Getting a reluctant Copperband to feed. How to.

[vetteguy53081]

Mine is an eating machine. Flakes. Pellets or frozen- it eats it all

 

[Bossman]

I had a CBB recently for 4 weeks before it died. Like others have experienced, it would eat very small bits and pieces but never enough to survive.

I tried: Live black worms
Live brine shrimp
Clam, broke the shell open
PE Mysis
Frozen blood worms
Frozen prepared food, both LRS and Rods
Frozen brine shrimp

Tried to feed from both my hand and tongs. The other fish in the tank were responding well to hand feeding, but the CBB was very cautious. I would always see a feeding reaction but not feeding. It would come to the food. look around but just not eat. The last days it would eat nothing at all.

It was a beautiful fish that I will not try again anytime soon. I ended up feeding the tank too much trying to get the CBB to eat and now I'm battling an algae issue.

If I could see one eating well at my LFS.....maybe.

I did pick up a West African Three Banded Butterfly from DD. That fish eats like a pig. I'm looking now for a long nose butterfly.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Thanks for the thread guys this is quite informative, I did never feed nothing like this to mine unfortunately, I’ve bought mine wend she was tiny maybe inch or two, she refused eating for a wile too, I think what really set mine in a good way was the zooplankton in the tank, I’ve got around 5 maybe 6 different species of zooplankton in the tank and just over a year now she’s still a happy fat hunter, these fish really enjoy picking on rocks all day long and every time I add a new piece of rock she’s the first one cleaning it down.

 

[atoll]

A very good article on the copperband butterfly.

Tropical Fish Article Library | TFH Magazine

www.tfhmagazine.com

 

[Reefrats]

Healthy copperbands, especially "not" quarantined ones, ( they hate that) are huge eaters. They will eat out of your hand or at your table. In the sea they eat worms and soft bodied creatures like tiny anemones as they are not really the tyrannosaurus of the reef. Clams, mussels and worms are the best food for them.

I wrote this on a now defunct site. But if you don't believe me, ask my copperband

You Can Succeed with the Copperband Butterflyfish

Copperband butterflyfish (Chelmon rostratus) are among my favorite fish and have almost always been a staple in my tank since the saltwater hobby started in the 70s. It’s not just the beauty of the…

www.saltwatersmarts.com

I just got a copperband today. Little guy. The store just got him in 2 days ago and he happily ate live brine shrimp in front of me each time they added them. I’m hoping he fattens up and is happy.

 

[merkmerk73]

So far my CB will eat clam by nipping at it in the shell

It so far hasn’t gone for masstick - even when I shove it into the thawed clam opening shell

It also hasn’t gone for live brine shrimp or black worms

And of course the other frozen foods are out but it does look at mysis with interest

I’ll keep at it and we will see what happens

 

[N1gh7m4r3]

Paul’s article can still be found here: https://reefbuilders.com/2014/02/07/succeed-with-copperband-butterflyfish-chelmon-rostratus/

 

[merkmerk73]

I weaned my Copperband with live cockels (frozen first overnight and then dropped in tank)

After that he went after some live bribe from the LFS

Now he eats frozen mysis and chunks of clam and pretty much everything and is a very piggy eater that hangs out by the front of the glass when I come to feed and eats from the baster

Very easy fish once you get them to eat and get them through their lymphocytic phase

Huge thanks to the folks that came up with the clam method - it has a very high success rate as long as your Copperband is healthy to start

 

[revo01]

I have a CBB for a month now and seems slow this morning. He hasn’t been eating much and only eats bits in water column. What do I do? Ty

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have a CBB for a month now and seems slow this morning. He hasn’t been eating much and only eats bits in water column. What do I do? Ty

Assure good water quality and some enticing foods are Live blackworms, live brine shrimp. For me was LRS Herbivore frenzy. Hikari 1/2 clam on the shell also a great enticer to feed

 

[Semper.Reefing]

I got a CBB last week. It immediately started hunting around the tank. I do have a big population of copepods and a fair amount of Aiptasia that seem to be going away. Been trying a variety of frozen- rods, brine, mysis, threw a half shell clam in and the tangs really enjoyed that. Doesn’t seem interested in anything other than hunting. I’ll try to find some live foods. Any other advice?

 

[JCOLE]

I got a CBB last week. It immediately started hunting around the tank. I do have a big population of copepods and a fair amount of Aiptasia that seem to be going away. Been trying a variety of frozen- rods, brine, mysis, threw a half shell clam in and the tangs really enjoyed that. Doesn’t seem interested in anything other than hunting. I’ll try to find some live foods. Any other advice?

Live black worms or freezedried blackworms.

 

[Alexa.Davis37]

Live black worms or freezedried blackworms.

I do live blackworms from Eastern Aquatics. They are always in stock.