Copperband Butterfly dying- need advice!

[dkritz]

I bought a Copperband Butterfly from reputable LFS one month ago, along with a mandarin. Both have been doing fantastically. The copperband has been energetic and eating with gusto - my favorite fish.

Two days ago I noticed that he was hiding in the back a bit more than usual, but as soon as he saw me he would come out to beg for food and then eat well.

He has visited the cleaner shrimp, who I yesterday was cleaning his gills.

Today he is discolored (greyish in the upper back corner) and lying against a rock, looking like he will not last the day.

I have no idea what happened. My other fish in my 125g FOWLR are:

coris wrasse (never goes near any other fish, always keeps to himself)
3 yellowtail blue damsels (aggressive when any fish comes too close)
mandarin
oscillaris clown (had him for 9 years)
cleaner shrimp

They are all doing fine, no changes.

Anybody have any ideas on what might have happened?

 

[ejanastacio]

Test your water quality

 

[Recty]

CBB are known for just up and dying for no real reasons. Most people cant keep them alive past a couple months. Possibly there is something missing in our captive diets that they need and just arent getting.

You can check your water params as suggested above but I'd bet you're falling victim to the mysterious death a lot of CBB owners deal with.

 

[fish042099]

What are your parameters?

 

[djkms]

I just euthanized mine today, pretty much the same thing. I bought it about 3 months ago. In QT it did great, fed on blackworms and mysis. After 6 weeks it went into my display and ate Rods and PE Mysis with gusto, even tasted pellets here and there. 2 days ago it dissapeared into the rocks. Today I found it in the same place and my fire shrimp picking at it. I grabbed him from the same spot and it was grey in the white areas of its scales and it could not swim. It was his time

 

[MrTuskfish]

CBB are known for just up and dying for no real reasons. Most people cant keep them alive past a couple months. Possibly there is something missing in our captive diets that they need and just arent getting.

You can check your water params as suggested above but I'd bet you're falling victim to the mysterious death a lot of CBB owners deal with.

Yeah, this happens a lot with CBBs and I think it may have a lot to do with the origin of the fish. Also; CBBs don't like aggression at all and even the constant nipping of the damsels could be enough to really stress them. IMO, most damsels don't belong with any fish that won't eat them. As long as you have them; they, not you, will determine their tankmates.

 

[namxas]

Agreed, Tusky...IME, the Aussie fish are much more likely to thrive on prepared foods than their IO cousins. The kicker is the Aussie fish won't eat appies, so it's a trade-off. I had a big, pretty Aussie specimen for a good 8 years back in my reefing days.

IMO, most damsels don't belong with any fish that won't eat them.

Funny how we tend to agree on such things...

 

[dkritz]

By the way, my nitrates had shot up to a whopping 160 ppm. I guess this happened when I purchased a juvenile Emperor Angel who would not eat. In my attempts to get him to eat all kinds of different foods, I guess I dumped too much food into the tank.

The angel dies after a week, and then the CBB had its sudden death over a week later.

I have since done a water change and held down on feedings, and my nitrates are back down to 0 - 5 ppm.

Have any of you had long term success with a CBB?

 

[MrTuskfish]

By the way, my nitrates had shot up to a whopping 160 ppm. I guess this happened when I purchased a juvenile Emperor Angel who would not eat. In my attempts to get him to eat all kinds of different foods, I guess I dumped too much food into the tank.

The angel dies after a week, and then the CBB had its sudden death over a week later.

I have since done a water change and held down on feedings, and my nitrates are back down to 0 - 5 ppm.

Have any of you had long term success with a CBB?

My Australian CBB has been with me for almost 6 years. Prior to Katrina moving me north, I had one for about 8 years and it was thriving. I can't remember the origin of that fish; lost all my diaries. I wouldn't buy on now unless I knew its origin; especially if it was just labeled "Indo-Pacific". You don't hear this much; but i'm convinced that another factor in long term success with CBBs is a quiet tank. They don't like any aggression at all.
BTW, if your nitrates dropped that fast, I'd expect a faulty test kit.

 

[SDguy]

You don't hear this much; but I'm convinced that another factor in long term success with CBBs is a quiet tank. They don't like any aggression at all.

I'd have to agree whole heartedly with this, if what I've been going through with my marginalis is any indication of how copperbands are...

 

[dkritz]

I have purchased a second Nitrate test kit, this time from SeaChem. I am anxious to see what it tells me...

 

[JerseyClowns]

Copperbands have always been tough for me. It took me three tries to get one past 6 months and then I lost him to a suicide (jumped out of the tank).

I will say this about them, the last one I had completely rid my tank of ALL aptasia. I've not had one in my DT for over a year now.

 

[dkritz]

Based on advice in this thread, I plan to get rid of my 2 damsels and go for a friendlier tank.

 

[lemmy_k]

My first CBB lived for 5 or 6 years, and was a fun one to watch. After he died I tried 3 more times to keep one with no luck. I stay away from them now.

 

[hotrodolds]

I'm at 7 months now so definitely far from true success but fwiw my tank is pretty peaceful. 2 Occ clowns neither bug the CBB but do give the other fish hell, 2 Chromis, 6 Line Wrasse, and a Tomini Tang. The Tomini and CBB seem to graze the rock together a lot of the time.

Mysis and black worms are the diet.

 

[fish042099]

Sometimes cbb die for no good reason. The are alive and healthy for 6 months, then they die. Go with a raccoon butterfly next time- they're hardy and IMO better looking.