CBB how big of a risk?
- Thread starter RealReef7
- Start date
CBBs will eat feather dusters and similar. They may also kill or damage your clam. If they are hungry and are at home in your tank, they may taste-test other things, especially xenia. They gobble up aiptasia once they are at home in your tank.
I asked the LFS owner to show me that his CBBs for sale would eat. He fed mysis and I saw one of his CBB eat a couple. So I took that one home. Once in my tank, it would not eat mysis however, no matter what variety. I observed that all or nearly all the other CBBs in the LFS starved to death, and the LFS didn't stock any more after that.
Once in my tank, the CBB took out the couple feather dusters I had within a few days, but then wouldn't eat anything else, until I started buying live clams from the gourmet store that are intended for human consumption. These clams are stored in my refugium until I need them. I cut the muscle and pry one open every other day and drop it in the tank. The CBB has to share with an aggressive sailfin tang, and occasionally will take a chunk out of that guys fin (it heals within 4 days). So I spend about $7 per month to feed the silly CBB.
Not at first, but after a while, the CBB started on the aiptasia and made very quick work of it. Although my refugium is full of aiptasia, anything migrating to the main tank doesn't survive long.
The CBB is constantly searching the rocks for aiptasia and also pods I think.
Once or twice, the CBB has eaten mysis I put in. I have tried grinding and freezing mysis into a half clam shell, to fool him and teach him, but it thaws and slips out almost immediately.
If you notice unexplained flesh wounds on LPS, or your xenia is getting trimmed and you don't care for that, then increase the frequency of clam feeding. This might be taste-testing due to hunger. It would be a good time to change your setup, move your rocks around, and move that LPS to the refugium for a while, or to the other side of the tank along with the xenia.
Disclosure: 1 yr in hobby, 9 mos experience buying clams for a silly CBB
I asked the LFS owner to show me that his CBBs for sale would eat. He fed mysis and I saw one of his CBB eat a couple. So I took that one home. Once in my tank, it would not eat mysis however, no matter what variety. I observed that all or nearly all the other CBBs in the LFS starved to death, and the LFS didn't stock any more after that.
Once in my tank, the CBB took out the couple feather dusters I had within a few days, but then wouldn't eat anything else, until I started buying live clams from the gourmet store that are intended for human consumption. These clams are stored in my refugium until I need them. I cut the muscle and pry one open every other day and drop it in the tank. The CBB has to share with an aggressive sailfin tang, and occasionally will take a chunk out of that guys fin (it heals within 4 days). So I spend about $7 per month to feed the silly CBB.
Not at first, but after a while, the CBB started on the aiptasia and made very quick work of it. Although my refugium is full of aiptasia, anything migrating to the main tank doesn't survive long.
The CBB is constantly searching the rocks for aiptasia and also pods I think.
Once or twice, the CBB has eaten mysis I put in. I have tried grinding and freezing mysis into a half clam shell, to fool him and teach him, but it thaws and slips out almost immediately.
If you notice unexplained flesh wounds on LPS, or your xenia is getting trimmed and you don't care for that, then increase the frequency of clam feeding. This might be taste-testing due to hunger. It would be a good time to change your setup, move your rocks around, and move that LPS to the refugium for a while, or to the other side of the tank along with the xenia.
Disclosure: 1 yr in hobby, 9 mos experience buying clams for a silly CBB
cakemanPA
New member
My CBB has been a model citizen. He cleaned out all of the aiptasia in my display. He eats freeze dried plankton, blood worms, black worms, misis, and brine. He has recently started taste testing the flake that I put in the tank. He has not tried tasting my clams or my corals. He did wipe out all of the small feather dusters in my display. I keep a pretty close eye on mine to make sure he is not eating anything that he is not supposed to be eating (that being anything that I don't want him eating)
mine has been as good as gold, but there is only one place I would buy them from here in the uk as he makes sure he gets them from a good supplyer who treats them very well.
MIne was eating in the shop but when I got him home he wouldn't eat anything apart from fanworms and other stuff in the rock. After two weeks he started eating PE-mysis and now he eats any frozen but still wont eat flake. I have had it for almost a year i think.
Never touched any corals though and i dont have clams.
MIne was eating in the shop but when I got him home he wouldn't eat anything apart from fanworms and other stuff in the rock. After two weeks he started eating PE-mysis and now he eats any frozen but still wont eat flake. I have had it for almost a year i think.
Never touched any corals though and i dont have clams.
Live blackworm is the best for CBB. That is the only thing my CBB will fight for. He will out compete PT, Naso and 7 inch hippo for that black worms. I feed him in a small pippett and he will eat it right out of the pippett. Oh also feed him multiple times a day. I went abroad for a month in Nov and my wife was not feeding him as much as I use to and he died. I still can't get over him, he use to eat out of my hand.
I second this. I am quite the novice-picking up the hobby from this go around in the new tank-but the above is the impression I was left with from our first CBB. We had a really fabulous CBB that did eat well and ate every aptasia but hubby was convinced it was the culprit for taking out his acans (the jury is still out for me and I was very sad to see the CBB shipped out). I really am pulling for another one as it is one of my favorite reef fish, however I am not going to put another one in our tank without serious consideration as I want it to survive/stay as a "good citizen."
Blitzburggirl
Member
I have had mine for about 9 months. I qt'd him in a 12 gallon tank that has been running for years. He eats mysis, Rods, and he'll eat shrimp/scallop combo I make from the grocery store. He also eats black worms, but I'm not sold on feeding a marine fish, a fresh water food (I know... mysis, ok, I conceed.) Anyway, mine is a great fish, healthy IMO, and only snacks on some corals. I have no clams, no xenia, but he likes certain flavors of zoos (yellow specifically, and some pinks, but not all...) and I had to pull my acans from my display and now they are in the 12.
He zoomed though a moderatly aptasia infested tank in a matter of days, and I've had none at all.
He zoomed though a moderatly aptasia infested tank in a matter of days, and I've had none at all.
namxas
Things With Stings R Us!
I kept one a few years in a softy/LPS setup that included clams. It was a model citizen (with the exception of robbing the Tubastrea of food). It never touched appies with the exception of a few initial nibbles, but ate all sorts of prepared foods.
My fish was from Australia, and the fish from Oz tend to leave appies alone, but eat other foods well, whereas fish from the IO tend to eat appies and are hard to wean onto other foods.
Live blackworms were a real treat for that fish, but be careful and feed small amounts at a time as they die quickly in SW.
My fish was from Australia, and the fish from Oz tend to leave appies alone, but eat other foods well, whereas fish from the IO tend to eat appies and are hard to wean onto other foods.
Live blackworms were a real treat for that fish, but be careful and feed small amounts at a time as they die quickly in SW.
aquaph8
Love The Fish
Where I feel QT is a good idea with any fish, Tangs and Butterflies are about the last two fish I would gamble with.
Funny, because my feeling is that CB's in particular are one of the species that benefit most from quarantine. This is because most come in either not eating at all or just picking. Consequently, they're thin and weak...just what you DON'T want to introduce into a reeftank full of fat, healthy and established fish. I understand that your CB is already eating but you can't go wrong in giving it a few weeks in QT to rebuild it's strength and fat reserves. That way, even if your DT's 'welcoming committee' (we all have one) harasses it for awhile, it's chances of survival are increased much more.
RBU1
Moving on Up
So you would rather gamble by placing a disease in your tank that could wipe out your entire fish population?
aquaph8
Love The Fish
I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I was saying if I were to gamble, that tang's and butterflies would not be the fish I would gamble with. But yes I agree it is best to quarantine all fish. So for the record, I was saying yes quarantine the copperband.
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