"Reef Safe" butterflies

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Wrong!

If you actually did to a ton of research you would know that every reputable place states that the Copperband needs at least a 125 gallon tank.

AT LEAST/AT A MINIMUM!

Just because you may have seen some people "successfully" keep then in a 50-60 gallon tank - does NOT make it right - nor is it in the best interest of the fish.

These are not stamps - these are living animals with feelings, etc.

Listen to the people who know - and not some self-serving people to did the wrong thing and put these fish in a too small aquarium.
Ok I will take your word for it!
What would you suggest as a "larger show fish" for my size tank then...
 
Ok I will take your word for it!
What would you suggest as a "larger show fish" for my size tank then...

I know you will not, lol :)

But, what are the dimensions of the 60 gallon tank?

Is it a Marineland 48 x 12 x 25?
 
It's a MarineLand 56 gallon to be exact, I just call it a 60 because it has a similar footprint.
The demensions are:
30L x 18Wx 24H.
Yea I'm glad to hear everyone's opinions about it, I don't care wether they agree or disagree. Just would like to hear people experiences with these fish in similar tanks, and or suggestions:)
 
Wrong!

If you actually did to a ton of research you would know that every reputable place states that the Copperband needs at least a 125 gallon tank.

AT LEAST/AT A MINIMUM!

Just because you may have seen some people "successfully" keep them in a 50-60 gallon tank - does NOT make it right - nor is it in the best interest of the fish.

These are not stamps - these are living animals with feelings, etc.

Listen to the people who know - and not some self-serving people to did the wrong thing and put these fish in a too small aquarium.

I wouldn't consider taking these fish from the wild right either. I think I'll only buy captive bred in the future.
 
It's a MarineLand 56 gallon to be exact, I just call it a 60 because it has a similar footprint.
The demensions are:
30L x 18Wx 24H.

Oh my God, yeah.... no butterflies in that tank...

Being 2 1/2 feet long makes it really difficult for a lot of fish - much less a "larger show fish"...

When I thought it was the 60 gallon - 4 foot long - I was going to say get a Flame Angel and some schooling Blue/Green Chromis or something of the like.

But I can't really even with a good conscious suggest the Flame Angel for a 2 1/2 foot long tank... :(
 
Oh my God, yeah.... no butterflies in that tank...

Being 2 1/2 feet long makes it really difficult for a lot of fish - much less a "larger show fish"...

When I thought it was the 60 gallon - 4 foot long - I was going to say get a Flame Angel and some schooling Blue/Green Chromis or something of the like.

But I can't really even with a good conscious suggest the Flame Angel for a 2 1/2 foot long tank... :(
Yeaaa...
That's why I've never really added anything to this tank because I've always found it hard to find something I like that works ...
 
Yeaaa...
That's why I've never really added anything to this tank because I've always found it hard to find something I like that works ...

Any chance of upgrading to a larger tank...?

If so, I would suggest the Marineland 120 gallon tank for what you really want - it is 60" x 18" x 25" - it is a 5 foot long - so not quite as large as a 6 foot long tank.
 
Any chance of upgrading to a larger tank...?

If so, I would suggest the Marineland 120 gallon tank for what you really want - it is 60" x 18" x 25" - it is a 5 foot long - so not quite as large as a 6 foot long tank.
I wish I was able to upgrade... at this time I have to stick with what I've got.
 
As to your message of:

Rex said:

So I was having a discussion with a few people (who's super knowledgeable about fish, and had similar experiences with these fish) on here earlier about copper bands and anthia in my size aquarium.
They said they and many other have had great success with copperbands in 55 - 70 gallons. They said yea they do get larger but they are way more laid back then dwarf angels, tangs and those types of fish. Therefore they just swim around a little and other times hangout under over hangs and in caves. They also said the body shape of a Copperband is different then other butterflies, tangs, angels, and so on... they said it would work perfectly fine if I'd not jam pack the tank with other small more active fish.

