Leap of faith

saltwater newby · Jan 3, 2018

hello Reefers!!
This weekend I took a leap of faith and purchased a copper band butterfly. Even though I haven’t been successful with corals in my 2 years in the hobby I must say I’ve been successful with fish. I take necessary measurements to temperature acclimate and then drip acclimate before putting them in my system and I always read up And research before purchasing any fish. The copper band I chose was eating lots at the lfs and had been there for over 3 weeks and they treat tjeir water with copper so I felt comfortable with the little guy. As soon as he went in my 75 gallon reefer he started hunting for food on the rocks and substrate and he makes me feel as if he’s ready to eat from my hand because he goes right up to anything I put in the water before I take my hand out. The issue I’m having is that with his small beak and slow natural way of eating his food gets taken away by my other fish (specially green chromis)and I’m sure he’s not eating nothing close to what he should be. I don’t even know what he’s picking at on my rocks and susbstrate because I see nothing there. I have a good amount of aptaisia but I haven’t seen him picking on any. Being that he’s healthy and Has an appetite how can I get him to take advantage of the food that I feed the tank? I made a feeder with holes using clear plastic tubing from my reactor but even with that he’s getting outcompeted. Thanks in advance!!

Mark Gray · Jan 3, 2018

Nice fish I have never kept one

norfolkgarden · Jan 4, 2018

He is eating tiny pods in the rocks. Ours does that all day until it notices me and then does laps in front of the tank because its been several hours since I gave it a treat...

Lol, jealous of yours eating from the beginning.
We needed to train ours with live black worms and move to frozen foods from that.
Scary 2 weeks. Something in Cobalt's Marine Omni was what first interested him and then PE frozen mysis.

Now he has gone from being terrified of me to not leaving me alone.

We just throw in a cube of Frozen twice a day and as it disintegrates all of the fish pick at it and our copper band usually gets his share. Took a few weeks before the copperband was one of the aggressive fish in the tank.

Paul B · Jan 4, 2018

They are actually large eaters and need things like clams or worms. The snout is to pull worms from the rocks. The one I have now is my largest eater by far. He gets clams and worms every day and I have the opposite problem, my copperband eats all the food before the other 20 fish can get it.
They won't live on pods very long.

norfolkgarden · Jan 4, 2018

Ours still gets the black worms as several times a day treats, usually in the evening after work multiple times.

Weekends when I am home and sitting down watching the tank he's like a little kid in the Ice cream shop saying please please please please please please please.

When they reach a point in the day that they suck it in but can't keep it in and spit it out because they're ridiculous belly is so full is when I definitely stop. Sometimes before that. Lol.

He is worse than a dog's that I was stupid enough to make the mistake of feeding treats from the table.
Undoing that was a PITA.

Still tolerating it from our 2 months old copper band because it is still not as thick and happy as the one single fat one I saw at the LFS.

Most of them come in skin and bones and I have been looking at them for 5 years. Haven't been ready to purchased one until I started reading Paul B's thread on how to care for them properly.
Finally purchased one a few months ago because it was so small. 2 inches.

At the LFS a month later and the fattest happiest copperband I've ever seen in my life was there and gave me a whole new meaning on what they should look like. It probably went straight from Ocean to lfs in less than a week. It was mind blowing the difference in weight.
Pretty much the difference between the anorexic ones we normally see and seeing one that you would describe as big boned.

norfolkgarden · Jan 4, 2018

Still can't get it. Too close to the glass to turn sideways and reach inside.

saltwater newby · Jan 4, 2018

CAN blood worms frozen from petco be served???

KMench · Jan 4, 2018

You could try the blood worms, but they'll go crazy for live blackworms if you can find them somewhere. If you're interested they're a slow culture, but an easy one to do at home.

saltwater newby · Jan 4, 2018

KMench said:
You could try the blood worms, but they'll go crazy for live blackworms if you can find them somewhere. If you're interested they're a slow culture, but an easy one to do at home.

I was just going to ask where can I find black worms? Lol
Will he be ok if I feed the blood worms??

