Copperband Butterfly Primer
- Thread starter BrianD
- Start date
Laddy
New member
Copperband Update
Well it's been a few months since I posted regarding the CBB I added to my 65g. He's doing well at the moment, and has really only concerned me twice. Once when he really didn't know that the right side of the tank with the frogspawn is controlled by two ocellaris and he kept getting chased and picked on, and once when we had a short power outage and the tank's temp swung down to 74 degrees--he wasn't "right" fora few days afterwards.
As you can see, there's lots to do in a day........
A few notes on feeding:
(1) Its absolutely essential getting these guys to eat before letting them out of QT. I feel the mortality rate of these fish could be cut in half, if proper QT is done.
(2) CBBs are pickers, and not naturally water-column feeders, so if you have competition in the tank its best to spot feed the other fish first, and then target the CBB.
(3) They are passive eaters, getting bullied and pushed aside in the frenzy of feeding the tank (which for me is minimal, two ocellaris and an orchid dottyback).
(4) They are inefficient eaters, too, when fed mysis, or krill. They will suck in individual mysis, spitting out the top portion, and really only consuming the tail section.
(5) BLACK WORMS, BLACK WORMS, BLACK WORMS.
(6) Feed often (see #4)......so often in fact it will probably push the biological/mechanical limits of most tanks. I feed 2-3 times a day during the week, and 4-6 times a day on the weekend (in small amounts of course). Within two weeks of getting this guy to be a model citizen in my tank, I started having a terrible outbreak in hair algae......I started skimming wetter than normal, raised the magnesium slightly, and started doing water changes weekly (no phos reactor yet, however, I'm thinking).
(7) Selcon. Soak everything, and allow it to penetrate.
Well it's been a few months since I posted regarding the CBB I added to my 65g. He's doing well at the moment, and has really only concerned me twice. Once when he really didn't know that the right side of the tank with the frogspawn is controlled by two ocellaris and he kept getting chased and picked on, and once when we had a short power outage and the tank's temp swung down to 74 degrees--he wasn't "right" fora few days afterwards.
As you can see, there's lots to do in a day........
A few notes on feeding:
(1) Its absolutely essential getting these guys to eat before letting them out of QT. I feel the mortality rate of these fish could be cut in half, if proper QT is done.
(2) CBBs are pickers, and not naturally water-column feeders, so if you have competition in the tank its best to spot feed the other fish first, and then target the CBB.
(3) They are passive eaters, getting bullied and pushed aside in the frenzy of feeding the tank (which for me is minimal, two ocellaris and an orchid dottyback).
(4) They are inefficient eaters, too, when fed mysis, or krill. They will suck in individual mysis, spitting out the top portion, and really only consuming the tail section.
(5) BLACK WORMS, BLACK WORMS, BLACK WORMS.
(6) Feed often (see #4)......so often in fact it will probably push the biological/mechanical limits of most tanks. I feed 2-3 times a day during the week, and 4-6 times a day on the weekend (in small amounts of course). Within two weeks of getting this guy to be a model citizen in my tank, I started having a terrible outbreak in hair algae......I started skimming wetter than normal, raised the magnesium slightly, and started doing water changes weekly (no phos reactor yet, however, I'm thinking).
(7) Selcon. Soak everything, and allow it to penetrate.
I would like to ask about the likelyhood that CBB's will eat some other kind of live marine food. Is there some kind of rock or sand worm that a person could raise and that could survive in the aquarium with the CBB that would allow the CBB to feed whenever it was hungry?
I don't want to put in bristleworms. Not sure about Mama Mia worms (spaghetti worm). Need something like a marine earthworm.
I don't want to put in bristleworms. Not sure about Mama Mia worms (spaghetti worm). Need something like a marine earthworm.
