Copperband feeding question

[jamesb07]

hey everyone I got a copperband a couple weeks ago, he’s been a great eater. He loved brine and sometimes mysis, but recently I tried live blackworms to try and get some weight on him. Now he won’t touch anything but the blackworms. He’ll take the mysis, chew it and spit it out. Any advice on getting him to eat a mixed diet? And how concerned should I be if he doesn’t eat others for awhile? TIA

 

[fishywishy]

Don’t feed him for a couple of days and then feed him some mysis.

If that doesn’t work you can mix black worms and mysis and slowly put less and less black worms.

These methods have worked for me.

 

[vetteguy53081]

hey everyone I got a copperband a couple weeks ago, he’s been a great eater. He loved brine and sometimes mysis, but recently I tried live blackworms to try and get some weight on him. Now he won’t touch anything but the blackworms. He’ll take the mysis, chew it and spit it out. Any advice on getting him to eat a mixed diet? And how concerned should I be if he doesn’t eat others for awhile? TIA

Let him take the blackworms, and try then frozen bloodworms. LRS fish frenzy and herbivore diet is popular with them. Do not starve it as suggested as it may or my not eat again. Another food to entice them is Massticks food

 

[jamesb07]

Let him take the blackworms, and try then frozen bloodworms. LRS fish frenzy and herbivore diet is popular with them. Do not starve it as suggested as it may or my not eat again. Another food to entice them is Massticks food

Man has all the answers I appreciate you like always thank you very much

 

[Bj’s Reef]

Let us know how it turns out.

 

[BuckChoklit]

I had pretty good luck with Masstick, clams and reef frenzy.

 

[jamesb07]

Let us know how it turns out.

As always thank you!

 

[threebuoys]

I'm feeding mine fresh clams. I buy a dozen once a week, open and mince one per day. The copperband loves them. I also feed frozen blood worms.

edit: he also ate all of the aptasia in my tank in a weeks time.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Congrats on the awesome fish!!! So “Bah” my CBB has been in two different tanks now for over 6 years. First my 137g peninsula, now in my 180g. Prior to “Bah” (5 minute old photo below) I had a CBB for all of a year, maybe? I think I starved it, really. Feeding the tank once a day doesn’t seem to be enough for this particular fish. My personal proof is the following observation: Fish don’t sleep, they rest. Bah doesn’t rest, ever, never. He’s picking at live rock and pods all night long until the lights come on and I feed the tank. Then he picks all day until evening when I feed the tank again. Bah is still with us and doing well. I believe it’s due to daily multiple feedings. My 2 cents. fwiw.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

hey everyone I got a copperband a couple weeks ago, he’s been a great eater. He loved brine and sometimes mysis, but recently I tried live blackworms to try and get some weight on him. Now he won’t touch anything but the blackworms. He’ll take the mysis, chew it and spit it out. Any advice on getting him to eat a mixed diet? And how concerned should I be if he doesn’t eat others for awhile? TIA

Hi @jamesb07 To echo others, keep your CBB fed so it doesn't get into the habit of not eating at all. Blackworms are expensive these days, so instead be sure to keep offering mysis. I like PE mysis as I feel Piscine's collection location & methods are the best, and here is some info in top 10 format:

Also, transitioning your CBB out of the bare tank and into your real aquarium, something with rocks where you can have pods and other things for your CBB to graze upon may also help with diversifying.

