Food for Threadfin Butterfly fish

Hi everyone. New guy here from the Philippines. I just have a question on feeding my new saltwater fish. My mom bought me a new tank plus 2 threadfin butterfly fish. In our backyard, we have a fish pond. There are some old corrals there that have grown moss on them. Is it suitable for me to put said corral in aquarium? I read online that they like to graze on algae. Is the moss considered algae? If so, how should I clean it? Boil, dip in hydrogen peroxide etc. i am wondering about this because the nearest pet store that sell algae wafers and such is 4 hour drive away. I cannot regularly go there to get food. Any help appreciated! Please pardon my english.

 

You will not be able to feed them freshwater algaes. If I understand correctly you are referring to coral skeletons. You can soak them in bleach and water just make sure to rinse them thoroughly before putting them in the tank.Threadfins feed on plankton and marine algaes.I would suggest feeding sheets of nori which you can obtain from any Japanese sushi restaurant,your fish store or even the grocery store.You can try certain types of freeze dried, flake food, or frozen foods, to supplement the diet.Variety is the key.Welcome and good luck.Your English is just fine.

 

Hi! Thanks for the greetings and reply. I am sad to say that the town I live in has only one local fish store and they have no algae foods. With regards to the coral skeleton, can I use hydrogen peroxide? And how long should I soak in water? Should I scrape off the algae too? Sorry if I have many questions. I really want my fish to survive. If I cannot handle the butterfly fish (I read they are very hard to care for) I may bring them back and trade for clownfish. Clownfish is actually what I wanted, but my Mom got the wrong fish. . The butterfly fish is still very nice though. Thanks again!

 

I have never used peroxide but I suppose it would work.You can also just leave them sit in the sun for a few days and then rinse them thoroughly.
Good luck!!!

 

I am not sure about Phillipines and forgive me if I dont know the culture there, but if you have sushi rols available, the seaweed used to wrap them can be fed to your fish.

 

I use Hydrogen Peroxide because there alot of that here at home. We use them in the hospital to clean wounds. I already tried it with cleaning gravel for freshwater aquarium. Just dilute the hydrogen peroxide in water, then soak gravel in the water for 1 day. and then rinse and leave in the sun. Even makes corral whiter! This is just my first time using hydrogen peroxide in a saltwater aquarium so I was wondering if the preparation will be the same.

Another question about food for the Butterfly fish, can I feed them tilapia? It is what is in our fish pond. There are lots of fingerlings because they just gave birth. If so, how should I prepare the fish? I read from research that Butterfly fish are omnivorous. I want to try your advise to add variety to their diet. Thanks again!

 

Hi! Thanks for your message. There is some sushi bar here in the Philippines. But where I am from (Southern Mindanao), the closest one is 4 hours away. I will check my local grocery store if they have it in imported section. If I find any, what is the best way to prepare the seaweed wrapper for my butterfly fish? Thanks again!

 

We usually use a veggie clip and cut small pieces of seaweed for them to graze on.You can also use a rubber band and a small piece of rock.
Fresh sw fish of any kind would be great if they eat it.

 

Here is how I feed my tangs nori.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZPV_23CA8o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

Hi! Thanks for the video! That was really cool how he fed fish from his hands. I hope they have some nori in the grocery. My butterfly fish are still shy though. Should I just tie to a rock and let sink so they will graze?