xxxbadfishxxx
Active member
Want to add 1 to my 50 gallon mixed reef, going to upgrading to a 90 within a year. It says with caution as far as being reefsafe. Has anyone had negative experiences with them as far as eating corals?
copperband Butterfly & Reefs
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xxxbadfishxxx
Active member
yeah, they are one of the best looking fish IMO, but heard it can be quite hard getting them acclimated. I would of courst QT for 4 weeks. How many of you have had success with them?
Chaloupa
Member
I have a CBB in my 120 which was supposed to be a FOWLR but has turned into a bit of a reef...I would say it is a TOUGH fish to get going.
I lost my first one, however I didn't choose the fish-I had it shipped to me...my second one is doing well in my tank but I have to hand feed with a turkey baster and mysis shrimp DAILY which usually takes me 20 minutes or so. It also is partial to live clams (got that idea from a local reefer) that I buy at the local seafood shop, rinse with fresh water and crack open, and thawed bloodworms soaked in garlic and selcon. It has now decided that it will take a bit of fresh scallop when I feed the carpet anemones. Not an easy fish but BEAUTIFUL!
Mine does "taste" corals here and there but I can't say that it has really damaged any. Ate each and every aiptasia though! I haven't put any LPS in though or or course any clams. I do have a large number or Zoos, Button polyps, GSP, some easy SPS, Echino, mushrooms, and 2 carpet anemones.
I lost my first one, however I didn't choose the fish-I had it shipped to me...my second one is doing well in my tank but I have to hand feed with a turkey baster and mysis shrimp DAILY which usually takes me 20 minutes or so. It also is partial to live clams (got that idea from a local reefer) that I buy at the local seafood shop, rinse with fresh water and crack open, and thawed bloodworms soaked in garlic and selcon. It has now decided that it will take a bit of fresh scallop when I feed the carpet anemones. Not an easy fish but BEAUTIFUL!
Mine does "taste" corals here and there but I can't say that it has really damaged any. Ate each and every aiptasia though! I haven't put any LPS in though or or course any clams. I do have a large number or Zoos, Button polyps, GSP, some easy SPS, Echino, mushrooms, and 2 carpet anemones.
Elorian
Member
I've had one for about a year in my mixed reef and he's been a model citizen. Ate all of the small feather dusters and tube worms, then tore through the aiptasia (haven't seen one since) and has left everything else alone. I got him onto frozen mysis, fed twice a day, which is all he will eat and he's fat as a horse. 50 is probably a little small for these guys long term (mine is in a 55 and could definitely use more room to be really happy); that 90 should be much better.
If you can get him onto frozen mysis you should have a good chance of long term success.
If you can get him onto frozen mysis you should have a good chance of long term success.
fingersdlp
New member
I have had one for a couple of months now. No problems in my reef. Eats mysis and occasionally blood worms. Not sure I trust him completely with the reef as he does roam around all the time and look like he is about to nip at a coral - just never seen him do it. I have two large clams that he has left alone. I have a small patch of xenia that does not seem as happy lately - possibly some issue there.
B.
B.
I thought I'd share my experiences with my CBB as well. I have had one for 10 months now living in a 90 gallon with some SPS and a few LPS. Her tankmates are a pair of ocellaris clowns a small goby and a rescently purchased coral beauty. The CBB is easily my favorite fish in the tank. Mine has never gone near any of my corals ever. She's constantly out after dark in the evening times scouring the rock for the pods who come out at night. Here's the experience I had trying to get mine to feed. They're notoriously finicky eaters mine will only eat the PE brand of Mysis and it took me about a week to get her to take to it.
I'll share a quick note about my experience with getting my CBB to feed in case anyone else reads this who is interested in trying this fish and has issues with getting it to eat.
After completely irradicating any sign of aitpasia except for the larger ones (which I'm still trying to kill. lol) it didn't eat for 5 days. I tried everything to get it to eat until I finally had some success one night after the tank lights went off. I think the key with her was that she is an extremely shy fish and with the tank lights off and just a bit of ambient light from a lamp in the room she felt comfortable enough to come out from her cave and eat heartily. So that's how I fed her for about a month. 2 times a day, once in the morning and once at night. Each time she would completely devour 1 whole cube of PE mysis.
She now has gotten so used to my presence and time of her feedings (which I do with the lights on in the evening after work and late at night after the lights go out.) she will actually come out to the corner of the tank I put the food in from and swim around until I show up with the food and then she feeds directly out of the brine shrimp net I use.
Goodluck if you do try this fish it's one of the prettier aquarium fishes.
I'll share a quick note about my experience with getting my CBB to feed in case anyone else reads this who is interested in trying this fish and has issues with getting it to eat.
After completely irradicating any sign of aitpasia except for the larger ones (which I'm still trying to kill. lol) it didn't eat for 5 days. I tried everything to get it to eat until I finally had some success one night after the tank lights went off. I think the key with her was that she is an extremely shy fish and with the tank lights off and just a bit of ambient light from a lamp in the room she felt comfortable enough to come out from her cave and eat heartily. So that's how I fed her for about a month. 2 times a day, once in the morning and once at night. Each time she would completely devour 1 whole cube of PE mysis.
She now has gotten so used to my presence and time of her feedings (which I do with the lights on in the evening after work and late at night after the lights go out.) she will actually come out to the corner of the tank I put the food in from and swim around until I show up with the food and then she feeds directly out of the brine shrimp net I use.
Goodluck if you do try this fish it's one of the prettier aquarium fishes.
Elorian
Member
BTW, mine is also on the PE (Piscine Energetics) mysis. I had to hand feed for quite a while due to a greedy ocellaris clown (held the food between my fingers so only the CBB could get at it with that long snout). Having your fingers nibbled by a CBB is a unique and very cool experience.
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