Copperband butterfly

[Brandonsegula]

I'm looking to buy one of these to help with my aiptasia problem. It's getting out of hand. I do use aiptasia away. It's just getting in spots I can't get to now. I don't wanna use peppermint shrimp. I've had bad luck with them eating coral. I also have a molly miller blenny that won't touch aiptasia. So my next step is to try the copperband. I know they are picky eaters. I wanna know are the hearty fish?

 

[mfinn]

They can be hard to get eating.
I use a quarantine tank and before I prophylactically treat I get them eating first.
I usually have live Tigger pods on hand for new fish. I also use the Hikari Mysis in the cubes. ( seems to be smaller)
I also have ROE, and Nutramar ova on hand.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I'm looking to buy one of these to help with my aiptasia problem. It's getting out of hand. I do use aiptasia away. It's just getting in spots I can't get to now. I don't wanna use peppermint shrimp. I've had bad luck with them eating coral. I also have a molly miller blenny that won't touch aiptasia. So my next step is to try the copperband. I know they are picky eaters. I wanna know are the hearty fish?

Most butterflyfish can be very finicky, many LFS's I have visited have labeled copperbands as "expert only" which I believe is a fallacy in it's own since most likely none of us have Phd in Animal Husbandry.

I wouldn't call them hearty, sturdy, or anything other than particular. They have a specific diet, aren't bred in captivity, and have come a long way to get to the US. If you think you can deal with all the issues that can stem from those situations (not eating, diseases, shock), then I'd say you are ready for a copperband. If not, I would continue to research them and try to deal with your aiptasia using other methods for now.

Just remember, an ounce of research goes a long way in this hobby, good luck!

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thwy are also hit-and-miss with eating aiptasia.

 

[jd371]

The first one I had succumbed to an infection very quickly before I could treat it in the QT, one day it showed the first signs of an infection the next day he was dead. With the second one I didn't take any chances and started antibiotics as soon as I put him into the QT, followed by the usual course. Look the CBB over very carefully at the LFS and make sure it's eating.
I feed my fish nothing but live Black Worms and frozen foods, no flakes, pellets or processed foods. While in QT I started feeding him the same things I feed my other fish. He took to everything but favors live Black Worms and BS the most, but will pick at Mysis, LRS and clams. If you can get live Black Worms do it, mine goes absolutely nuts for them. He'll swim back and forth and do head shakes when I'm approaching the tank to feed, it's like he's telling me to hurry up. He eats them as they come out of the eye dropper as I squeeze.
I didn't get my CBB for Aptasia control, I just love the fish, but I've been lucky and mine does eat Aptasia. I didn't have an infestation but I would get some Aptasia here and there. After getting the CBB there are no more Aptasia on the rocks like before, the only ones I'm finding now are the ones deep inside crevices that the CBB can't get to, so I take care of them with the Aptasia-X. I would take time during WC's to go around with the Aptasia-X killing those suckers, not anymore, now just when I find the rogue Aptasia that CBB couldn't get to.

 

[Kayvon]

I just got one the other day. I made sure to have the staff feed him before buying. Also, the staff told me how long he'd been in the store. It's best to get one that's adjusted to the store's tank since they do have to come from far away and moving them so soon will only stress them further. The most important aspect from my research is selecting the right specimen first then it is getting them to eat. I'm having success giving him live brine and frozen bloodworms for now, but I'm going to start weening him onto some LRS and eventually pellets (longshot, I know)

 

[Abhishek]

Please don't buy CBB for the sake of eating aiptasia . Its a hit and miss and a lot of stress on the fish . Also being butterfly, they are extremely susceptible to bacterial infection and needs to be QTed definitely for a month or so .
It needs a lot of TLC and training to make it survive long term.

I recently got one which just came in from the wholeseller . Definitely not eating as no body trained it. I figured I have better chance of training and keeping it alive than my LFS.
Dipped him in nitrofuracin green (The best against gram negative bacteria) and started feeding fresh clams from the market.

