# Feeding my new African Butterflyfish



## thelesserevil

I just got an African Butterflyfish. I spoke to our store's aquatics expert before getting him to make sure he would do well with my tank's other occupants. He said they would eat the frozen food I feed (brine shrimp, bloodworms) & the pellets I feed (I did get floating chiclid pellets at his recommendation). I feed Molly fry every few days when I have them (hopefully someone will give birth again soon. I'm down to about a dozen). Almost all of my fish go for them & I thought the Butterfly was going to nom one tonight, but he never made a move. I was also told that Butterflys love crickets, but I can't stand keeping them! They are why I don't have my terrarium set up anymore. The little buggers get out of their containers & I have to listen to them chirping all night! What other foods can I offer my Butterfly? So far I have not seen him eat. I know they like floating plants, but my pleco decimated my plants & I'm waiting for the lillies to grow again (the pleco was almost 12" & I finally made the decision to rehome her & get a smaller one).


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## coralbandit

It probly won't eat the pellets ever unless by mistake.It need to "think" it is eating live food.
A cricket or 2 will do wonders for you.1 cricket should be pretty filling,unless you can get the tiny ones.You need to sneak in an easier food with the live.Many pet store sell freeze dried cricket or mealworms for reptiles.By getting the butterfly to eat a cricket(he will be happy ) you will increase his interest in the freeze dreid.
It is amatter of training and starving(sorry).He will probly just starve if not interested in food.They need to see it move.Once he knows you are offering good live food,then add 1 live and 1 freeze dried.This and only offering food every three days or so will make him gobble up the freeze dried once he knows the floating food is what he wants.
I have trained my lionfish,morray eel and grouper to eat frozen from live in 2 weeks or less.
Butterfly fish are great to watch.One of my favorite OddBalls!


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## henningc

Dubia roaches, they don't climb, sing or escape.


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## kalyke

What about worms?


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## Botiadancer

Having never had them, but watched them for hours at a time in shops; CB is correct again (drat!) in that they want their food to move. You can try freeze dried crickets tied to a thread and pulled around the surface - that will get them to try it, and then they will know its food. After a few tries, try it without the thread.
Or toss in a live cricket with a freeze dried one... see if he eats in the frenzy.

Add another fish to go in the fishroom... (I think I'm gonna need an aircraft hangar soon...)

CB - are those 3 salties in the same tank? I'll bug you about eels in another thread sometime.


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## coralbandit

Botiadancer said:


> CB - are those 3 salties in the same tank? I'll bug you about eels in another thread sometime.


My 120g fowlr has 2 lionfish,1 snowflake morray eel and a minautus grouper.All eat frozen whatever I offer!The did take like 2 weeks to completely break!
On they really want live food;I'm one of those people who ALWAYS finds loose/"wild" crickets in stores and feeds them to tanks!If there are butterflys I'll offer to them first(you can walk around with a couple crickets in your hand for a while!).
Freeze dreid meal worms might work.You have to really trick the fish.


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## kalyke

They have wing-less fruit fly culture, red worms, planeria, maggots. Can you start an ant farm? 

Actually, I like the worm idea because I want to get into worm composting. The worms would make good potting soil, get rid of kitchen scraps, and also feed the fish.


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