butterfly fish pearl scale

[billy mitchell]

have just aquired a mated pair of Pearl scale butterfly fishes...can anyone tell me of their behaviour ....I have had them for 3 days and still can't get them to eat and they go hide under a rock when there is any movement .....I have them in a qt ...tried live brine shrimp that are a few days old and they ignore it but newly hatched brine they seem to go for it sort of...maybe have a pic at it
before I had a qt I had no trouble just acclimating fish and would just put them in the DT and that was it ..in all the years I had tanks I only got ich from a Blue Tang and when I removed that fish no other fish had the problem....tank was still unaffected by ich after 3 years
so is qt really necessary...seems qt stresses out the fish ...has anyone ideas on this...as I still think I am a newbe to saltwater cause I never stop learning

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

:bump:

 

[hybridazn]

Is there proper hiding places for them? Do they look stressed at all? How long has the qt been set up and what are some details on the QT(tank size,filtration, parameters, so on)

 

[billy mitchell]

thanks for your reply
ok QT is 100ltr with ecotec refugium 75cm hob but I have it on top .....it has reef rubble along with carbon bag ...foam blocks that have been seeded in the DT refugium and has been running for 4 months ...has pods and other forms of life in the refugium
parameters are all ok apart from phosphate levels that have always been high at about 3ppm ...have done water changes often but it is always high ..... there has been 8 fish go through the QT over the past few months...I replace half the water before I add any fish....have just placed skimmer in tank yesterday so will be tuning it in over the next few days
in the QT there are 2 large 4" pvc elbows along with 2 large LR's that they pick at some times
yesterday I sat in front of the qt for sometime and both would come out and look me over and would swim around
I chopped a small pippy shell fish and placed it in the qt came back later and it was gone but also have 3 blue legged hermits that clean up the uneaten food and waste so will see how things go once I can get them to eat
I think that they are a bit skittish when someone walks past and they hide...

 

[SDguy]

They may eat when you aren't in the room. This species is generally hardy.... and accepts most foods including pellets. How do you know they are a pair?

 

[billy mitchell]

here in Bangkok the lfs are fish only and sell nothing more ...they know everything about these types cause that is all they sell
by looking at the pair they go side by side,when one is stressed the other is right by its side,sort of comfort and de stress
both are eating together when I placed a pippie opened in the QT
so would you say they are a pair?????