KMench · Jan 4, 2018

Yes, I give blood worms occasionally. They're just not the most nutritious for fish from what I've read. I get blackworms from my local store. You'll have to call around and see who carries them, I would say maybe 50% carry them. Otherwise you can just google and find them for sale from various sources on the internet.

saltwater newby · Jan 4, 2018

KMench said:
Yes, I give blood worms occasionally. They're just not the most nutritious for fish from what I've read. I get blackworms from my local store. You'll have to call around and see who carries them, I would say maybe 50% carry them. Otherwise you can just google and find them for sale from various sources on the internet.

Ok
Thank you!!

Mark Gray · Jan 4, 2018

Here's where I get my black worms
https://www.aquaticfoods.com/

saltwater newby · Jan 4, 2018

Thank you!!!

saltwater newby · Jan 4, 2018

Did any of you guys have issues with dirty water after all of this additional feeding ?? I just won a battle with cyano but I still have hair algae and I’m afraid my water quality is gonna drop soon.

Mark Gray · Jan 4, 2018

saltwater newby said:
Did any of you guys have issues with dirty water after all of this additional feeding ?? I just won a battle with cyano but I still have hair algae and I’m afraid my water quality is gonna drop soon.

They have pretty good instructions for car on the site, I keep mine in the refrigerator, I rinse them about every 3 days or when the water in the worms get dirty. As far as your tank water, I had a bad case of GHA it is alsmost gone now after adding my fuge. still have a little the fuge has been up for about 4 months. I do not think they will fowl your water and your fish will learn to love them really.

norfolkgarden · Jan 4, 2018

We have a 75 gallon tank for reference.

Keep *one* member of your clean up crew for every 5 gallons.
Not 2 CUC per gallon like some sites recommend.

In our 75 gallon tank we have 6 turbo snails. Buy them small (3/4") and trade them in a year or 2 later when they get huge.
5 astraea or trochus snails
2 Nassarius snails
Half dozen dwarf zebra hermit crabs
Half dozen blue leg hermit crabs
3 Scarlet hermit crabs
No more dwarf cerith snails (blue leg hermit crabs love these shells for homes)
5 (3 too many?) Serpent stars
2 black Brittle stars
1 Springeri damsel (flatworm control)

Zero algae other than coralline.
Could never keep a tang. It would have to live off algae strips.

Clarksski · Jan 6, 2018

I’ve had a copperband now for about 4 months.. had a bad case of lympho after I got her home from lfs.. kept feeding black worms, fresh clams and fresh mussels..and after about a month the lympho went away.. she’s my favorite fish!
I’ve found that if I feed the other fish mysis first so their not so hungry, then I can put the mussels and black worms in the tank and she’s got a pretty good chance of eating.
I buy fresh mussels now and then shuck ‘em open and then freeze.. can do the same with clams. But definitely her fav is the black worms.
A established tank with good parameters really helps with the extra food and if you don’t have that, then frequent water changes until things stabilize will help with the nutrients too.

Philt56 · Jan 6, 2018

norfolkgarden said:
He is eating tiny pods in the rocks. Ours does that all day until it notices me and then does laps in front of the tank because its been several hours since I gave it a treat...

Lol, jealous of yours eating from the beginning.
We needed to train ours with live black worms and move to frozen foods from that.
Scary 2 weeks. Something in Cobalt's Marine Omni was what first interested him and then PE frozen mysis.

Now he has gone from being terrified of me to not leaving me alone.

We just throw in a cube of Frozen twice a day and as it disintegrates all of the fish pick at it and our copper band usually gets his share. Took a few weeks before the copperband was one of the aggressive fish in the tank.

Mine took a couple months of blackworms until he finally got interested in mysis. Now he eats the small frozen clams on half shells also. But mainly mysis and sometime he will pick at LRS.

saltwater newby · Jan 6, 2018

thank you for the valid information . Mine has kept on eating here and there but not a lot since they are so slow the other fish keep beating him to it.
he does seem more aggressive now but I do notice he has gotten a bit skinnier, not sure how long they can live with limited feedings.