raccoon and the butterfly fish

[Torvik9]

Hey guys, I'm reaching out for some advice on my girlfriend's new Raccoon Butterfly fish. He's been in the tank for 24 hours and so far, he's mostly just hanging out in one corner, letting the cleaner shrimp do its thing. Occasionally, he'll take a lap around the tank, but then he's right back to the shrimp. I'm wondering if this is just stress or if he's got some kind of parasite issue. He looks healthy and his colors are good, but he's really fixated on that shrimp. He's got this weird twitching thing going on while the shrimp is cleaning him. We haven't fed him yet, but that's gonna happen soon. Has anyone else had experience with these fish? Any help would be great.

[dreamon7]

How's the little guy doing now? Fish usually take some time to settle into a new tank, so I'm hoping he's starting to come around.

[Torvik9]

He's still spending most of his time by the cleaner shrimp, and the rest of the time he's swimming around, often rubbing against the rocks at an angle. I've noticed some white dots on the clear part of his back fin, which is likely ich. Despite all this, his coloration is still vibrant and he seems healthy otherwise. I'm just not sure what to do about this situation.

[dreamon7]

The rubbing against rocks and white spots are pretty telling signs of a problem - cryptocaryon irritans is a strong possibility here. Time to get reading and learn as much as you can about this. Got other fish in the tank? You got a Quarantine tank set up and ready to go? First things first, grab some garlic from the grocery store, mince it up and mix it with the fish food - might be a good idea to upgrade to something more nutritious while you're at it. Keeping the fish healthy and stress-free is key to fighting this off. If I were you, I'd move the fish to a Quarantine tank, keep it rock- and substrate-free, and do daily water changes, siphoning the bottom each time. Just make sure the fish keeps eating - ich can take a fish down fast.

[coltin]

I think you've pretty much nailed it with the spots on the tail. Whitespot is a major issue for butterflyfish when they first come into captivity, and many of them don't make it. The shipping process doesn't help, with many being starved for up to 2 weeks before they're even sold. And let's be honest, if your butterflyfish is over 2 inches, it's an adult, and they just don't travel well. On the other hand, really small ones, around ½ inch or so, often struggle to survive, and may even die within a few days of arriving at the shop. Unfortunately, some are also caught using cyanide, which does even more damage.

However, the good news is that raccoon butterflies are generally one of the tougher species, and they tend to do well in captivity, regardless of whether they're adults or juveniles. So, depending on what else is in the tank, you've got two options - either treat the tank for whitespot, or move the fish to a separate tank for treatment. Try offering it some live brineshrimp, or maybe some black, tubifex, or earthworms. You could also try giving it some raw prawn or shrimp. Once the fish starts eating, and you've got the disease under control, it should be fine.

One thing to keep in mind for the future - if you or your girlfriend ever buy another butterflyfish, make sure the shop feeds it first to ensure it's eating. And always check the other fish in the shop tank - if one's got whitespot, don't buy any unless you're prepared to quarantine and treat the new fish before adding it to your tank.

[Torvik9]

We've been using garlic extract marine food since one of our fish had a run-in with Brooklynella parasites, and unfortunately, didn't make it. We've also tried frozen krill and Brine shrimp, but so far, no luck with getting him to eat. I'm getting a bit worried - how long can an adult fish of his size go without eating? Should we try feeding him more frequently, maybe a few times a day? We're still working on setting up a QT tank, but that's not an option for us just yet.

[coltin]

Garlic extract is a good start, but let's be real, it's not a magic bullet for preventing fish diseases. What really matters is maintaining top-notch water quality, keeping your tank spick and span, and making sure your water parameters are on point. I mean, Brooklynella is often a sign of poor water quality and overcrowding, right? It's relatively easy to treat with something like Waterlife Protozin, but you'll need to remove any inverts from the tank during treatment.

If your fish are consistently coming down with Brooklynella and whitespot shortly after you bring them home, you might want to consider shopping elsewhere. As for your adult butterflyfish, it can go without food for about a month, but the longer it starves, the less likely it is to start eating again. So, the sooner it starts eating, the better.

Try feeding it more frequently, like 7-8 times a day, and remove any uneaten food within a few minutes if the other fish don't touch it. Sometimes, seeing the other fish eat will encourage the butterflyfish to try some food too. You can also try squishing some prawn onto a rock - it's a more natural way for the fish to eat, picking off rocks and all that.

[dreamon7]

I think you've pretty much nailed it with the spots on the tail. Whitespot is a major issue for butterflyfish when they first come into captivity, and many of them don't make it. The shipping process doesn't help, with many being starved for up to 2 weeks before they're even sold. And let's be honest, if your butterflyfish is over 2 inches, it's an adult, and they just don't travel well. On the other hand, really small ones, around ½ inch or so, often struggle to survive, and may even die within a few days of arriving at the shop. Unfortunately, some are also caught using cyanide, which does even more damage.

However, the good news is that raccoon butterflies are generally one of the tougher species, and they tend to do well in captivity, regardless of whether they're adults or juveniles. So, depending on what else is in the tank, you've got two options - either treat the tank for whitespot, or move the fish to a separate tank for treatment. Try offering it some live brineshrimp, or maybe some black, tubifex, or earthworms. You could also try giving it some raw prawn or shrimp. Once the fish starts eating, and you've got the disease under control, it should be fine.

One thing to keep in mind for the future - if you or your girlfriend ever buy another butterflyfish, make sure the shop feeds it first to ensure it's eating. And always check the other fish in the shop tank - if one's got whitespot, don't buy any unless you're prepared to quarantine and treat the new fish before adding it to your tank.

Garlic's definitely got some benefits for fish. It can increase their appetite, which is crucial for them to consume the nutrients they need to fight off parasites. I mean, no living creature can survive without eating, right? Garlic also contains Allicin, a natural defense compound that can combat a broad spectrum of bacteria. It's not a strong antibiotic, but it's reef-safe and can help battle Cryptocaryosis. Plus, it's cheap and widely available. I've been adding garlic to my fish food, and I haven't had any health issues since then. Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I think it's worth trying.

[Torvik9]

The tang that passed away from Brooklynella was a real head-scratcher, we'd been doing regular water changes every 2 weeks, 33% no less, and we never let it go longer than that. We hadn't added any new fish to the tank around that time either, just inverts. The tang had been in the tank for over a year, so it was weird that it happened then. One thing that did seem to coincide was the period when we didn't have a cleaner shrimp, the tang died during that time. This butterflyfish is really a beautiful creature, and we'd love to have it thrive in our tank, but I'm getting a bit worried about how this will all play out. We'll be giving the store a call to let them know what's going on, see if they can offer any assistance. In the meantime, we'll keep trying different foods with the garlic extract to see if we can coax it into eating.

[dreamon7]

You're gonna need it, hang in there and keep us posted on how it goes, especially with the store and getting the butterfly to eat.