. its his choice.

Delphinus · #30 11-15-2007, 06:05 AM

Probably not the best advice, but for what it's worth, I've read once somewhere that if you get a longnose butterfly (Forcipiger flavissimus or if you can find one, F. longirostris), they tend to do a LOT better in captivity and will more readily accept prepared foods ... and CBB's might "hang out" with them and may become more accepting of prepared foods.

However, I don't remember where I read that, plus, I haven't found too many good accounts of how reef safe the longnose butterfly's are. They might be perfectly safe but I couldn't find a lot of examples on the boards, so I don't know how safe your clams might be (if you have any that is). I kind of wish I knew the answer but with a number of clams myself I'm not comfortable taking the risk.

But if you don't have clams, it might be worth a shot. They're strikingly beautiful fish, I've come real close to picking one up a couple of times.