Paul B
Premium Member
There are sand worms which are sold as bait, they love the babies of these but the worms get over a foot long and may eat your copperband. I don't know of any marine worm that is available that will re produce in your tank and are not bristleworms. Blackworms ate the only available worms I know of which are readily available.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
'readily available' is key to Paul's reply. Furthermore- identifying the prey item(s) so you can somehow locate them and purchase them (in this case as hitch-hikers) might be a hurdle. Obviously, larger aquariums would be necessary to provide enough habitat for these critters.
however, (similar to Mandarinfish), this species picks at microfauna in the sandbed and rockwork consuming small polychaetes and ophioroids that have (naturally) reproducing populations in (well long established) systems. Aiptasia may (or may not) be taken as well.
the short answer is: YES.
however, (similar to Mandarinfish), this species picks at microfauna in the sandbed and rockwork consuming small polychaetes and ophioroids that have (naturally) reproducing populations in (well long established) systems. Aiptasia may (or may not) be taken as well.
Doni
New member
"Cupid"
"Cupid"
I acquired "Cupid" my CBB on Valentines day of 2007. A local reefer was giving him away because a tang was picking on it. He was thin and beat up when I got it but quickly learned to eat my homemade mush and has grown a lot.
I had to remove my ornamental clam and blasto colony because he was picking on them. He also picks on snails if their antennae are sticking out.
This fish has a lot of personality and greets me whenever I approach the tank. He also twitches at me when he is hungry and wants to be fed... I guess you could say he has me trained. LOL
Here is a photo taken of him when I first got him Feb, 2007.
Small and thin..
Here is a video I took May 2009 of him eating homemade mush. I feed him at least twice a day all he will eat. His tummy will actually bulge when he is full.
He will also eat homemade mush from a feeding clip.
"Cupid"
I acquired "Cupid" my CBB on Valentines day of 2007. A local reefer was giving him away because a tang was picking on it. He was thin and beat up when I got it but quickly learned to eat my homemade mush and has grown a lot.
I had to remove my ornamental clam and blasto colony because he was picking on them. He also picks on snails if their antennae are sticking out.
This fish has a lot of personality and greets me whenever I approach the tank. He also twitches at me when he is hungry and wants to be fed... I guess you could say he has me trained. LOL
Here is a photo taken of him when I first got him Feb, 2007.
Small and thin..
Here is a video I took May 2009 of him eating homemade mush. I feed him at least twice a day all he will eat. His tummy will actually bulge when he is full.
He will also eat homemade mush from a feeding clip.
Aqua Keepers
New member
homemade mush details?
Doni
New member
Here is a very detailed method that I took the time to post about a while ago....
The recipe is never exactly the same... I will change a few ingredients each time just for the sake of variety.
Although in the recipe below I did not have any, I do usually use at least 6-10 fresh clams.
I had to make more fish/coral/anemone food today and decided to take pics along the way for others to see how it can be done.
INGREDIENTS I used:
1/2 lb Shrimp $2.69
1 salmon steak $2.80
4 large scallops $2.86
1 med piece sahimi tuna $2.09
1/2 cup Omega One Super Veggie flake food
2 sheets of nori
15 'cubes' of Rotifers (frozen)
1" of Cyclopeeze (frozen)
Selcon
Vita-Chem
First peel the shrimp and remove the skin from any fish.
Soak every ingredient in ro/di water for at least 5 min
Strain off the water (use a net for the flake food)
Blend the ingredients together - start with the larger/tougher ingredients first; pulse blend and don't over do it.... keep an eye on 'texture' because you want pieces of every size if possible. I usually blend mine fine to medium. Keep the texture thick but add ro/di or boiled tank water to thin if desired.
Don't forget to add the Selcon and Vita-chem! You can also add garlic too!
Once blended, spoon into ziplock bags for freezing. Make sure you keep the layer thin and write the date on each bag.
Even soak the flake food and nori!
Use a net to strain the flake food and nori pieces
All blended!! YUMMY!!
Ready to be frozen
seattleguy
New member
Thanks for posting your recipe for tank mush! I wish that I couild get one of those CCBs to eat something besides tube worms.
falconut
New member
How can you tell if a Copperand is healthy at the LFS? My LFS has about 5 and they are all around 3" - 4". I had them feed all of them live black worms and only 1 ate.
