Copperbanded Butterfly sudden death

[mikedoyle]

I have had a CBB for around 5 months now eating very well acting healthy. Yesterday he seemed a little lethargic then this morning I found him dead stuck against a power head. Has anyone else had this experience maybe from the way he was collected not sure.

 

[Jerzey]

copper bands are very hit or miss.... you might get a good fish and never have issues or they either never get used to there new environment and starve to death, always hide, and for some reason they do not do well in transport... but in your case it seems like he might of started off normal and all the sudden stopped eating and got to weak to swim around got to close to the pump and couldn't swim away.... I wouldn't really freak out just yet they are very tempermental fish for some reason and it's very common!

 

[Jerzey]

i lost my first CB few months ago...never ate no matter what i fed and he was gone within 3 days

 

[HumbleFish]

I've had great difficulty just getting one thru QT over the past 2 years. They either won't eat or suddenly die.

 

[snorvich]

I've had great difficulty just getting one thru QT over the past 2 years. They either won't eat or suddenly die.

Try the Australian endemic CBB which has a much better success rate. CBB often do not eat and do not make it, probably 50% (a guess) of the time. They love blackworms (live only) and clam on the half shell as a way of trying to get them to eat. And, of course copepods.

 

[ken6217]

My next CBB that I get that lives will be my first

 

[HumbleFish]

Try the Australian endemic CBB which has a much better success rate. CBB often do not eat and do not make it, probably 50% (a guess) of the time. They love blackworms (live only) and clam on the half shell as a way of trying to get them to eat. And, of course copepods.

Specimens from Australia are normally out of my price range, but I may have to make an exception when it comes to CBB. Thanks for the tip!

 

[mikedoyle]

The weird thing about this fish is he ate fine up until the day he died and was very active until the day before. Live blackworms are definetly the way to get them eating this was the only thing he would eat at first I then got him to start eating frozen red worms and mysis, but blackworms were always his favorite.

 

[SDguy]

Lots of times even though a CBB is eating, it isn't eating enough... and eventually the fish dies of malnutrition. They are VERY compressed fish, and it takes a ton of food to get them, and keep them fat. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people post a picture of their "healthy" CBB on here, only to see a very skinny fish.

 

[snorvich]

As Peter said . . .

 

[HumbleFish]

I'm starting to get the picture that Butterflyfish, Moorish Idols, Anthias, Batfish, and other high metabolism species would probably do best being housed together in a dedicated FOWLR, and fed 3-4x daily.

 

[snorvich]

I'm starting to get the picture that Butterflyfish, Moorish Idols, Anthias, Batfish, and other high metabolism species would probably do best being housed together in a dedicated FOWLR, and fed 3-4x daily.

Well. . . . feeding multiple times per day is a good thing for most fish, at least in my opinion. With some species of anthias, it is a necessity for long term health. I have never kept Moorish Idols, but I believe PaulB has.