Your Copperband Butterfly Experience Needed

[mfinn]

I've had one for about 3-1/2 years.
I added it as a small about 6 months after I set up my 233 and aiptasias started popping up.
It cleaned up them up pretty fast and has been a great looking fish.
However I recently moved a large coral and found 3-4 large aiptasias under it. I left them exposed for 4-5 days and it never went back after them.
Maybe he doesn't like them anymore?

 

[ZoWhat]

CBB won't eat any corals EXCEPT for clams.

A Maxima Clam will last about 12hrs in your tank.

All other LPS, SPS, Softies are not effected

 

[Vincent100]

Mine loved acans especially when the little feeder tentacles were out
I didn't have zoa at the time

 

[DSC reef]

Ours went rogue on us with acans and a scoly and never touched our tridacna. I don't know where one gets info to say it will only eat a clam?

 

[BigJohnny]

I have had mine for about 4-6 months, does not touch any of my corals. I don't have zoas though. Acros, montis, hammer, torches, chalices, goniopora, and alveopora.

I do feed heavy 4 times a day though and it has a VORACIOUS appetite. He absolutely pounds food, especially live blackworms. Id wager he eats at least 2x more per weight/size than my other fish. So I'd say that feeding heavy multiple times per day may be needed regardless, but also to prevent it from searching for num nums elsewhere.

My matted filefish did nip sps at first but only a couple times. if your considering one of those as well for aiptasia control, just FYI.

Riskier corals for copperbands typically are meat corals, acans, lobos, trachys, and scolys. Also clams. At least based on my research.

 

[lou dog420]

Mine picked on acans, lobo , and trach for a little while. He took a week long beating from my yellow tang when I first put him in but he survived. Took about 2 weeks before he started eating frozen. Now he is the most aggressive eater in the tank, and is starting to outgrow the tang.

 

[Jason mack]

Mine picked at a feather dusters ... but that’s it he’s never gone for anything else !! Beautiful fish with lots of personality,And definitely my favorite fish in my tank !!!!

 

[jd371]

I've had mine for over a year now and he hasn't touched anything in my 75g mixed reef including the Maxima clam. The CBB might have eaten Aptasia at first because I did notice some of them gone after I added him to the tank but has stopped and the Aptasia have spread in my tank, I added Berghia to take care of that problem. I love this fish and is the showpiece of my tank.

 

[klp]

Anyone have experience with a CB and Christmas worms?

 

[Reeferguy365]

Mine has been a great fish it's actually one of the only fish that didn't try to kill my dussumeri when I threw it in he loves mysis & feather dusters lol but have not seen him eat any Coral.it just chills most of the day

 

[alton]

It was one of my favorite fish. The following picture was my best friend I had for thirteen years, which I lost. I have not had a need to fill his spot. Of the three others I picked up none ate aptaisia except my buddy which kept the tank he was in clean of them. I tried Feather dusters with one of the others and it was destroyed. I would think Christmas worms would be a gamble also. Rev enjoy your new CBB, they get very personable very fast.

 

[curiouser]

Following... berghia didn't work.. trying a file fish now (week #2) if file fish doesn't do the job... butterfly is next

Zoom in on the top right rock.. and you can see my aptasia outbreak :-(

lejeune981

Following... berghia didn't work.. trying a file fish now (week #2) if file fish doesn't do the job... butterfly is next

Zoom in on the top right rock.. and you can see my aptasia outbreak :-(

lejeune981,
Have you tried peppermint shrimp to eat the aiptasia?

 

[lejeune981]

lejeune981


lejeune981,
Have you tried peppermint shrimp to eat the aiptasia?

Yup... I have a long nose hawk fish.. so any cleaner shrimp or peps I add have a 12 hour countdown..soon as it's dark... they become an expensive snack...

I am excited though.. I was checking out the tank the other night after lights out.. and low and behold I seen a pretty large berghia crawling around.. so maybe o spoke too soon on those.. I had figured my 3 BIG sally light foot crabs got them..

And I've seen the file fish peck at a couple aptasia.. and a feather duster or two.. hopefully he takes a liking to the aptasia only lol

 

[Bforbes]

Mine has been in the tank for about 7 months. Tank has lots of different corals, and I have never seen it picking at anything directly. It does pick at the rocks, perhaps eating aiptasia. My sump has an aiptasia breakout, but the 220g DT is aiptasia free, so perhaps the copperband has been on top of it for me.

Beautiful fish, and great addition to a relatively peaceful tank. The one thing I will say is that I can not get it to eat anything other than live blackworms (and maybe the aiptasia). It has been in a tank full of fish that eat everything I feed - pellets, nori, LRS, etc - but the copperband never shows any interest, and I need to feed blackworms twice a day to make sure it eats.

I knew they can be picky eaters, and I kept the copperband in QT for a month and tried to switch it to other foods while in QT, no luck. I thought it might get the hang of other foods from the other fish in the DT, no luck. Every once in a while I stop feeding the blackworms for a couple of days to see if it will show interest in other food, no luck. I tried freeze-dried blackworms, no luck. So, live blackworms it will be until I find something else it might try. I guess the good news is that through all of this, it has not taken an interest in my corals.

Have you tried Masstick by Easy Reefs? Mine loves it. I purchase from BRS

 

[vetteguy53081]

been over a year with no issue. Its simple- Keep it fed and when gone from tank for several hours, leave it seaweed/nori sheets to nibble on to direct attention to algae treat rather than your corals.

 

[BPF42]

Mine has been in the tank for about 7 months. Tank has lots of different corals, and I have never seen it picking at anything directly. It does pick at the rocks, perhaps eating aiptasia. My sump has an aiptasia breakout, but the 220g DT is aiptasia free, so perhaps the copperband has been on top of it for me.

Beautiful fish, and great addition to a relatively peaceful tank. The one thing I will say is that I can not get it to eat anything other than live blackworms (and maybe the aiptasia). It has been in a tank full of fish that eat everything I feed - pellets, nori, LRS, etc - but the copperband never shows any interest, and I need to feed blackworms twice a day to make sure it eats.

I knew they can be picky eaters, and I kept the copperband in QT for a month and tried to switch it to other foods while in QT, no luck. I thought it might get the hang of other foods from the other fish in the DT, no luck. Every once in a while I stop feeding the blackworms for a couple of days to see if it will show interest in other food, no luck. I tried freeze-dried blackworms, no luck. So, live blackworms it will be until I find something else it might try. I guess the good news is that through all of this, it has not taken an interest in my corals.

I suggest trying Masstick. My Copperband loves it, although he eats frozen Mysis shrimp as well.

 

[Samandar]

Hi, I have my cbb since Feb. 14. She began to eat aptasia after two days, and after some days took brain shrimp. After that I give her some food shrimp. After 20 days she arrived in DT. I hade some open brain corrals and some others in DT. At the first no, but after a few days she nipped the brain corrals as I had to bring them out. At the moment she eat only food shrimp and aptasia if any.

 

[All Delight]

Tears up acans

 

[editour2]

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.

 

[Samandar]

adding

HI, does your cbb take flakes ? Is yours small, medium or large? My cbb was the first large fish that arrived in the DT. After she I let the sergeon fishs in DT. Therefore I hadn't big problem. So be careful.