Copperband Owners Plz Read

R

robsee06

New member
Hi Everyone,

I have a 120 gallon reef system and I am considering the purchase of a Copperband Butterfly. I have done alot of research and I know they can be difficult to keep.

So, if you have kept a CB alive for more than a year, I would like to know what you attribute your success to and what to look for when purchasing a CB besides general health (I,E, big, small, eats a certain food, etc...).

Any info is appreciated!
 
I'm of the opinion that Copperbands DON'T have to be as difficult to keep as most people make them.

Keys for success:
Make sure the Copperband is eating before you buy. Unless it's half dead, Frozen Mysis and Bloodworms, or White Glass Worms are a pretty sure thing.

Make sure the fish is clean. No red irritated areas, no scarring on fins, mouth in good shape, and the fish should be active,

Last and in my opinion, most important...
DO NOT QUARANTINE!!!! I've seen QT kill more healthy Butterflys than I care to count. They NEED a stable, thriving reef environment. They NEED little bugs and featherdusters and things to graze on ASAP! Keeping them in a tiny little Sterile holding tank with fluctuating water quality is not a good idea. I'll probably get flamed like crazy for saying not to QT, but for this fish, I feel it's essential.
 
When I got mine, it would only eat live brine shrimp.
It was in a q tank all alone and I took the time to wean it off live and onto frozen brine shrimp, followed by frozen mysis.
I kept it in q until about 9-10 weeks and then placed it in the tank I wanted it to inhabit for a week before replacing the remaining fish that I had removed prior to adding the CB.
This gave the CB time to get used to the tank without having to compete for food right off the bat.
When I feed it now, I feed spirulina to the other fish in the tank and then add the CB food at the opposite end, giving it time to down some food before the others discover it.
He is no longer intimidated by the other fish, feeding alongside them, but is still a little slower at latching on to pieces of food so that some food he goes for can be snatched up just before he gets to it.
 
You most assuredly should qt a copperband. You should qt all fish. If you have access to it, get a piece of live rock with aptasia on it and place with the cb in qt. i fed mine bloodworms to get it eating. Also if you place eggcrate at the ends of the qt tank food gets trapped in them and the copperband will pick it out. Like it is food hiding in a rock. That is how I got mine to feed. Keep it in there for several weeks and if it is healthy, used to you, and happy then place it in the display.
 
My Copperband has been thriving for about 7 years. Feeding is the primary hurdle, but once they start, they'll eat about anything. I strongly suggest quarantine, but in a LARGER tank. Too small does stress-out butterflys. IMHO.

Good luck
 
Mine was eating from day 1 and eats like crazy during feeding time, and has good fat reserves. I second the stable reef environment as the key to my success.
 
Mine would only eat Aptasia. Once all the aptasia was gone he would not eat frozen foods. So what I did was get a piece of rubble and push mysis and blood worms in all the crevasses. He would pick at it and now eats all frozen food that is put in the tank. He has been in the tank now for over a year.

P1000581.jpg
 
Yes, if one starts to eat it generally does will.

Quarantine of difficult species like the CB should be modified. I would not start treatment against ich at once. Acclimate first then treat against ich.

I would use UV to help prevent external bacterial infection and my diatom filter in order to reduce the rate of infestation of ich (like it is in the ocean) so that I can place mature live rock in the QT. After the fish has started to feed other prepared food I would then start treatment to irradicate ich.

The CB like worm-like things best, but those that start to feed will eventually eat most moist food. Some turn into gluttons.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10616473#post10616473 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by widefx
Mine would only eat Aptasia. Once all the aptasia was gone he would not eat frozen foods. So what I did was get a piece of rubble and push mysis and blood worms in all the crevasses. He would pick at it and now eats all frozen food that is put in the tank. He has been in the tank now for over a year.
Click to expand...

We had a similar experience...CB is now ~1.5 years in our tank...the idea of "tricking" the fish into picking the food you want it to eat off rock is pretty crafty.

In general I'd say it can be hit or miss and really depends on your willingness to spend the time to get it to eat "regular" food (what you feed normally).

If you can get it to this point (eating regularly) it really can be an enjoyable fish.
 
most people have bad luck with them because they starve to death
they have small stomachs, they feed slow, so i trained mine to eat out of a small pipette, needs to be feed multiple times a day plus varying diet is good mine ate bllodworms, mysis, and liver
 
I had a copperband in my 30 long for over 2 years with no problems at all. I only lost him when my heater broke and sent the tank well over 100 degrees... he lived but the stress killed him a couple weeks later

The "catch" is that I did this 15 years ago long before LR, LS, MH and corals. It was a simple tank with dead dried corals, florescent lights, 150 gph power head and a hob filter.
 
Had mine for 1.5 years now. Didn't eat for 3 days when i first got him (he was in a 29G qt) Then i got him to try a mussle and then I put mysis on the half shell then bloodworms now he will eat anything frozen (still won't do pellets)
 
Well, I just got back from the LFS with my first CB. I've been watching him for 3 weeks now. I've seen him eat and he always seems to be foraging so I thought I'd give him a try.
 
1) Make sure its eating before you buy it.

2) Keep it with peaceful fish who feed slowly, otherwise it will starve.
 
Well I have had him about a week now. Wouldn't eat on the first day but now he feeds aggressively on bloodworms and Mysis.

I think I got a good one!!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10705105#post10705105 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by robsee06
Well I have had him about a week now. Wouldn't eat on the first day but now he feeds aggressively on bloodworms and Mysis.

I think I got a good one!!
Click to expand...

Did you QT (Quarentine) the lill bugger, or STT (straight to tank) him...
not real acronyms, but its sort of funny..

I also believbe it is better to go straight to the environment.

remove the stress of being in a QT tank, the quicker they adapt healthy, and happy.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10668391#post10668391 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kwl1763
Had mine for 1.5 years now. Didn't eat for 3 days when i first got him (he was in a 29G qt) Then i got him to try a mussle and then I put mysis on the half shell then bloodworms now he will eat anything frozen (still won't do pellets)
Click to expand...


<hijack>

Is that a juv Pygopllites diacnthus "Regal angel" in your avitar
It looks TINY for some reason

</hijack>
 
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