Why are butterfly fish so hard to keep??

I've lost my second butterfly in recent memory... both within the first two weeks of purchase.

The list of casualities include:the Heniochus and Raccoon

None of the other fish in my tank have any problems and continue to thrive -- they're listed in my signature.

I feed specialized flake food four times a week and seaweed three times a week on a clip.

None of the casualities showed signs of disease, all appeared to eat... at least from what I could see...

Should I give up on them? I really like the Heniochus and I'm hoping some great advice will help me.

72 gallon bow front
ph 8.2
salinity 1.025
ammonia, nitrite 0
temp. 78
nitrates <10ppm
Tank has been up and running for 1 year. FOWLR (soon to be turned into a reef tank)

 

Hmm just a guide line i use on fish that i wanna purchase... Is how long they have been at your LFS .... And How good of a eater they are... I try and find the fish that have been there for rite around 2wks... When in doubt ask them to drop some food in the tank to see how agressive they are to eating..

I am sure you have seen posted to use garlic guard to inhance eating. thats a option.. Or see if you have a LFS that may carry live foods such as brine shrimp..To give them a lil treat..

Keep in mind all idea's for Ya..!

Much Luck.!!

 

So then I'm assuming from your answer butterfly fish aren't supposed to be difficult to keep?

 

Me personaly i have had one Lemon Butterfly fish and he took to my food and ate out of my fingers. Another reefer had a Kliens butterfly that took so well he ate his corals.. (lack of research there)....


So best answer to your ? they should not be that hard to keep in a tank.. Along with that Mission X stating to research type of fish and requirments is always best option.. We are not saying you didnt.. Just that personality of that fish you lost was just to Finicky...

As Always

Much Luck..!!

 

I have an Auriga butterfly, eats like a pig havent had a problem. i do use garlic. Seems like a bad fish dealer.

 

Butterflys are not the easiest to keep. Beautiful fish, but not that hardy as a group. I want one, but have a reef tank. Bummer.

 

I had a 90g butterfly tank for about 9 years and didn't find butterflies hard to keep.
There are some I didn't try because of special needs as in special foods for instance, but no problems with Auriga, Pakistani, Raccoon, and long nose.
I took the tank down to rebuild to use for seahorses as I have begun to raise them now.
I still have my copperband in another tank and the only problem there was getting it to eat. I put it in quarantine for six weeks or so, feeding it live brine and gradually switched it over to a mix of live and frozen, to eventually just frozen.
Now it eats frozen brine and mysis.

 

Many have specialized feeding issues, they have VERY dry skin, leaving them open for skin parasites and infections and they typically have a fast metabilism.

Certain ones can be almost bulletproff though!

Sorry for the losses!

 

My thanks to all for your honest and open answers...
I appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences... that's why I love this site so much.

Turns out... butterfly fish (the ones we lost) don't make good coral friends...
so alls well that ends well in a morbid kind of way (trying see glass half full)

Ryan