Poll: How many reefers have successfully kept a butterfly?

[OrionN]

CBB is so easy and common that we should exclude this guy.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Been easy to raise for me- many just not reef safe although I have had great luck with them in reef setting

 

[KMench]

My little clam eater. Still love the fish. Has a great personality.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Have a pyramid butterfly for a few years. Mixed reef, never touched a coral. Until about 6 months ago. Added an open brain coral. The pyramid destroyed it. Hasn't touched anything in my tank since.

 

[anthonyroc]

My pyramid likes my brains had to put egg crate over them. Have had him for 2 years now him and my sailfin are buddies!!!

 

[FLSharkvictim]

I have always have struggled with the Copperband butterfly (Chelmon rostratus)


Copperband butterflyfish

 

[OrionN]

That CBB looks great. How long have you had him?

 

[Steve Fast]

Here goes on my experiences... will try to write more sometime... I have a 520 gallon 10 foot tank. I have softies, some hardy SPS, and LPS… nothing fancy. The tank is well fed. I have the following butterflies: double saddle, Indian vagabond, 2 X pearl scale, 2 X longnose, 2 X lemon, Pakistani, latticed, atlantic reef, Klein’s, peppered, spotband, 4 spot. I cannot keep monti nor most frogspawn or hammers, though do have one frogspawn that they have always left alone… go figure. These corals were decimated by the double saddle, latticed, and spotband… though mostly the double saddle and only recently. I’ve tried CBBs, but they seem too shy to adapt to the other butterflies’ feeding cadence…. The butterflies all get along very well. They are very social and will eat best when put in the display tank right away... they seem to learn quickly form each other. Probably the least conspecific aggressive fish I’ve ever had other than shrimp gobies and my three purple tilefish. I have had issues with disease and run heavy UV (4 X 500 W @ 500 gph each) to keep it in check. Also have witness the spotband "cleaning" other butterflies just like my cleaner wrasse. Odd, though it has happened too often to be coincidental. I feed chopped clams on the half shell, chopped shrimp, scallops, & squid along with mysis and brine shrimp. They eat in a frenzy... especially the clams. So all in all I agree with @Jase4224 and @glennf.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

Here goes on my experiences... will try to write more sometime... I have a 520 gallon 10 foot tank. I have softies, some hardy SPS, and LPS… nothing fancy. The tank is well fed. I have the following butterflies: double saddle, Indian vagabond, 2 X pearl scale, 2 X longnose, 2 X lemon, Pakistani, latticed, atlantic reef, Klein’s, peppered, spotband, 4 spot. I cannot keep monti nor most frogspawn or hammers, though do have one frogspawn that they have always left alone… go figure. These corals were decimated by the double saddle, latticed, and spotband… though mostly the double saddle and only recently. I’ve tried CBBs, but they seem too shy to adapt to the other butterflies’ feeding cadence…. The butterflies all get along very well. They are very social and will eat best when put in the display tank right away... they seem to learn quickly form each other. Probably the least conspecific aggressive fish I’ve ever had other than shrimp gobies and my three purple tilefish. I have had issues with disease and run heavy UV (4 X 500 W @ 500 gph each) to keep it in check. Also have witness the spotband "cleaning" other butterflies just like my cleaner wrasse. Odd, though it has happened too often to be coincidental. I feed chopped clams on the half shell, chopped shrimp, scallops, & squid along with mysis and brine shrimp. They eat in a frenzy... especially the clams. So all in all I agree with @Jase4224 and @glennf.

Amazing, I had a suspicion that most butterflies would only eat some coral. People are just too afraid to try. Have you ever tried keeping a clam with them?

 

[Steve Fast]

Amazing, I had a suspicion that most butterflies would only eat some coral. People are just too afraid to try. Have you ever tried keeping a clam with them?

Agree. I really don't know the numbers of butterflies on a typical reef, though if they eat coral, the number could not be so high that the coral could not outgrow their appetite... There must be sufficient populations to support collection for our hobby.

As for clams or scallops, I've never tried one, though because I feed so much shellfish some in the shell, I might be conditioning them to eat it...

 

[Francesca]

This is Snouty had him for 3 years now and he eats from my hand

 

[MrsBugmaster]

Pictures as promised. They are not very good though. I took them in a hurry.

 

[Jacked Reefer]

@Steve Fast how about some pictures of your butterflies!

 

[Steve Fast]

did someone say clams?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/XFFbdwYnHoVezhL37

more to follow now that the glass is cleaner...

 

[SomethingfishyPKNY]

Who is CBB?

Copper Banded Butterfly

 

[SomethingfishyPKNY]

Longnose Butterfly absolutely no problems what so ever....

Beautiful Tank

 

[MPS]

Who is CBB?

CopperBand Butterfly

 

[MPS]

Copper Banded Butterfly

Darn auto correct. “Copperband Butterfly” is what I’m trying to type.

 

[DarthSimon]

Beautiful Tank

Thank you!!

 

[reeftivo]

CBB here too (from LFS). Have had for going on a year now. Didn't take to cubes at first so i had to do some trial and error and found that he loves brine and mysid in garlic. He would only eat live blood worms at first but the cubes are a staple for him now along with some rods original blend which he picks out of the water column (brine/mysid in feeder cone). The CBB has never touched a coral and is my favorite by far. Lot's of personality and fearless.