I feed my aquariums 2x daily and each feeding for each tank includes at least 1 full PE Mysis cube because my CBBs need fed, but everything else loves to eat those PE mysis as well. Both my CBBs are under 2 years old, but since they were not compatible, one went to my 'CBB sanctuary tank' of 60 gallons and the other into my mixed reef 180 gallons. At the time, both were the same size: both too thin and both same heights, but as they've aged, my CBB in my 180 tank is noticeably larger these days than my CBB in my 60 gallon tank, though both are equally thick. Every couple of months or so, I add additional copepods to both tanks, and about annually I come across amphipods for sale that I add to my tanks' sumps. The 180 has been up for more years overall, has many more rock crevices for pods to hide and reproduce, and I believe it is the overall pod difference that has helped my one CBB become so much larger than the other, as well as the 180 used to have an aiptasia problem), as both tanks are being fed similarly for each tank's other occupants. My 180 also has a planted refugium which I think contributes to the pod lifecycle continuum. Earlier this week I removed some algae and about 18-20 adult amphipods marched down the corner out of that area, shocking me so many had been clustered underneath (found another 3-4 in the algae and put those back in the tank before tossing out the excess algae). I also think my CBB in the 180 rests more than my CBB in the 60, for whatever reasons. Like @Glenner’sreef CBB, my CBB in the 60 gallon is always poking around, no matter the time of day or night.

There are additional times of day some days when I'll drop extra food leftover from my suncoral food baths into tanks (optional third feeding), and my hope is over time getting exposure to a feeding that entirely lacks mysis but is all seafood proteins (clam, shrimp, etc), perhaps my CBBs will develop a taste for something beyond mysis.

Glad your CBB is eating for you and good luck with getting it to keep eating and thrive!! Keep us posted

 

[jamesb07]

Congrats on the awesome fish!!! So “Bah” my CBB has been in two different tanks now for over 6 years. First my 137g peninsula, now in my 180g. Prior to “Bah” (5 minute old photo below) I had a CBB for all of a year, maybe? I think I starved it, really. Feeding the tank once a day doesn’t seem to be enough for this particular fish. My personal proof is the following observation: Fish don’t sleep, they rest. Bah doesn’t rest, ever, never. He’s picking at live rock and pods all night long until the lights come on and I feed the tank. Then he picks all day until evening when I feed the tank again. Bah is still with us and doing well. I believe it’s due to daily multiple feedings. My 2 cents. fwiw.

Beautiful fish

 

[jamesb07]

Hi @jamesb07 To echo others, keep your CBB fed so it doesn't get into the habit of not eating at all. Blackworms are expensive these days, so instead be sure to keep offering mysis. I like PE mysis as I feel Piscine's collection location & methods are the best, and here is some info in top 10 format:

Also, transitioning your CBB out of the bare tank and into your real aquarium, something with rocks where you can have pods and other things for your CBB to graze upon may also help with diversifying.

I feed my aquariums 2x daily and each feeding for each tank includes at least 1 full PE Mysis cube because my CBBs need fed, but everything else loves to eat those PE mysis as well. Both my CBBs are under 2 years old, but since they were not compatible, one went to my 'CBB sanctuary tank' of 60 gallons and the other into my mixed reef 180 gallons. At the time, both were the same size: both too thin and both same heights, but as they've aged, my CBB in my 180 tank is noticeably larger these days than my CBB in my 60 gallon tank, though both are equally thick. Every couple of months or so, I add additional copepods to both tanks, and about annually I come across amphipods for sale that I add to my tanks' sumps. The 180 has been up for more years overall, has many more rock crevices for pods to hide and reproduce, and I believe it is the overall pod difference that has helped my one CBB become so much larger than the other, as well as the 180 used to have an aiptasia problem), as both tanks are being fed similarly for each tank's other occupants. My 180 also has a planted refugium which I think contributes to the pod lifecycle continuum. Earlier this week I removed some algae and about 18-20 adult amphipods marched down the corner out of that area, shocking me so many had been clustered underneath (found another 3-4 in the algae and put those back in the tank before tossing out the excess algae). I also think my CBB in the 180 rests more than my CBB in the 60, for whatever reasons. Like @Glenner’sreef CBB, my CBB in the 60 gallon is always poking around, no matter the time of day or night.

There are additional times of day some days when I'll drop extra food leftover from my suncoral food baths into tanks (optional third feeding), and my hope is over time getting exposure to a feeding that entirely lacks mysis but is all seafood proteins (clam, shrimp, etc), perhaps my CBBs will develop a taste for something beyond mysis.

Glad your CBB is eating for you and good luck with getting it to keep eating and thrive!! Keep us posted

Great thank you very much for all the info!