Copper Band Butterfly coming from Live Aquaria Tuesday!

D

DanEnglish

New member
I have always liked these fish, I just ordered a 3-4" specimen from live aquaria sourced from indonesia. It will be going into a 92g corner reef (well established) with 2 talbots damsels, a baby vlamingi tang, a fire fish , six line wrasse and a figure 8 puffer (the brackish kind) as well as numerous crabs, urchins and a coral banded shrimp. I have two other tanks so any problems with incompatible tank mates can be rectified easily.

My first question is what should I feed it upon arrival?

Dan
 
There is a thread that discusses what to feed the CBB. I believe the consensus is live black worms. It can't resist them.
 
That does seem to be the opinion. I currently feed PE and Hikari mysis and NLS pellets. Will they eat any of these in addition?
 
Mine went from eating whatever he could find in the rocks, to picking frozen food that settled in the rocks, to eating frozen in the water column. Now he eats frozen (mysis, brine, Rods food (green) as well as Formula 2 pellets (small of course). I am sorry to say, he also enjoys Zoa's.

He does still spend much of his day picking at the rocks though. A fun fish with great personality (more so than the Zoa's anyway).

Michael
 
My Cbb did not eat for the first 3 days. Then clams did the trick. Now it eats mysis and any frozen mix. Also devours black worms.
 
Mine exhibited similar behavior to McLoki's. He picked through the rocks eating copepods and aptasia (yeah on that). He wasn't as interested in live blackworms as he was frozen mysis and brine shrimp.

I just kept making sure there was a good mix of food available until he was eating regularly.

One note too, and I know this has been stated before. My experience has been that these guys and methodical and deliberate feeders. I continue to need to be vigilant about making sure he's eating as my Midas Blenny and Potter's Wrasse are the most active eaters. I have seen the Copperband "thinking" about a shrimp as it floats near him, only to have the Blenny zoom over and "steal" it from him. I had to make sure I was getting frozen food in front of him where he had a chance to eat it doing it his way. To that point, geting a couple in a rock crevasse or the like will help.

Good luck, they are beautiful and fascinating members of the community.
 
Live blackworms, mysis and spirulina-enhanced brine shrimp, plus meaty seafoods (homemade mix).

As noted in the above comments, these are deliberate feeders that benefit greatly from a separate quarantine tank as they learn to eat aquarium fare. It sounds like you are putting yours right into a DT where it will have to compete for food. I suggest you quarantine it separately for 4-8 weeks to have your best shot at keeping it.
 
The problem with the QT is that there aren't pods, etc, which I was hoping he would be able to sustain himself on while he learned about the new food.

Just got off the phone with LA actually and they said he is already eating mysis and spirulina brine!
 
Well thats good to know DanEnglish, at least you know what that CBB will be used to. Keep us updated once you get him. Im looking to buy one on LA myself
 
I have had my CBB for a month. Mine was eating Mysis at the LFS before purchase. Mine now eats live blackworms daily, frozen mysis, frozen marine cuizine, and frozen Rods food. I put mine in the display tank right away and did not quarantine.

Within a couple of days my CBB learned the turkey baster was a source of food. I no longer have to broadcast feed the tank. I suck up some live blackworms in the turkey baster and hold it under the water. The CBB sticks his long snout into the end of the turkey baster and eats his fill of black worms without competition from the other fish. I really enjoy the special feedings. My CBB seems pretty settled in and eagerly competes with the other more aggressive fish for the frozen food I add. My CBB doesn't give pellets or flake a second look.

Good luck with yours and keep us posted when he arrives. Great fish !

Joe
 
Hey Dan, what is the origin of the one you ordered? I know the Australian ones can be quite expensive. And does any one know which origin is best, or what the difference is?
 
Magician8642 said:
Hey Dan, what is the origin of the one you ordered? I know the Australian ones can be quite expensive. And does any one know which origin is best, or what the difference is?
Click to expand...

In the OP's 1st post he said his is sourced from Indonesia. Most say Australian CBB are hardier due to better collection methods and handling. Australian CBB's also cost more. Australian CBB's also look a bit different and I prefer the Indo's appearance myself. There is a history of cyanide capture with Indo's. If you can get one that is not cyanide caught and eating before purchase, Indo's can settle in and be just as hardy as the Australian CBB's IMO.

So far so good a month in with my Indo. He eats like a pig.

Joe
 
Well Fedex messed up and it looks like my CBB will be spending the night in a shipping container at Newark Airport in NJ where it will be 35 degrees tonight. I hope they put in a lot of heat packs and oxygen. It left california yesterday at 2pm!
 
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