Feeding clams and oysters to copperband?

[Tamberav]

Do not switch to brine and mysis. This is not better! There was a post here not long ago about a Copperband losing weight because they were being only fed these foods (a large portion of them is shell). They recovered when offered more appropriate foods.

Feed live worms and fresh clam and frozen LRS.

 

[jaganshi066]

Ignore these foods. Too much shell to offer nutrition he needs. Worms and clams are a much better food I AM SOOOO happy to hear this news, glad he is working out for you now!

Edit: my grocery stores never have frozen or fresh clams for sell. I had to get muscles instead. I am currently thawing one out of the freezer at the moment. We'll see how mine likes that. Her belly is getting a bit bigger, so the live rock must have enough food to keep her sustained. Or she is actually eating food that drops by the rocks.. When I can get a good picture of her, I'll post it here.

Well mine wouldn’t even eat the clams off the shell, I had to cut pieces and put it on top of the rock or in the cracks. You cant Buy frozen clams?

 

[jaganshi066]

Great news you finally got him eating clams and worms that you added to the live rock.
Maybe try that with brine shrimp or mysis which is more nutritional i believe ( if he small cut the mysis in half) what i do is i got a rock island on the sand ( copperbands generally stay on bottom-1/3 the tank so is ideal low down and i get my long coral feeder with the frozen mysis in and squirt it in the cracks/crevices and he picks them out and eats a few ,you would need it in a low flow area so doesnt blow out,if he shows no interest then get turkey baster/coral feeder and suck food back up after 30 minutes or so imo
But if he only eats clams or worms you put on rock that be ok for him and in future try other tactics to get him eating different foods as goal at begginning is just to get him to eat so the fish doesn't srarve then once fattenned up then experiment other foods if he shows no interest now.good luck and once again great news you got him to eat.have you shown a picture of the copperband yet ? Unsure if you have or not sorry

I’ll get a picture later today when I get back, but some clams I put there it’s like he keeps chewing and spitting out. Is it too big or does he only like certain parts of the clam? I do a 10% water change everyday to make sure the water is clean, and I do pull out the uneaten food but I leave the live brine in there. It should be ok to leave live brine in with him right? That shouldn’t bring up the ammonia?

 

[jaganshi066]

Here she is this morning, always hunting for food. The foxface is starting to warm up to the cbb, wants to swim with her and the cbb isn't having that.

I guess I messed up. I was trying to find a friend for the fox to swim with. That's what he likes to do.


I am sure my eyes are not deceiving me. Her belly looks like she's gaining weight from when she arrived. Here she is with her reflection.



Not an easy fish to get good pics on. Always on the move. Only time i get a half okay picture is when she stops to eat. And she's gone!

Do you quarantine fish?

 

[jaganshi066]

Do not switch to brine and mysis. This is not better! There was a post here not long ago about a Copperband losing weight because they were being only fed these foods (a large portion of them is shell). They recovered when offered more appropriate foods.

Feed live worms and fresh clam and frozen LRS.

How do you guys cut up the clam? I do cut small pieces but maybe not small enough cause he spits it out then grabs it again and spits it out and grabs it again.

 

[Tamberav]

Well mine wouldn’t even eat the clams off the shell, I had to cut pieces and put it on top of the rock or in the cracks. You cant Buy frozen clams?

You can buy live clams. Freeze them yourself and cut/shave off strips. Like tiny strips. I try to do them about 1mm wide.

You don’t want to buy frozen clams because you have no idea how long they have been frozen for and the ones sold at pet stores are not for human consumption. They are likely just not as nutritional.

 

[ying yang]

I’ll get a picture later today when I get back, but some clams I put there it’s like he keeps chewing and spitting out. Is it too big or does he only like certain parts of the clam? I do a 10% water change everyday to make sure the water is clean, and I do pull out the uneaten food but I leave the live brine in there. It should be ok to leave live brine in with him right? That shouldn’t bring up the ammonia?

Mine also gets some in mouth then spits out and usually then gets it again aslong as other fish aren't faster and steal it ha ha.
But aslong as is finally eating it and not just in mouth then spit out and lets it float away he will be just trying to get in smaller bits.
Maybe try cut it in smaller slivers for him.and if brine shrimp isn't like lots lots lots and still live then dont see problem ,not sure how long they will survive though tbh and your checking parameters often.
10% daily seems a high % to be doing?
Are you doing this because amnonia levels are rising or just because you dont want them to rise? If its a qt and got a filter it should be removing amnonia and not rise daily unless to much breaking down in the water.
I say this because new fish its good to get them to settle in and putting hands in tank and removing water may stress the fish imo
I know some get new fish and do ttm so catching fish and moving to new tank/ container every few days but if you just keeping in one tank i wouldn't be doing 10% daily unless there was a need for it like no filter and no way to remove amnonia other than water changes

 

[Reefer Reboot]

Given time, the Foxface and CBB will warm up to each other, especially when there is food involved. In the mean time as for food, variety, variety, variety!;Drool

 

[jaganshi066]

You can buy live clams. Freeze them yourself and cut/shave off strips. Like tiny strips.