The one that ate looked good, except he appeared to be breathing a little fast. But this was right after and during his eatting. It was near closing, so I'm going to check back tomorrow. He also had a faint redish coloring near the bottom middle of his top fins. It was kind of along the edge of his body and was about 1/4". Does this signify anything?
I believe they got most of them in yesterday. Any advice in selecting a healthy one would be helpful.
The one that ate looked good, except he appeared to be breathing a little fast. But this was right after and during his eatting. It was near closing, so I'm going to check back tomorrow. He also had a faint redish coloring near the bottom middle of his top fins. It was kind of along the edge of his body and was about 1/4". Does this signify anything?
I believe they got most of them in yesterday. Any advice in selecting a healthy one would be helpful.
Okay, I will have to show my lack of fish-anatomy knowledge, but the area right below the gills and in front of the lower fins is a good place to look I think. If the fish is healthy and eating well, this area is "full" and has some width to it. If the fish is malnourished, this area gets thin. This is what I have noticed anyway. Also, make sure that the fish you buy is actually eating what you will be feeding it. In my limited experience, it has been very difficult to get a cbb to start to take new foods. I had one that lived for a number of months before he died, and I am pretty sure he starved to death after he ate all of the tube worms and aptasia. I could never get him to eat any prepared food. The one I have now has been doing great, and is growing, but I haven't been able to get him to eat any prepared food other than frozen brine shrimp, frozen blood worms, and a little frozen mysis - he ate all of these the first time they were offered. I hope he will expand his diet some day, but not so far. Good luck.
mike89t
Premium Member
I've had 2 CBBs in my tank. The first time I tried a CBB he didn't survive. When I placed him in my display tank my Chevron Tang attacked him for 2 days straight. After that he went on a hunger strike and faded away to nothing.
My second try I placed my CBB in a small cheap plastic tank that I submerged in my display tank. The Chevron would come over and try and attack the CBB. However the CBB was safe inside the small tank. After two days I released the CBB into the main tank. There was some initial aggression from my Chevron but that subsided after about a day. This CBB started eating frozen food from the water column almost immediately and is a total pig. Also the LFS said he was eating well when I purchased him.
My second try I placed my CBB in a small cheap plastic tank that I submerged in my display tank. The Chevron would come over and try and attack the CBB. However the CBB was safe inside the small tank. After two days I released the CBB into the main tank. There was some initial aggression from my Chevron but that subsided after about a day. This CBB started eating frozen food from the water column almost immediately and is a total pig. Also the LFS said he was eating well when I purchased him.
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reidcrandall
New member
Does anyone know how one can tell the sex of a CBB?
iamwhatiam52
New member
The second post in this thread says a CBB will wipe out tube anemones.
Is this correct?
I have two beautiful tube anemones in my 180 that I would not want to lose and want to verify this is true before trying a CBB.
Is this correct?
I have two beautiful tube anemones in my 180 that I would not want to lose and want to verify this is true before trying a CBB.
Aqua Keepers
New member
It will most likely eat it.
iamwhatiam52
New member
Nipping would not surprise me, but given the size and aggressive stinging of a tube anemone it is hard for me to imagine a small fish picking one to death.
This is my small one.
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This is my small one.
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Laddy
New member
If your lfs stocks black worms you're ahead of the game. In selecting this fish I would look for a few things:
Does is eat?
Does is pass the DLNR test (does not look right)?
Good coloration?
Active?
Most fish arrive malnurished and stressed, so it's never really a good thing to judge new arrivals.
jeffroberts1
New member
I have aptasia that is out of control and want to add CBB! I have a blue hippo, blue chin trigger, marron clown, and six line wrasse in a 120 gallon reef. I understand that CBB might go at my corals but I need to rid the reef of aptasia, then I'll deal with the corals health. Is this a good mix?
