butterflies in reefs

[Amoore311]

yes i've heard about those wayward capistratus!

good for obtaining a tiny one!

these IME are coral nippy in the reef tank.

I agree with "nippyness" factor on these guys from what I've read online and some videos I've found.

It's a not a fish I would normally jump after, but the story behind this guy is what really pushed me to bid on him. I figured.... if he survived the 1500ish mile journey from the Caribbean to the cost of Long Island... he at least deserves a shot haha. I'm mean heck... some fish can't even survive that journey on a plane for 12-18 hours... let alone a couple weeks having the current drag you up here lol.

With its tiny size right now, there's nothing he can possibly damage in my tank. Once he gets bigger, if things don't work out I'm sure I can find a loving home for this guy locally.

 

[cadre]

Just thought I'd add myself to this thread. I've read bits and pieces but I haven't made it through the whole thing yet. I brought home my copperband butterfly on Friday last week. He's eating frozen brine and mysis but he's still hanging out in one corner of my tank. I'm actually a little worried that he's damaging his mouth by hitting it on the side of the tank constantly. Is this a common stress response for butterflies?

 

[badbrady06]

SDguy, first off your tank is awesome! Do you have any conflicts between the two yln? Do they eat the big feather dusters or just the small ones? I want to add a pair to my display and was looking for experienced answers.

 

[Amoore311]

I can add some input on the Long Nose in regards to eating feather dusters.

I had a Long Nose Butterfly in my QT for a week or so. My QT for butterflies and angels always starts off with some Live Rock. (Keep in mind the only thing I dose in QT in Prazipro, I've never had a need to dose anything else.)

The rock had various tubeworms and feather dusters, sponges, aiptasia, etc. The largest feather duster being about the diameter of a quarter fully open. The long nosed butterfly ate every last one lol. And did so very efficiently might I add. He managed to clean out every feather duster in less than 4 days. These were on a total of about 10-15 lbs of live rock.

Unfortunately the butterfly didn't make it past a week. I was about to start my prazipro treatment and I found him just laying dead in the tank. Upon further inspection of the gils post mortem, he was absolutely infested with flukes.

 

[SDguy]

SDguy, first off your tank is awesome! Do you have any conflicts between the two yln? Do they eat the big feather dusters or just the small ones? I want to add a pair to my display and was looking for experienced answers.

There's the occassional fin flare during feeding time, but that's about it, aggression-wise. I didn't really have any tube worms to begin with, so no major loss there.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Just thought I'd add myself to this thread. I've read bits and pieces but I haven't made it through the whole thing yet. I brought home my copperband butterfly on Friday last week. He's eating frozen brine and mysis but he's still hanging out in one corner of my tank. I'm actually a little worried that he's damaging his mouth by hitting it on the side of the tank constantly. Is this a common stress response for butterflies?

Eating is a good sign. Which tank is it in and does it have plenty of hiding places? What other fish are in the tank and are they bothering the cbb or are they boisterous?

It sounds like it isn't comfortable yet, but it is good that the fish is eating. Make sure it has a place to hide, turn the lights off for a while, and make sure it isn't being bothered by other fish. It should come around if it continues to eat.

 

[A_Z]

I need advice on this

My tank will have soft corals like zoas, leathers, xenia as well feather dusters and I am not willing to give any of those up.

out of these three butterfly how safe or risky is it with those?

Declivis
Longnose
Pyramid

 

[Amoore311]

Pyramid is really your only safe bet. My declivis and long nose will completely destroy any feather dusters present in short order.

Xenia and Leathers should be safe, hardly anything messes with those. (Must not taste very good haha) Zoas seem to be very hit or miss on the menu as well.

Long Nosed Butterflies won't mess with corals at all... but feather dusters are most assuredly fair game.


Read read read and take in as many as opinions as possible. Nothing in this hobby is a sure thing unfortunately lol. After all... I myself had a powder blue tang that ate brain corals haha.

 

[cadre]

Eating is a good sign. Which tank is it in and does it have plenty of hiding places? What other fish are in the tank and are they bothering the cbb or are they boisterous?

It sounds like it isn't comfortable yet, but it is good that the fish is eating. Make sure it has a place to hide, turn the lights off for a while, and make sure it isn't being bothered by other fish. It should come around if it continues to eat.

Thanks for the response. It's in my large reef tank (large for me at least, over 85 gallons). I only have two other fish in the tank currently, a baby kole tang and a chromis. I haven't seen any aggression so I think it's just being nervous. I moved things around to allow for some larger hiding spots so hopefully that will help. Now that the lights are off he seems to be moving around the tank a little more. I may try to feed him a bit since the other two fish are asleep.