You don’t want to buy frozen clams because you have no idea how long they have been frozen for and the ones sold at pet stores are not for human consumption. They are likely just not as nutritional.

Ok I bought two big fresh ones, and I froze them. Should I use like a carrot or potato peeler. A food grinder?

 

[ying yang]

Ok I bought two big fresh ones, and I froze them. Should I use like a carrot or potato peeler. A food grinder?

A fresh clean razor blade would probably be best thing to use i would of thought but personally i just use scissors and cut up then cut up some more into fine pieces and most of pieces it eats first time

 

[jaganshi066]

A fresh clean razor blade would probably be best thing to use i would of thought but personally i just use scissors and cut up then cut up some more into fine pieces and most of pieces it eats first time

I used scissors too but is it normal for him to eat then Spit it out, then eat, and spit it out then eat again. Is there flesh he’s ripping off it or something

 

[ying yang]

I used scissors too but is it normal for him to eat then Spit it out, then eat, and spit it out then eat again. Is there flesh he’s ripping off it or something

Hi there
Sounds like pieces to big for him and he trying to make smaller,ive only had my copperband a few weeks so im new to this fish also.but what ive been told is they have no teeth and thin slivers are best so i just try make it small as i can.but i think in one off the first videos i posted in this thread of mine eating from the clam still attached to the shell and him ripping it from shell and then getting /ripping pieces of it as it floating around the sandbed so copperband has the ability to make a larger bit smaller.for first week or 2 all i did was open the clam/oyster and put it in with no problems but last just over a week i cutting it in very thin pieces ( doesn't last aslong this way) i feed 3- 4 times a day as i read that copperbands have high metabolism as they very active fish and use alot energy so feed little but often .
Maybe get a razor blade if your scissors have big blades on them so cant cut thin pieces,i use hairdressing scissors so very sharp and can cut relatively thin.but most important thing is your fish is eating but if you want to make it easier give him slivers of clam instead of chunky pieces maybe
Edit: as for is it normal for him to eat then spit out then eat then spit out i would say he just trying to get smaller as cant swallow larger pieces i would of thought

 

[ying yang]

Ignore these foods. Too much shell to offer nutrition he needs. Worms and clams are a much better food I AM SOOOO happy to hear this news, glad he is working out for you now!

Edit: my grocery stores never have frozen or fresh clams for sell. I had to get muscles instead. I am currently thawing one out of the freezer at the moment. We'll see how mine likes that. Her belly is getting a bit bigger, so the live rock must have enough food to keep her sustained. Or she is actually eating food that drops by the rocks.. When I can get a good picture of her, I'll post it here.

I live in a large city in England and im also struggling to find fresh or even frozen clams.
City im originally from has a fresh sea food market ( city middle off country so nowhere near the sea) but liverpool where i am now is on the coast ( well north end of city on irish sea) but took me hours and hours going looking in city centre and driving around all different supermarkets and finally found one other side of city,they did have fresh oysters and mussels i think also so let me know how yours gets on with mussels as i may have to try them as all i bought was frozen small clams and a oyster but they had few fresh shell critters and as i read its better to get fresh then freeze ourselves i would rather go the buy fresh then freeze myself route

 

[Tamberav]

Ok I bought two big fresh ones, and I froze them. Should I use like a carrot or potato peeler. A food grinder?

i just use a small sharp knife or a razor blade. Whatever you can do to get them in thin slices. I wouldn’t use a food grinder as that is more of a slurry. Maybe if you grind fresh it then freeze it and put it in a mesh holder if he would eat out of that but depends on his eating habits right now.

 

[Goaway]

Do you quarantine fish?

I stopped quarantine on anything that isn't a clownfish... Well.. My last clown never hit the qt either. I think I have him for a month and a half now?

 

[Goaway]

Given time, the Foxface and CBB will warm up to each other, especially when there is food involved. In the mean time as for food, variety, variety, variety!;Drool

That is fantastic idea! The foxface, really is very social. Just doesn't have anyone who likes him as a buddy.

 

[ying yang]

Ok struggling to get clams from the one and only place i know was sold out and maybe get more tommorrow idk.
Got a king scallop and that should last a day or 2 and copperband eating that,other fish eating it but not as enthusiastic as the clams but i notice clowns got massive bellows and wrasse lol

Also question @Paul B these mussels i just had to buy as a back up i didnt notice till got home it says COOKED MUSSELS ,no spices/herbes,sauces added but are these ok to feed you reckon? I know not going have none the bacteria in them that you say very beneficial and all that,but if cant get anything else these be ok if cut up small and give also @Tamberav as i know you had yours a bit ?
Only got 1 day left of clams and 2-3 days max of that king scollop maybe

 

[ying yang]

Out of interest that king scallop i posted above.whats the orange bit ? Whatever it is i fed a bit to tank and fishes ate it anyhows so unless i do the heindreich monaouver on the fish it tough ***** ^_^

 

[Goaway]

I think the orange bit, might be the stomach and the white bit the tongue?

 

[ying yang]

Not sure.i did think maybe stomach also but not clued up on shellfish