Copperband butterflies, tank bred now??

[jscarlata]

I need to increase my fish population and I wanted to get a few things, one being a copperband. I notice that they are now very common in the lfs market, i see them in all the stores in various sizes and I'm curious if these fish are now coming out of the major fish farms and are tank raised, or are we just seeing an abundance of wild caught fish in the marketplace?

 

[MrTuskfish]

I don't think any SW butterfly fish has been bred in captivity. They are common in the wild, have a huge range, easy to catch on the reef , and difficult to keep. So, sure, every dealer will have them. http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2013...ptive-bred-marine-fish-species-list-for-2013/ Note that this list includes only fish that have been successfully bred and the young have been raised. A big majority of this list are fish that are not available to hobbyists.

 

[Ambition]

There aren't any species of butterflyfish that have been captive bred. Only a couple of species have spawned in captivity.

 

[DopeCantWin]

I don't think any SW butterfly fish has been bred in captivity. They are common in the wild, have a huge range, easy to catch on the reef , and difficult to keep. So, sure, every dealer will have them. http://www.reef2rainforest.com/2013...ptive-bred-marine-fish-species-list-for-2013/ Note that this list includes only fish that have been successfully bred and the young have been raised. A big majority of this list are fish that are not available to hobbyists.

Great list. I like how sharks are on the list, but tangs aren't.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Great list. I like how sharks are on the list, but tangs aren't.

Tangs probably never will be either; look up their strange spawning behavior..

 

[pinnatus]

I would guess sharks are easy peezy. They either lay egg cases or live-bear their young, either way they come out as basically fully formed miniature sharks. Tricky part would be getting them to mate.

 

[Kattes]

I would guess sharks are easy peezy. They either lay egg cases or live-bear their young, either way they come out as basically fully formed miniature sharks. Tricky part would be getting them to mate.

Even trickier is trying to get them not to mate. Many of the smaller bottom dwelling sharks will breed quite readily. Epaulettes are probably the horniest sw fish I've ever encountered.

 

[jscarlata]

Thanks guys!

 

[petergriffin]

Tangs probably never will be either; look up their strange spawning behavior..

Captain crash in aus has successfully got his regal blue tangs to spawn regularly but has trouble raising the fry but not too long now!!

 

[SantaMonica]

Darn... hoping for some improvements in cbf care.

 

[MrTuskfish]

Darn... hoping for some improvements in cbf care.

IMO & IME: A few things that improve the odds. Avoid CBBs from The Phillipiines, Indonesia, or just "Indo-Pacific. Australian fish are your best bet. These fish do not travel well and Australian collectors handle their fish very well. Solomon Island, and a few other places are good as well. CBBs should have plenty of room and hiding places in the QT. They should be eating several foods before going to the DT. If your DT has aggressive fish, skip the CBB. They seldom do well with bullies or even just a lot of mayhem. They simply need a quieter tank.

 

[DopeCantWin]

IMO & IME: A few things that improve the odds. Avoid CBBs from The Phillipiines, Indonesia, or just "Indo-Pacific. Australian fish are your best bet. These fish do not travel well and Australian collectors handle their fish very well. Solomon Island, and a few other places are good as well. CBBs should have plenty of room and hiding places in the QT. They should be eating several foods before going to the DT. If your DT has aggressive fish, skip the CBB. They seldom do well with bullies or even just a lot of mayhem. They simply need a quieter tank.

They've gotten them to spawn, just can't raise the young, even segregated. Who was that guy with the 3 Blue Tangs in his 175ish that did it?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

have they even been able to SEX Chelmon rostratus?

if so, what do you look for?

 

[Ambition]

As far as I know here is no way to sex most butterflyfish, and C. rostratus is on that list. Also, I'm not aware of anyone being able to get a pair of these to spawn. I'll have to go through my searches on spawning butterflyfish, but there have only been three species that have spawned from my knowledge. At least in of the species was in a 48" deep tank in Asia (I think Japan). The larvae were not raised.