Can I house two Copperband Butterflyfish in same tank??

[sensei]

Thanks

 

[snorvich]

On a 470 gallon tank (that is mature), it should work.

 

[ThRoewer]

I kept a pair in a 750 liter tank and it worked fine.

I'm pretty sure that they are capable of sex change, though when I put that pair together I sexed them.
After looking at a few hundred of them I found that there is a slight difference in the snout angle and "forehead" profile between male and female.

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[sensei]

On a 470 gallon tank (that is mature), it should work.

Steve,
by mature you mean how old? why do you need a mature system?
my 470g is 6 months old now and BB.

I have 18 fish in dt now:
8 tangs: 3 yellow tangs, 1 purple tang, 1sailfing tang, 1 Naso tang, 1 kole eye, 1 powder blue tang
2 dwarf angels: potters and flame dwarf
7 fairy wrasses
1 clownfish

I plan to add 2 magnificent foxface, 1 pepermint candy cane hogfish and the 2 Copperbands if you do not see any incompatibility with the fish I have

Thanks for your answer

 

[sensei]

I kept a pair in a 750 liter tank and it worked fine.

I'm pretty sure that they are capable of sex change, though when I put that pair together I sexed them.
After looking at a few hundred of them I found that there is a slight difference in the snout angle and "forehead" profile between male and female.

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Thanks
I am a little unsure on how to recognize their sex. can you explain a little more?

Thanks again

 

[btb72]

We bought two so one would live... since they are iffy on captivity survival rates

 

[suta4242]

You have a huge tank so it will probably work.

Sometimes WC juvenile pairs are collected as such from the northern GBR. As juveniles the fish are often same sex, and when you try to keep them in a tank they fight. Large M/ F pairs are different, but not many people have a tank big enough to take them, you probably do.

That aside there needs to be enough foraging food too, otherwise it's quite possible that they too will argue.

HTH and GL!

:wave:

 

[snorvich]

Since they eat copepods, mature is desirable for feeding reasons. Some will eat supplied foods, some are more picky.

 

[ThRoewer]

Thanks
I am a little unsure on how to recognize their sex. can you explain a little more?

Thanks again

It's the forehead profile. When I searched for pictures I found this:

...
i was thinking about the same thing. so i searched a lot to see if there are any external signs to tell the sexes apart. well it appears you can tell (difficult) by the way the beak and forehead are relative to the body of the fish. the males forehead is a bit steeper (more vertical) and the beak is more horizontally, the females tend to have the forehead a bit more inclined and the beak pointing down just a little. you can already see these differences at a young age. it is easier to tell when you can compare (eg in a group)
...

This is in general what I found.
If the forehead is more sloped and has a smooth and continuous profile it's a female. Females' beaks may also seem to be rather angled down.
If the forehead is rather steep going up and the profile has rather steps or bends it's a male. Males also seem to have the beak rather horizontal or slightly angled up
It's best to compare a good number to pick a pair. When in doubt go by the rather by the forehead profile than the beak angle.


I would say the one to the left is the male and the one to the right is the female.

The male also seems to be a little more "stretched".

My vote on this picture: top male, bottom female

Front: male, back: female

Male

Female

 

[Achilles Torben]

Is this a pair? Can't see a different

Grüße Torben

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[ThRoewer]

What's their size? They may not yet be mature. From the picture I would think that the one in the front is (or is going to be) the male.

After looking at a lot of pictures I found that seemingly mature males will develop a little bump on their forehead. In the topmost picture you can see it best. The Alamy picture shows it as well, it's just a bit obscured by the second "a" of the "alamy" name across the male's head.

 

[Achilles Torben]

Their really big. Never seen so big Chelmon

Grüße Torben

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[DamonG]

Is this a pair? Can't see a different

Grüße Torben

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If your considering them, I would snatch them up! I'd for no other reason, those aren't copperbands! Those are the hardier and rarer in the market species.. I can't remember their name, but I know, because I wanted one, and my local fish guy couldn't get them(seasonal).. From everything I read and remember reading, if you have a chance, you want to grab these!



From note 5.. rip note 7

 

[sensei]

Roewer,
how do you know if they are mature with sex defined? What size would they be?
I have two in quarentine now. each copperband is alone in a 15g TTM. They are both eating. one is 2" long and the other is 3" long.
here are the pictures of each.
please tell me if you can see their sex





Thanks

 

[ThRoewer]

Do you have them together in the same QT? In that case I would assume that they either are or later become a pair.

BTW, the two Torben has are C. marginalis. I think they primarily come from Australia and the Coral Sea.

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[sensei]

Do you have them together in the same QT? In that case I would assume that they either are or later become a pair.

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NO, I have them in different Quarentine tanks and each one is alone with no other fish during TTM because I wanted to minimize stress so that they start eating and both are eating so that is good.
please tell me what you think

 

[Achilles Torben]

If your considering them, I would snatch them up! I'd for no other reason, those aren't copperbands! Those are the hardier and rarer in the market species.. I can't remember their name, but I know, because I wanted one, and my local fish guy couldn't get them(seasonal).. From everything I read and remember reading, if you have a chance, you want to grab these!



From note 5.. rip note 7

Hi,
Yes these fish are Chelmon marginales. I need 3 fish to build a pair. First I introduce the smaller one in DT. After a few weeks I introduce the bigger one. The smaller one attacked the bigger one about a week. After that swimming together. Introducing together doesn't work. Bigger one killed smaller one. Marginales have not such a big problem for pick up frozen food like Chelmon rostratum. So marginales is much more easier to introduce in tank

Grüße Torben

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[suta4242]

Just some background information:

The margined butterfly is a west Australian fish caught in WA through to the Northern Territory. Then the copperbands take their place, collected all the way down the Queensland coast on the GBR. The two species don't really interlap.

Fwiw, Australian copper bands are just as hardy as Maginalis. Some local collectors sell them already feeding on pellets at time of shipping.

:wavehand:

 

[ThRoewer]

NO, I have them in different Quarentine tanks and each one is alone with no other fish during TTM because I wanted to minimize stress so that they start eating and both are eating so that is good.
please tell me what you think

To me they look like they could be male and female. After quarantine I would give it a try and put them together by adding the larger to the smaller ones tank.

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[Achilles Torben]

That way works by mine pair in past. Smaller one attacked bigger one few days. Later swim together

Grüße Torben

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