Copperband Butterfly and Aptasia Control

[ReeferMadness80G]

That’s rostratus or the cbb here’s Marginalis.

They do look very similar! Thanks for your ID I’m sure it will Help for future readers also!

 

[Orcus Varuna]

They do look very similar! Thanks for your ID I’m sure it will Help for future readers also!

No problem! The one I posted is a transitioning juvenile you can see the middle stipe and spot disappearing. When juveniles they are nearly impossible to tell apart from the cbb.

 

[Fin]

The CBB I have now is more than 12 years old. I added him to my 140 when I noticed some aiptasia creeping in. For more than 11 years (until I tore the tank down for an upgrade) there were no visible aiptasia in the display - zero. I often looked for them. There were lots of them in my overflows and even in my sump - but none in the display. I don't think I ever really saw him go after the aiptasia, I just know that from the time he was added to the tank, there were no more pest anemones. The only other thing I saw him mess with was feather dusters. He mostly eats mysis, which is soaked overnight in Selcon and a multiple vitamin. I feed him that daily.

 

[davocean]

One of my best model citizen CBB's was an Austrailian, and it cleared a huge grove of aptasia from my tank.

I loaned it to a reefer, telling him I want it back after he clears that persons aptasia.

W/out telling me, he loaned it to another local reefer, someone I did not know, and I guess that guy went to jail!

No one knows what happen to that guys tank or my precious CBB...

So 2 things, one, maybe seek an Ausie, and two, don't loan it out ever, especially to jaily looking people!

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

One of my best model citizen CBB's was an Austrailian, and it cleared a huge grove of aptasia from my tank.

I loaned it to a reefer, telling him I want it back after he clears that persons aptasia.

W/out telling me, he loaned it to another local reefer, someone I did not know, and I guess that guy went to jail!

No one knows what happen to that guys tank or my precious CBB...

So 2 things, one, maybe seek an Ausie, and two, don't loan it out ever, especially to jaily looking people!

Hahaha well I’m a jaily looking person..however I refrain from illegal activities now a days. I was wondering, my LFS just got this CBb in recently and with the indo ban going on, could that mean he is an Aussie?..I think he is for sure eating pods or something, I see him pecking around just not at aptasia

 

[davocean]

I don't know on that one, but maybe try QT and train it's diet.
The aptasia X melted apts do seem to tempt them.

I might look jaily to some folks too I guess sometimes...don't loan your CBB to me I guess!

 

[ReeferMadness80G]

I don't know on that one, but maybe try QT and train it's diet

I might look jaily to some folks too I guess sometimes...don't loan your CBB to me I guess!

Well, he’s by himself in the tank with the corals and aptasia. Lol

 

[jd371]

Feed him live Black worms if you can get some. Black worms can get the finicky eaters eating, they can't resist the wiggling. I feed my fish live Black and live White worms daily along with LRS, Mysis and Brine shrimp soaked in Selcon. If you can't find Black worms local you can order them from the place below along with the worm keeper that keeps them alive for months at a time. I used to order from them until my lfs started selling Black worms. I also cultivate White worms just in case the lfs runs out of or can't get Black worms, this way I have worms on hand all the time for the CBB. White worms are very easy to cultivate. He picks at other foods but goes crazy for the worms.

https://www.aquaticfoods.com/BlackwormCareM.html

When first introduced to my tank my CBB may have eaten some Aptasia ( never saw him do it ) but I did notice that some where missing. But over time if he was eating them he has stopped and they have spread. I added some Berghia Nudibranch a month ago and it looks like they are slowly taking care of my Aptasia problem.

 

[mtswaneya]

I have had my copper band for about a year or better. He normally eats aptasia but recently started eating LRS Herbivore frozen food.

 

[Ben Seaver]

I had a real bad outbreak in my 400 gallon, got 2 aiptasia eating filefish and within a gmfew weeks they were gone, even the Big Mac daddies...

 

[ycnibrc]

Be patient mine doesn't eat aptesia until 3 months. But after he start eating it will clean up every aptesia in the tank.

 

[oneadam]

I didn't feed my cbb specifically when I put him in. He picked at my pods for about a month (which my LFS said would happen) and then went to town on the aptasia. I think it was umm accidental starvation. But once he finished that I tried half shell clams but one of the triggers would snatch them up. Now I'm mixing pe mysis when I feed. He's been going for about 8 months now.

 

[sanchoy]

Mine didn't eat aiptasia for almost 6 months. Then out of nowhere he ate it like candy. It can take awhile

 

[Trand1983]

This worked with getting my CBB to eat along with blackworms.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/copperband-butterfly-feeding-device.234171/

 

[Treasuresofthesea]

Copper bands are very good at aptasia controll. I know sometimes it seems they are not eating it but one day soon you will all of a sudden find they have devoured them all. I think they start with the smallest and work up to the bigger ones. A small tip for feeding them get live black worms or frozen blood worms.

 

[Autonomy]

Whenever I've added a Copperband

 

[Autonomy]

Whenever I've added a Copperband to my fish collection over the years, I've made sure that the tank had some aiptasia in it. After introducing it I've not introduced any other food for a couple of days so as to get the copperband eating the aiptasia available. However, not all CBB's will eat aiptasia, it is very hit and miss and each have personalities of their own. If after several days you CBB isn't eating the aiptasia then try introducing live blackworms and/or live whiteworms. I have had several CBB's over the years and I have had many varying experiences with each. One CBB would not eat anything for several days and then on its own accord, got stuck into the aiptasia in the tank. It didn't take long for the aiptasia to be gone, and unfortunately this CBB wouldn't eat anything else but aiptasia, so all I could do was to set up a smaller tank and start growing aiptasia for it to eat. Another CBB just wouldn't eat anything, not aiptasia, not live blackworms, not live whitesorms, nto msysis, not pieces of clam meat, nto pieces of cockles, not anything, it refused to eat and unfortunately starved. Another CBB, was a total guts and very curious of whatever I threw its way. It loved aiptaisa, mysis, blackworms and whiteworms. Another CBB would just turn its nose up at aiptasia, but it had no problem eating live blackworms, however live blackworms was all that it would eat. Lastly, I started another CBB eating live blackworms and whiteworms and after many months, it just decided to try mysis. No problems getting it to eat mysis after that.

 

[AquamanE]

A few months back I got some aptasia that I think came in in some Cheato in the refugium. I got a CBB that just starved, wouldnt touch my frozen food. I didnt know about black worms then. I did the Aptasia X and Kalkwasser mix I do and controlled it for. While but it eventually got out of control. I counted approx 100 of them in my 200G. They where even on the return loc-lines and flowed back and forth with the sea swirls. I bought 10 Bergia nudibranchs. They tell you it takes a few weeks for them to breed and create a big enough population to start eating the aptasia. At like 3 weeks I still had them, got desperate and bought 6 peppermint shrimps. Within a few weeks they where all gone, even on the revolving return lines. I dont know what it was, shrimp, or nudibranchs, but every single one was gone. Its now been 4 months with not one in site.

 

[xabo]

You can try a Burgess Butterfly. I've had a few over the years and the Aptasia was nowhere in sight.