Your Copperband Butterfly Experience Needed

Paul B · Jul 19, 2018

They are one of my favorite fish and I have almost always had one in my tank since the 70s. A coperband was actually one of my first fish after damsels. I also dove with them in the South Pacific. They live in the sea on worms and feather dusters. I have never seen one harm anything in my tanks except feather dusters. They will eat Christmas Tree worms and any other worm or anything that looks like a worm.
I think the one I have now is about 10 years but I forget. (I could be way off on that) He gets worms and clams every day along with LRS but will eat just about any meaty foods.
Like Alton said, very personable fish and they do seem more intelligent than most fish. I don't know why but something about them seems smart.
If they had thumbs they would probably do well on standardized tests.

13 years is great for a copperband as I think that is around their lifespan. I can't remember keeping one longer than about 12 years.

lou dog420 · Jul 25, 2018

editour2 said:
I purchased 1 from liveaquaria about 8 weeks ago. He is still in my QT. I feed him 1 mussel every day. I also throw in some small flake every day and some frozen small worms. I am hesitant toward adding him to my main DT because there is so much competition there I fear he will not be able to compete. I will eventually move him and cross my fingers that he can make the transition.

If he is healthy I think he would be just fine.

lou dog420 · Jul 25, 2018

Paul B said:
They are one of my favorite fish and I have almost always had one in my tank since the 70s. A coperband was actually one of my first fish after damsels. I also dove with them in the South Pacific. They live in the sea on worms and feather dusters. I have never seen one harm anything in my tanks except feather dusters. They will eat Christmas Tree worms and any other worm or anything that looks like a worm.
I think the one I have now is about 10 years but I forget. (I could be way off on that) He gets worms and clams every day along with LRS but will eat just about any meaty foods.
Like Alton said, very personable fish and they do seem more intelligent than most fish. I don't know why but something about them seems smart.
If they had thumbs they would probably do well on standardized tests.

13 years is great for a copperband as I think that is around their lifespan. I can't remember keeping one longer than about 12 years.

I agree, smartest fish in my tank.

Peter K · Jul 25, 2018

By far and away our favorite fish in our tank with an absolutely fantastic personality. That being said, ours destroyed our feather dusters (expected) and all our acans. We actually bought $5 acans at our lfs until we could get it to eat frozen. And after living in harmony with a clam for about 6 months it decided one day that it would make a tasty snack, talk about expensive fish food. He leaves everything else alone in the tank though including anemones and other meaty corals / softies. We did catch him picking at our scoly's a few times but we moved those to another tank before he got too much of an appetite for them. He also wiped out every aiptasia in about 2 weeks.

editour2 · Apr 24, 2019

After months in the QT I moved mine to the DT....he appeared to be fine during about an 8 week stay but then one day I found him dead. As I feared the other fish devour the food and he took his time. I presume he was not getting enough to eat and perished. Next attempt I will feed him separately using a method I found on some reef forum where you place the food in a container which has a slit cut into the side where only he can enter/eat/exit.

revhtree · Apr 24, 2019

editour2 said:
After months in the QT I moved mine to the DT....he appeared to be fine during about an 8 week stay but then one day I found him dead. As I feared the other fish devour the food and he took his time. I presume he was not getting enough to eat and perished. Next attempt I will feed him separately using a method I found on some reef forum where you place the food in a container which has a slit cut into the side where only he can enter/eat/exit.

I noticed my CBB getting very thin even though he eats the LRS food I feed. I removed him from the DT and have been feeding him and training him to eat from a clip with slits that only he can get to.

Lb71 · Apr 24, 2019

Have had my CBB a little over three years. It will eat all kinds of frozen food, black worms, copepods, brine shrimp. Never got it to eat flake or pellet food. It also eats with relish LPS corals such as acans , scoly, Favia, torch corals and clams. It leaves alone zoa’s, soft corals and so far my Montipora.
Larry

klp · Apr 24, 2019

editour2 said:
After months in the QT I moved mine to the DT....he appeared to be fine during about an 8 week stay but then one day I found him dead. As I feared the other fish devour the food and he took his time. I presume he was not getting enough to eat and perished. Next attempt I will feed him separately using a method I found on some reef forum where you place the food in a container which has a slit cut into the side where only he can enter/eat/exit.

Would you mind giving more detail, a link preferably or a picture?