Once it eats and fattens up as it hasn't eaten in days at teh wholeseller, am gonna do 2 rounds of prazi and then 30 days of copper .

It doesn't understand any other food now than fresh clams and sometimes blackworms.

Regards,
Abhishek

 

[saltyhog]

They are amazing fish but as above not 100% aiptasia eaters. They can be very hardy if you can get them to eat. Blood worms and especially live black worms are good bets to get them eating. They are very smart fish and once they learn to associate you with food I bet you can get them to try most anything. Mine eats LRS, Hikari Mysis, PE Mysis, blood worms, and some times even nori if I hand feed it to him.

 

[Brandonsegula]

Just so everyone knows. I'm not just buying a cbb for aiptasia as it may have sounded that way. I actually we love these fish. I always wanted them. So having a bad aiptasia problem i just figured now the time is right for one. I was gonna quarantine it for awhile if I do get one.

 

[Jessi_reefer]

I love the CBB and tried to keep a few, but they always died. I'd make sure they were eating at the LFS and had been there for a few weeks, but I tried 3 different times over the course of about a year and a half and each time they'd seem to be doing ok, and eating, but eventually would stop eating and die. It broke my heart each time so now I've decided no more CBB for my tank. Good luck! They are beautiful fish

 

[Brandonsegula]

Do you guys recommend quarantining a cbb?

 

[mfinn]

Do you guys recommend quarantining a cbb?

Absolutely.
Plus it's easier to get them eating prepared/frozen food in a quarantine tank.

 

[Brandonsegula]

Absolutely.
Plus it's easier to get them eating prepared/frozen food in a quarantine tank.

Okay thank you

 

[Greg79]

I have couple of them
They need to be learn how to pick up food from water column
Separate tank with a rocks( feathers dusters,aiptasia on them),so they won't starve until learn to eat
Live brine mixed with your frozen food, fresh clam opened from grocery store is good too

 

[Philt56]

I have had mine maybe 4 months now. I got it at my LFS but it was still in the bag after they got it from the wholesaler. Luckily I have a place that has live blackworms, it gobbles them up no problem, but doesn't touch anything else. Tried a live clam, no dice. He will occasionally pick up something in the sand or rock but doesn't go for anything else in the water column.

Also had a big apitasia outbreak and I never saw him go for them. I think the berghias I bought took care of them. Almost all home now.

 

[4FordFamily]

Absolutely.
Plus it's easier to get them eating prepared/frozen food in a quarantine tank.

Agree entirely. They need a low energy place to eat. Honestly, best practice is to house them with one or two other very docile, non-fast moving fish that feed well. They seem to succumb to "peer pressure" IME.

Big tangs, wrasse, and angels though can intimidate them and accomplish the opposite goal.

Live blackworms and live brine work well for these fish.

 

[Susan Bates]

I got ONE, had him for a few month he eat the apitasia,was looking nice and healthy and then he just died, i don't know why

 

[Kayvon]

If we had to medicate a CCB, how would you go about it? I have one that is totally healthy in QT, but I noticed his poop was white and stringy. It's looking like internal parasites. I have Metroplex & Focus, but I don't know which food would be the best to take the medication.

 

[saltyhog]

For that I would just treat with General Cure or Prazi. I know some folks have had issues with Prazipro due to the alcohol causing bacterial blooms and decreasing oxygen. Just make sure you aerate the water well if you use Prazipro. General Cure does not have those issues.

 

[Kmsutows]

I did not QT but I guess in hind sight it would have been better not your standard sterile QT. I would highly recommend live rock with plenty of growth, aptaisia, and those small feather duster worms. They need to learn to take food out of the water column which mean initially squishing food into the rock work is good. I've seen masstick work for them. Mine took 5 days before he'd even try live black worms. They take a good amount of work that's for sure. I didn't but for aptaisia but even though I never saw it eat it they did almost all disappear from my tank.