How to get Vagabond Butterfly fish to eat ?
 

I recently purchased an auriga butterfly fish from petco they hust got in it when i was there so i took it in the bag it came in.. Had him for 3 days now and i cant get him to eat.

Also they called him a auriga/threadfin butterfly but he looks like a vagabond butterfly he has black lines on his rear fins vs a round black spot..

Anyway i tried. mysis shrimp. spirilinia. flakes. nori.. I tried soaking it in garlic. i cant get him to eat any of it. He is plump looking not skinny and he is picking at my live rock looking around the tank for food. he picks at my corals like zoas and stuff which is fine i dont care id rather have the fish eat then worry about 30$ corals.

Anyway he clearly wants to eat but wont eat anything i tried..

What do you guys suggest try ?

If your fish store carries live brine, then almost always works. Live blackworms, if you can get them, are supposedly great.

Another thing to try would be a freshly cracked open clam or mussel from the grocery store.

Agree I have heard littleneck clams are useful. They are also relatively inexpensive

I tried a clam and muscle.. havent seen him go after it.. even tried laying a cracked open clam in the tank.. my neon dottyback loved the muscle though hah..

Guess i need to try to find some live food somehow

Well he ate half of my green planet acropora.. so hes eating.. but i cant have him destroy 60$+ coral like acroporas.. zoas i dont care about but yea not for a 35$ fish.


I put him in my empty 30g salt water tank so hes by himself... I know that tank is kinda small for a butterflyfish... but its all i got..

Oh well.. just need to try to get this guy to eat normal food somehow.. nothing is working

If it’s eating your corals there is little chance you can stop this behavior even after you get it eating prepared foods. You should try to remove it or take it to a LFS