Anyone succesful with a copperband? What do you feed?

[unklez]

I'm on my second and last try with a copperband. First one I ordered online and shipped to me, would only peck at mussels, I don't think he got enough food in him and died after 2 weeks. Also tried mysis and bloodworms but he wouldn't have any.

Second one I picked the largest and fattest at the LFS. He won't have any clam but eats a good portion of frozen mysis. Tomorrow I will buy some bloodworms and see if it likes that too.

Anyway how often per day do you guys feed your copperband? Would feeding frozen food twice per day be too much for a 50 gallon tank? I got a good skimmer and a reactor with zeovit, purigen, carbon and phosguard. Also dosing nopox.

 

[Peace River]

@JerSaint has had luck with EasyReef's masstick with his copperband. Feeding frozen twice a day depends on how much, water changes, filtration, etc. - it is doable. You will want to keep up with your water testing to make sure that the water quality doesn't get away from you and blow out any collecting waste, detritus, and food from under rocks, etc. Good luck!

 

[Viking_Reefing]

I feed mine krill, mysis, brine and masstick.
The key to keeping them healthy is multiple feedings of frozen a day, put the pumps in feed mode before dumping in the food so that they have easy access to it.

I wouldn’t describe them as a difficult fish if their requirements are meet and equally as important: getting a healthy speciment to start with.

 

[najer]

Day 2 with me, first try with Masstick.
Edit 9 days with me now.

edit

 

[AZMSGT]

@Sisterlimonpot has a copperband that is amazing. Perhaps he can help.

 

[snowhite]

Mix of mysis and several other frozens in early evening once a day. Haven't had a problem getting him to eat.
He's in a 90g with 4 other butterfly's and 3 gluttonous clowns... he has to fight for his food.

 

[Beardo]

I have a copperband in my display and another very small one I'm QTing for someone else. They go nuts for live blackworms. Took a few tries before they started eating them but now do with gusto. Also eat mysis (hykari is smaller so easier but also eat larger brands), spirulina enriched brine and rod's food.
I was really worried about the small one but he took to food pretty quick. The live blackworms were really the key to get them eating for me.

 

[mefisto]

A copperhead in 50 gallon (~200 litre) tank?
Really?

Besides of that: feeding a wide variety of meaty foods is the key.

 

[Paul B]

This one lived 10 years. I feed once a day mostly clams with some mysis. I also give him, and all my fish live worms once or twice a week, mostly for the living bacteria in them.

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

I qt'd my copperband with a hawk fish so there wasn'tany competition for him. After the 2nd day of feeding a mixture of frozen saltwater multi pack and mysis mixture laced with selcon and vita-chem, he started eating. I remember that after a week he started going crazy when I walked into the fish room. I would stick a spoon full in the tank and he would eat right off the spoon.

Now that he's in my main tank, he's the first to the top right along with the larger tangs jockeying for position. I spread the daily feeding across 4 times throughout the day. That schedule might not be possible for most people but spreading out feeding throughout the day is better. And of course in between feeding he grazes meaty morsels off the rock and sand.

All my tanks had a copperband over the years. Something that worked for me in past was to purchase 2 copperbands at the same time and hope that at least 1 took to prepared food. That was successful twice for me. Although these days fish prices are no joke, which might not make that decision a viable one for some people.

 

[unklez]

Mine won't have any masstick on day 2. I'm not a fan of masstick to be honest seems to dirty the tank alot and hard to remove on rock, easier on glass.

I'll get some selcon to lace the frozen mysis.

 

[unklez]

I bought this "ocean nutrition grid feeder clip" for 4 bux and the copperband is chowing down on anything I put in it.

Right now I have masstick in it. Must have for peeps buying a new copperband.

 

[Snook65]

I've had one for over a year. Cleaned up my aiptasia problem in a matter of days and eats LRS like a pig. Fortunately my yellow tang and it get along fine.