Copperband butterfly thread

[saltyhog]

Man every fish in my tank goes ape for bloodworms. I hardly ever feed them except as a treat because I didn't think they had much nutritional value.

Saltwaterfishy, my tank is 72x24x21. I've had the pyramid about 2 years. Had 3 but I gave the other two to friends with 6' and 8' tanks. The pyramid follows the CB around like a puppy. I'm terrible at judging size, how big would you say he is Humblefish, 4"?

 

[Triggreef]

Oh wow

I don't know why but they mostly just spit it out if they would even try it. I know that includes butterflies too I just never tried to feed that often, maybe they were just not used to it.

Also it does take a little bit to get them used to the LBW's as well. Often times it takes a week before they will try it. But once they do they go crazy. Other times they try it first time, then refuse it for several weeks. Then all of a sudden its their favorite food. It's odd sometimes. I had a punctatas (SP?) that refusesd to eat anything including LBWs for over 3 weeks. then one day tried one and ate nothing but those for a long time. Eventually he ate all foods even pellets. lost that one after 3 years, just recently actually.

 

[zingzang911]

I give up on copperband. Happy healthy coming to me in the morning, at night dead for no reason. been thru my 5th

 

[Reefloco760]

I feed mine fish eggs. He loves thoses things like a fat boy loves chocolate cake!

 

[Jlentz]

Mine eats fish frenzy and pe mysis just fine. He cleaned out my aiptasia problem in about two weeks as well.

Sadly he was picking at my wellso, acans, clam, and other lps...

 

[glyn]

Not a great picture, but had my Copperband for over a year now. Very feisty - holds its own against all the other fish; eats all the usual frozen foods and live feeder shrimps if they're not too big. Will not touch flake foods. Only in with soft corals. Demolished two aiptasias immediately on being added to the tank.

Tank is about 500 litres [about 105 imperial gallons] and is sumped with a largish macro-algae section that's teeming with copepods etc, which obviously feed through to the main display tank above.

Water changes are [mostly] with natural seawater from the nearby English Channel.

I didn't buy this Copperband from a lfs. I bought it from a fellow-aquarist who, on buying it himself, did not put it in his display tank. Instead, he put it in a separate quarantine tank, where it was on its own, and fed it up carefully for several months. When, however, he put it in his hard coral display tank, it took to nibbling at some lps corals, so he sold it to me.

I suspect that Copperbands are intrinsically tough fish, but travel badly. If they were all quarantined on arrival and fed up carefully for several weeks first, I think that their survival rates would jump dramatically. They'd cost more, but would be a safer bet.

 

[blackgate]

Live blackworms are the answer to most fish problems! I would have quit this hobby 10 years ago without those worms.

 

[kozzy]

Mine eats fish frenzy and pe mysis just fine. He cleaned out my aiptasia problem in about two weeks as well.

Sadly he was picking at my wellso, acans, clam, and other lps...

Did it take time till he started eating the aiptasia

 

[Humblefish]

Man every fish in my tank goes ape for bloodworms.

Same here, but it did take a time or two before my fish figured out that it was food. I think it's something they sometimes have to "learn to love", just like with live blackworms.

I'm terrible at judging size, how big would you say he is Humblefish, 4"?

Yeah, I'd say he's probably 4" or so. I purposely sought out a bigger one as IME those are more likely to eat than the smaller ones for some reason.

 

[Humblefish]

Beautiful CBB and tank @glyn

 

[mfinn]

I've had a CBB for about 8-9 months, maybe a little longer. I got it to eat frozen Mysis and frozen brine in the qt-tank. It would pick at frozen blood worms, but spit out most bites.
It took about a month in the display tank before it became an aggressive eater.
It's cleaned out all the aptasias, just wish it would go after the majanos.

 

[3dees]

I got one a few months ago. eating right away in the qt. ate right from the start in the dt. until my Lamarck's angel decided it wasn't welcome. killed it within three days.

 

[saltyhog]

Beautiful tank glyn! I desparately want a Regal Angel but it will have to wait for my SPS only dream tank.

 

[Jlentz]

Did it take time till he started eating the aiptasia

I noticed a marked decrease in the aiptasia population after a week. I've actually not seen him eat any.
I'm sure it's him though.

 

[kozzy]

Thanks all for the replies. He's becoming a lot less shy and seems very willing to try most food so I might try blood worms

 

[kozzy]

I just fed him. He ate a lot more then normal!!

 

[kozzy]

What do I need to feed him to keep him healthy. Does he have any special food require ments

 

[David storey]

Fantastic fish had mine for years best way to feed is to put flake in the tank to occupy the other fish then just hold a block of frozen brine shrimp/Mysis in your fingers and they come and pick away at it till they are full .

 

[Mina Jaguar]

i have a one ... never eat my dried food but it can live well by eating between rocks
my problem with aiptasia ... i have a large aptasia anemone grown on a rock but the fish doesn't eat it .... why ???

 

[Robert Staie]

I had my first Copper banded butterfly for almost 2 yrs. then found it dead next day after eating the night before. I added mine to a mature reef tank with plenty of reef rock to forage on and I do recommend making sure you have a healthy supply of pods growing in the tank as this will supplement the food until the CB is fully excepting frozen food. This may take months so be prepared to buy pods to replenish the stock in the tank from time to time. Once the fish is feeding well they are a good tank mate and will keep the pests at bay.