African Butterfly Fish

[PeterWest]

Hi All

Today I purchased myself 2 African butterfly fish. they are still small, about 7cm.
Now what would one feed these guys, I have tried pellets, flakes, earthworms, bloodworm but nothing has work up to yet.

Can someone please just tell me what would work to feed these guys?

Regards
Peter

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

I would give the shop a ring or pop in. Sometimes these guys can take some "breaking in" to get them to take anything but live food like insects (which they will jump out of the water for) or small fish.

Did you get a male and female? The males have a mini extension to their anal fin bottom, making it look like a chicane.

Oh and very few fish will eat during the first 24 hours. Only exceptions I expereinced so far are my Garras and Indian Red Tail Squirrel Loaches

 

[SlyPolak]

I have had 2 males for several months and they ate some flake when I was feeding others the first hour!!!

They eat flake and anything I feed to my other fish but their diet mainly consists of mealworms(I breed for my bichirs as well).. Crickets when I feel like catching a few from the yard, freeze-dried bloodworm and freeze-dried brine shrimp. Once in a blue moon I buy some feeder guppies which between them my bichirs and angels last about a whole 3 mins. My guys eat anything I throw in there but I think they fell in LOOOVE with the mealworms, they can eat up to 4 / 5 big guys each!!
I wouldnt just keep them on flake unless its a strictly for carnivores, they really seem to go for any bug really as long as it fits in their HUGE mouths.

To really temp them you can drop the food in and slightly "blow" on the water in front of them and they go for anything thats there........ even when there is nothing!
Be careful if you have 2 males though, they do get a little nippy at one another from time to time. In my tank one owns one side and the other owns the other.
Like GOAT said the females have a rounded anal fin and the males have one piece of it "sticking" out.. ( no pun intended )

 

[reeeedfish]

I feed mine freeze-dried bloodworms and small rosy red feeders. Mine only eat food that floats. Good luck!

 

[DarkEntity]

they will usually eat absolutely anything they can get in their mouthes. guppy, molly babies, frozen foods, prawns the lot.

 

[always4lora]

could always try crickets mine loved them, although you'll have to get some really small ones. They float in the water and obviously move aobut so they should work.

 

[Carlovel1]

LFS near me feeds them Earthworms and the Butterfly fish devour it

 

[DarkEntity]

LFS near me feeds them Earthworms and the Butterfly fish devour it

yip full of protein. I used to boil the worm which removes the slime then cut them up and drop them in....yummy

 

[SlyPolak]

so....... you ACTUALLY BOILED a worm and THEN cut it up an fed it???

too much work main...............