As Anthias go...
They said if I was looking to get a large school of Dispar or Carberryi Anthias then yes they would need at least a 75 gallon. But they said a trio of either of these in my tank would work fine as they only get a few inches. They said the main thing to be worried about is to make sure you feed multiple times a day for both these fish and to have a good skimmer to deal with the extra nutrients.

I also forgot to mention earlier,
I've kept a copperband a few years back in this same tank without a single issue. It was around 5" or 6" before I had to breakdown the tank and sell everything off at the time.

I think copperbands work perfectly in my tank. The key to success with them in my tank is DO NOT heavily stock it, give them multiple areas to hide and at the same time enough open space. Just my 2 cents... and many others agree with me on this subject... I guess some disagree with each other and some agree that part of partaking in any hobby lol


Nobody who actually knows what they are talking about says that a Copperband will be OK in a 2.5 foot tank - no one.

Like I said, all of the professionals who actually do this for a living state that a Copperband needs a minimum of a 125 gallon tank - that is a 6 foot long tank.

There is nobody with any sense that would say that a Copperband would be OK in a 2.5 foot tank - no one.

You kept a 6" Copperband in a 2.5 foot tank "without a single issue", huh?

Well, then you obviously have no idea what an "issue" is.

You are going to do what you are going to do - I just feel really sorry for your fish. :(
 
As to your message of:

Rex said:

So I was having a discussion with a few people (who's super knowledgeable about fish, and had similar experiences with these fish) on here earlier about copper bands and anthia in my size aquarium.
They said they and many other have had great success with copperbands in 55 - 70 gallons. They said yea they do get larger but they are way more laid back then dwarf angels, tangs and those types of fish. Therefore they just swim around a little and other times hangout under over hangs and in caves. They also said the body shape of a Copperband is different then other butterflies, tangs, angels, and so on... they said it would work perfectly fine if I'd not jam pack the tank with other small more active fish.

As Anthias go...
They said if I was looking to get a large school of Dispar or Carberryi Anthias then yes they would need at least a 75 gallon. But they said a trio of either of these in my tank would work fine as they only get a few inches. They said the main thing to be worried about is to make sure you feed multiple times a day for both these fish and to have a good skimmer to deal with the extra nutrients.

I also forgot to mention earlier,
I've kept a copperband a few years back in this same tank without a single issue. It was around 5" or 6" before I had to breakdown the tank and sell everything off at the time.

I think copperbands work perfectly in my tank. The key to success with them in my tank is DO NOT heavily stock it, give them multiple areas to hide and at the same time enough open space. Just my 2 cents... and many others agree with me on this subject... I guess some disagree with each other and some agree that part of partaking in any hobby lol


Nobody who actually knows what they are talking about says that a Copperband will be OK in a 2.5 foot tank - no one.

Like I said, all of the professionals who actually do this for a living state that a Copperband needs a minimum of a 125 gallon tank - that is a 6 foot long tank.

There is nobody with any sense that would say that a Copperband would be OK in a 2.5 foot tank - no one.

You kept a 6" Copperband in a 2.5 foot tank "without a single issue", huh?

Well, then you obviously have no idea what an "issue" is.

You are going to do what you are going to do - I just feel really sorry for your fish. :(
Well like I said I talked to the following: @eatbreakfast @melypr1985 @mdbannister @fabutahoun
@Rick.45cal
They all said a copperband is perfectly fine in my tank, and a few of them have had copperbands in similar size tanks with absolutely no issues.
As long as I properly QT it have a correct feeding schedule, and have the correct balance of hiding areas and open space, the copperband will do great!
Also according to other websites besides liveaquaria, a copper band requires a 55 gallon
 
Well like I said I talked to the following: @eatbreakfast @melypr1985 @mdbannister @fabutahoun
@Rick.45cal
They all said a copperband is perfectly fine in my tank, and a few of them have had copperbands in similar size tanks with absolutely no issues.

None of them know what they are talking about then - NONE.

Anyone who says a Copperband will do fine in a 2.5 foot long tank has no idea what they are talking about - period!

But, like I said, you are going to do what you are going to do - obviously.
 
And NONE of them say a 2.5 foot long tank...

But, seriously, you are going to do what you want.

