Copperband Butterfly Primer

[Paul B]

Exactly like Discusone said. All fish would benefit from smaller frequent feedings, unfortunately we can't or won't feed them as many times as they like to eat in the sea.
That is one of the biggest problems with these fish.
Discusone your butterfly should live forever with that feeding regimin. I would like to eat like that myself

 

[Paul B]

I contacted "Ocean Nutrition" aquarium food company to see if they could eventually offer tiny whole fish for food, I am waiting their answer.
My closest friend and his wife (my other closest friend) are now in the Keys for 6 weeks to dive. I am going to see if he can take some slose ups of all the tiny fish on a reef that I am talking about. They are very common just under the coralheads and most reef fish feed on them. They don't go nuts like they do in a tank because they know they can just dip down anything they want for a snack. I have seen this countless times.
I also love to watch trumpetfish on a reef. They are chamoflaged so well that fish are swirling around them continousely. Every hour or so they just turn their heads to gulp a damsel.
This is the main problem with us as aquarists, we have lives and can't feed our animals as many times as they need to eat.
A fish dijestive system is not made for too much food at once unless it is a grouper type fish like a lionfish.
If there is too much food in a fish stomach, it just expels it without dijesting it and eats more.
Their stomach is about as large as their eye. In a 2" copperband butterfly that would hold about 4 or 5 brine shrimp.
Many fish like a seahorse or probably a mandarin don't even have a stomach, just a tube where numerous meals are continually passed through. A copperband (and mandarin) probably take a small piece of food a hundred times a day where it is always being processed. Discusone is doing the best thing by feeding his fish many times.
I have a feeder set up with some pellets and flakes just for this reason. It only gives a tiny bit of food but I can't be there all day. I of course also feed other things along with baby brine twice a day.
We as busy people try to make fish change into our eating schedule but unfortunately they are not built like us.
Well I am built like a grouper and eat like a moray eel but copperbands are built more like Paris Hilton.
Skinny, moody, and spoiled.

 

[Paul B]

Ocean Nutrition contacted me and said they would look into the feasibility of offering very small frozen saltwater fish as food.
I also asked them to look into frozen worms.

 

[jedheuer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14470323#post14470323 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
Ocean Nutrition contacted me and said they would look into the feasibility of offering very small frozen saltwater fish as food.
I also asked them to look into frozen worms.

Awesome! Greatly appreciated.

 

[Laddy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14470044#post14470044 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paul B
........... copperbands are built more like Paris Hilton.
Skinny, moody, and spoiled.

:lol: :lol:

 

[Paul B]

Actually I just came back from a huge Asian market to look at the selections of small fish.
They have these baby anchovys that I have been using and they are the correct size but they are dried and need soaking. These are the whole saltwater fish that I would like to see just frozen. Nothing added or taken away. It is what I suggested to Ocean Nutrition. I am calling them back with the information about the anchovies.

 

[Paul B]

Ocean Nutrition contacted me again and may come to my home next week
(that was fast)
They also said they know of me, I must be famous
Anyway, they have some new products that they are going to let me try and they said they do sell frozen blackworms in Europe and if there is a market here they may ship them or freeze them here.
If there is anything that a fish like a copperband will eat and thrive on I will let you know.
Don't forget, I don't work for Ocean Nutrition and I even told them some problems with a few of their foods.
I hope this stuff makes it easier for inland aquarists (and me) to have some better options for feeding these "Paris Hilton" type fish.
Paul

 

[silence88]

i have some fishy "things" that i got at the local asian market called "silver fish" they are pretty small long skinny white with black eyes, they come frozen in small blocks and i have not found what kind of fish they realy are, i bought them for my sting rays but have not tried them out yet as iam not sure if there addatives in them or not but i will try and get a pick of them when i defrost some

i lost my first CBB that was eating well too a QT mishap, i just a got a new one last nght and wish i did not, its large and looked good in the store, but now its much less active and has what looks like ick, i have dosed with prazipro as it has flukes, wich most of the ones i have seen have, i have tried mysis, live black worms and a rock with aptasia on it and nothing so far

also mandarins do have a stomach as i keep one in my aprox 6g nano and he eats brine, mysis, and roe afew times a day and his stomach swells a lot with food when whants to eat a lot

 

[Kieth71]

I dosed prazipro yesterday as the cbb is in qt with a flame wrasse and flame angel and i dont want to risk flukes and internal parasites.He is so far eating mysis,hikari brine shrimp with nori mixed in and rods food.He will not eat new life spectrum pellets but i am more then pleased that he is eating a variety of other foods.I will update on how the cbb handles the prazi and if it causes any problem with hi eating.

