Need help with feeding African oddball species.

[soggypapersheet]

I recently moved onto larger tanks, and this is my first non-nano tank. It's a 49.6-gallon (188 liters) setup. 43" by 17" by 14.9" (110 by 45 by 38 centimeters).

The fish I got in it currently are one leopard bushfish baby, a sub-adult African butterfly fish, and a kribensis couple. I just got them via air freight today after an 18 hour trip, and while the kribensis immediately started eating biofilm, microfauna, and worms, the other two have yet to eat anything that I have seen.

The butterfly rejected dubia nymphs, and the bushfish ran away anytime I got close to attempt to offer it food. The seller mentioned the bushfish was already trained to eat Bassleer L, which is what I've been attempting to offer it, but it will not come up to the surface for pellets and always runs away anytime I attempt to sink some near it.

Does anyone have experience with these species? Should I get crickets for the butterfly fish, or is it normal for both of them to be uninterested in food on the first day?

Water parameters:
Ammonia and Nitrites:0 for the last week before they were introduced.
Temperature:78 to 80 Fahrenheit(26-27celsius)
pH:6.6

Best photos I managed to get for size reference:

 

[gimme301]

You'd think they'd be hungry after a day or two in the mail but I've always purchased fish in-person so I wouldn't know. Having said that, some will eat right away and others won't. It's normal, give them time to adjust.

 

[GaryE22 137]

Start with time to adjust. The butterfly fish is a social species and a solo one is going to be very wary.

The leopard bushfish is Ctenopoma acutirostre, and it will be a larger (for aquariums) predator you may regret in a couple of years. They are cool as babies but challenging as adults. I've kept and bred other bush fish, but only the small species. They can be trained to non living food. Your kribs (P. pulcher) are big enough to be safe, but their usual fry will be live food for that Ctenopoma. There will be some fights over that.

So the butterfly is adjusting to a new set up and to being out of its natural social group. It will be nervous and extra inclined to jump.

The bush fish is a juvenile and will also adjust. It could take a few days.

 

[soggypapersheet]

You'd think they'd be hungry after a day or two in the mail but I've always purchased fish in-person so I wouldn't know. Having said that, some will eat right away and others won't. It's normal, give them time to adjust.

Thanks, I'll give them more time and keep observing. I'm just a tad worried since the seller said they are quite difficult to keep.

 

[soggypapersheet]

Start with time to adjust. The butterfly fish is a social species and a solo one is going to be very wary.

The leopard bushfish is Ctenopoma acutirostre, and it will be a larger (for aquariums) predator you may regret in a couple of years. They are cool as babies but challenging as adults. I've kept and bred other bush fish, but only the small species. They can be trained to non living food. Your kribs (P. pulcher) are big enough to be safe, but their usual fry will be live food for that Ctenopoma. There will be some fights over that.

So the butterfly is adjusting to a new set up and to being out of its natural social group. It will be nervous and extra inclined to jump.

The bush fish is a juvenile and will also adjust. It could take a few days.

I wasn't aware they're social animals, do you think I should get more? The seller told me they're quite territorial with other members of the same species and will actively fight each other sometimes.

I'm aware that the bushfish will eat other fish as it grows, which is why I did my best to separate the krib area from his area with plants and hardscape to hopefully minimize it. There is also plenty of microfauna and shrimp in the tank for him to snack on.

Is there a time threshold where I should start worrying if they keep refusing to eat?

 

[GaryE22 137]

It's tough with butterfly fish. They are territorial. I've never kept them in spite of my curiosity about them, because they need pretty big tanks. I can understand your going with one, but it will need adjustment time. Life has been keeping an eye on where the others of its species are, and when they vanish, yikes. What ate them?

My threshold would be ten days.

 

[soggypapersheet]

It's tough with butterfly fish. They are territorial. I've never kept them in spite of my curiosity about them, because they need pretty big tanks. I can understand your going with one, but it will need adjustment time. Life has been keeping an eye on where the others of its species are, and when they vanish, yikes. What ate them?

My threshold would be ten days.

Thanks, I'll keep an eye on it. Will probably start another tank so I can get at least one more and separate them if they fight.