Continuing this is pointless.

Good luck.
 
None of them know what they are talking about then - NONE.

Anyone who says a Copperband will do fine in a 2.5 foot long tank has no idea what they are talking about - period!

But, like I said, you are going to do what you are going to do - obviously.

Ok that's your personal opinion (which is fine to have).
I don't think I would say none of them know what they're talking about. All of them have knowledge about this fish.
Just because you haven't had success with this species in a smaller aquarium doesn't mean it's not possible.
I also dislike how you point out it needs a 6' tank. Which is not true what so ever... where not talking about a tang or angel here.
Butterfly's, especially the copper band are it as active as tangs. They most of the time are hanging out in caves and under overhangs, or swimming around the tank peacefully searching for pods.
 
And NONE of them say a 2.5 foot long tank...

But, seriously, you are going to do what you want.

Continuing this is pointless.

Good luck.
None of them say a 6 foot tank either do they?
They say a tank that has a good balance of swimming space and enough rocks to keep them occupied with hiding areas and places for them to search for food.
 
You are aware of how big they get, right? I had a 55 gal years ago and I believe that was 4ft. To the other posters point. 2.5ft it'll go stir crazy as an adult
 
You are aware of how big they get, right? I had a 55 gal years ago and I believe that was 4ft. To the other posters point. 2.5ft it'll go stir crazy as an adult
Once I get to the point of one being an adult or close to I'll make the decision wether it seems stressed or healthy in the current tank. Once I feel I've made the correct choice I'll either keep it in the current set up and or at that time upgrade to a larger tank.
 
I would 100% agree with #salty150 on this subject. A few things here. One, no way possible its ok to put a fish that gets 8+ inches in a 2.5' tank, that is utterly ridiculous to even think. Two, CBB are extremely fragile and known to croak even when put into ideal situations over stress. Three, CBB are extremely finicky eaters and many of the time you have to start them off with live black worms or mysis just to get them to act interested.

All of this is tough for an experienced reefer with the correctly sized tank. I have had issue's keeping them at times and have been keeping fish since '03.

And even with all that being said, and I generally don't have much of an opinion about this sort of thing, I but doubt you listen.
 
I would 100% agree with #salty150 on this subject. A few things here. One, no way possible its ok to put a fish that gets 8+ inches in a 2.5' tank, that is utterly ridiculous to even think. Two, CBB are extremely fragile and known to croak even when put into ideal situations over stress. Three, CBB are extremely finicky eaters and many of the time you have to start them off with live black worms or mysis just to get them to act interested.

All of this is tough for an experienced reefer with the correctly sized tank. I have had issue's keeping them at times and have been keeping fish since '03.

And even with all that being said, and I generally don't have much of an opinion about this sort of thing, I but doubt you listen.
I'm glad to hear everyone's experience and thought process on this topic! To answer your questions,
#1 - in my personal experience I've actually kept a copperband in this tank a few years back. I got it the first time around I set up that tank and it was around 2". It grew to be around 5" (which it didn't seem to get an larger)before I had to breakdown the tank and sell everything off. Personally I think in my experience with fish (and I've heard many other people talk about this topic) is let's say a fish gets a max of 8" and you buy it around 2" it many times will adapt to your your tank and get only a max of 5-6". And from reading around on a few different forums and websites I've heard the copperband gets 8" max but takes very long to reach that, and many of times it only ends up reaching a max of 5".

#2 - I don't plan on putting this fish in with agressive fish. I also plan on putting the copperband in first to adapt and then adding a few other peaceful species over time. I also will provide ample hiding areas for the copperband to retreat into if necessary, while still providing enough open swimming space.

#3 - I'm not one to skip QT and through the fish into the DT right away. I provide the fish with enough time in QT till I feel confident that it's eating well, then it goes into the DT.
I'm also aware they need to need fed more often (at least 4 times per day). As mentioned before I've kept one in this tank a few years back and was very successful in keeping it healthy and thriving!

Also if necessary I always would have the plan to upgrade if I noticed something that gave me signs that it should be in a upgraded tank.
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

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  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%

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