 

[Laddy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14491801#post14491801 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Rockymtreefer
I dosed prazipro yesterday as the cbb is in qt with a flame wrasse and flame angel and i dont want to risk flukes and internal parasites.He is so far eating mysis,hikari brine shrimp with nori mixed in and rods food.He will not eat new life spectrum pellets but i am more then pleased that he is eating a variety of other foods.I will update on how the cbb handles the prazi and if it causes any problem with hi eating.

Where did you get the CBB?

Why the prazipro?

 

[Kieth71]

I treat all my new fish with prazipro in qt to take care of flukes and internal parasites.This is a preventative measure that i feel is well worth the effort.I bought the fish from a lfs that is quite good.They qt the fish they receive for 1-2 weeks to make sure the fish is eating and has no problems before they go on sale.This i feel is the best way to get a delicate fish like the cbb so you can look at the fish and see it eat.

 

[discusone]

If i may ask,why did you decide to QT the CBB with three other fish,(wrasse and angel),rather than QT the CBB alone.
Also,what is your feeding schedule,and is a pic/vid possible?
I have never had an issue with prasipro,when used with Bflys,if dosed correctly.

 

[Kieth71]

I only have one qt setup and its a 55g which is plenty big enough for the three fish.Yes i could risk one having a disease and infecting them all but i have no interest in setting up 3 diffrent qt's especially when this one has a good biological filter going.I am feeding twice a day once in the morning ..2nd feeding around 5:30 ish.I posted a pic earlier in the thread of the fish.

 

[discusone]

Sorry,i didn't put 2 and 2 together,with regards to the CBB pic.Very nice.

Is there any way you could increase the number of food offerings to the CBB?.Say,four feedings a day,small amounts.

The reason for my asking about the other fish is,the CBB is the most sensitive of the group.I assume having read Paul Bs imput,you may be aware that,more frequent feedings may be in order?

 

[Kieth71]

I had thought about adding another feeding but he eats a ton in each feeding.He is not at all like i have read other cbb being real picky.It is kind of funny because he is really the dominate one in the qt tank.I saw him take food from the wrasse.The flame angel is tiny as well . Maybe i will add one more feeding mid day

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

much experience with this species here.
some rules to play by:
*if you don't see a CBB eat don't purchase it!
*the specimen should be actively searching sandbed and rockwork for food
*some eat Aiptasia, some don't... but all will eat sandbed worms (and usually the similar looking blackworms or bloodworms)
*some are finicky eaters and some aren't

split second before striking an Aiptasia

healthy specimens are able to outmanuevere Tangs if given enough room

typical nose down posture while hunting sandbed worms

 

[Kieth71]

Here is a short video of the cbb eating.

 

[discusone]

Rockymtn,
very nice! She looks like a winner,so please keep updating.I would still increase her feedings several times a day.But she looks good!
Several places in Calif.ship live blackworms.If you do a google search,you can contact them.Might be worthwhile.

 

[iceemn360]

some updated photos of my ccb still lovin the black worms

his/her biggest competition is a threadfin butterfly. and I agree. a healthy ccb can out maneuver a tang

the competition already has quadrupled in size in the past 6 months!(about quarter size at purchase and now a good 2.5" )

 

[jedheuer]

PaulB,


Regarding collection from the sea. I live an hour form the northern California coast. I would like to collect some stuff that would be beneficial to my reef tank. I understand you are on the other coast, but do you have any tips for collecting from the sea? How do you catch tiny fish that you then feed to your tank? I do not have access to a boat or pier, so I imagine I would be foraging amongst tide pools or brackish inlets. I also work near the bay. Is there anything I can collect from there, or better to get stuff from the sea? Specifically what is most beneficial to collect for a copper band? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.