 

[A_Z]

Pyramid is really your only safe bet. My declivis and long nose will completely destroy any feather dusters present in short order.

Xenia and Leathers should be safe, hardly anything messes with those. (Must not taste very good haha) Zoas seem to be very hit or miss on the menu as well.

Long Nosed Butterflies won't mess with corals at all... but feather dusters are most assuredly fair game.


Read read read and take in as many as opinions as possible. Nothing in this hobby is a sure thing unfortunately lol. After all... I myself had a powder blue tang that ate brain corals haha.

thanks I don't want to give up feather dusters they are so cool but I love my butterfly's they make it feel more reefy

should I look for pyramid butterfly's caught in Hawaii, are those usually pretty hardy?

 

[fusica]

Please tell me what butterfly will eat aiptasia, and leave my yuma mushroom and duncan alone, i had 2 CBB this year but so hard to keep em alive over 4 months. One around 3inch, actually eat all the aiptasia till they gone, then died because of keep losing weight, it can eat frozen mysis but only eat around 6 mysis at a time, seems like its stomach really small and can only eat 6 every 30 minutes, and i dont have time to feed it 10 times a day. The other one was 2 inch, that one just fail wont eat aiptasia and will only eat blood worm a bit at a time, and it keep loosing weight and died in 1 month. CBB is so hard to take care it have to be fed like 10 times a day i think, such a small stomach to store food.

 

[LemonLemon]

longnose and copperband buterflies would surely decimate your feather worm population!

 

[wdt2000]

Does anyone have any experience with Black Back Butterfly in a reef? I was considering trying one to control anthelia, any idea if they would eat SPS?

 

[Amoore311]

should I look for pyramid butterfly's caught in Hawaii, are those usually pretty hardy?

From what I have seen this species in general is fairly hardy. Pyramids do fine in groups and pairs also, as long as the tank space allows for it.

Please tell me what butterfly will eat aiptasia, and leave my yuma mushroom and duncan alone, i had 2 CBB this year but so hard to keep em alive over 4 months.

Impossible to suggest to be honest. Fleshy LPS like duncans are hit or miss at best with most butterflies.....Ooo if you are willing to spend a bit more $$ the Marginalis Butterfly is known to be a much better choice in terms of survivability than your standard copperband. You will need to swallow the $100+ price tag though.

Keep in mind there is no fish that will flat out 100% definitely eat aiptasia. And no fish the will 100% definitely leave your corals alone. The best you can do is go with your best option... which I would say is the Marginalis at this time.

 

[Dr Colliebreath]

Thanks for the response. It's in my large reef tank (large for me at least, over 85 gallons). I only have two other fish in the tank currently, a baby kole tang and a chromis. I haven't seen any aggression so I think it's just being nervous. I moved things around to allow for some larger hiding spots so hopefully that will help. Now that the lights are off he seems to be moving around the tank a little more. I may try to feed him a bit since the other two fish are asleep.

There is a 22 page thread on copperband butterflies in this forum on page 5 or 6 here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1492696

There is a lot of good info there. Yours might like blackworms.

By the way, I just received a cbb today and it is in a quarantine tank but acting a lot like yours - cautiously moving around and staying near shelter.

 

[SDguy]

Does anyone have any experience with Black Back Butterfly in a reef? I was considering trying one to control anthelia, any idea if they would eat SPS?

Bad choice, they really like eating polyps of all kinds....soft and hard corals alike.

 

[wdt2000]

Bad choice, they really like eating polyps of all kinds....soft and hard corals alike.

Any butterfly that would prefer soft coral and possibly not destroy the SPS? I think I could take a fair amount of nipping/eating with no problems, just don't want to wreck the tank.

 

[Perched Urchin]

Lemon and Peter,
Thanks for continuing this thread. I have been following for months now.
I can't recall if either of you have posted a list of the corals you have in your tanks along with the BF's. Obviously in your tank shots we can see most, but I would really like to know the types you have and if there are any that just had to go (or the BF's decimated them). I think Lemon has clams as well, right?
Not looking for an omnibus list, just a high level of the types of SPS, LPS, polyps, softies/leathers. Your pictures seem to show a very wide variety.
Thanks!

 

[A_Z]

would a longnose even eat a pretty large hawaiian feather duster?

 

[Paul B]

would a longnose even eat a pretty large hawaiian feather duster?

It may not eat the entire thing all at once, but I bet it will pull off "feathers" every once in a while. Anything that is in the worm family is fair game. I have always kept long nose and copper bands and I always feed them live blackworms along with mysis and clams. In the sea all I see them eat is worms.

I have never had a problem with them nipping corals.
Bora Bora