fishykid9212
New member
Mine started to eat today 
My new Copperband Butterfly...
- Thread starter Freed
- Start date
Martin's Reef
New member
Mine will eat P.E. Mysis and worms! Has been since day one!
Had a Aptasia infestation in my last 55g ....hundreds of them and I tried everything to get rid of them but nothing worked or was a lot of work to do. Got a Copper Band and he ate them all within 2 weeks.
I ended up moving so he went back to the pet shop along with all my other live stuff.
I ended up moving so he went back to the pet shop along with all my other live stuff.
LisaP
Premium Member
I've had mine since June 2003, he ate right away and hasn't stopped munching since. Mysis and squid are his all time favourites but he'll take other stuff such as brineshrimp, krill, cockle etc. He won't however, touch flake food at all. Additional treats are live mysid shrimps etc that he catches in the tank himself.
One of my all time favourite fish!
Regards
Lisa
One of my all time favourite fish!
Regards
Lisa
dhoch
New member
Lisa,
Glad to hear about the longer success with this fish.
I think everyone here ought to take note of what Lisa feeds: Saltwater natural meaty foods... Thats what this fish needs. Brine/Mysis is not enough (and supplementing with land/freshwater worms is not going to cut it either).
These fish need meaty foods: Clams/shrimp/squid/mussells/worms of the saltwater variety.
Don't purchase this fish and expect to just dump food into your tank and have this fish compete for food with others. It's a specialized eater.
Dave
Glad to hear about the longer success with this fish.
I think everyone here ought to take note of what Lisa feeds: Saltwater natural meaty foods... Thats what this fish needs. Brine/Mysis is not enough (and supplementing with land/freshwater worms is not going to cut it either).
These fish need meaty foods: Clams/shrimp/squid/mussells/worms of the saltwater variety.
Don't purchase this fish and expect to just dump food into your tank and have this fish compete for food with others. It's a specialized eater.
Dave
Paul B
Premium Member
They are one of my favorite fish and I can't remember my reef ever without one. I have had at least a dozen of them over many years. They do have a habit of dying for no apparant reason but now I think I have it down pat. I think my last one died by accident after 5 years but this fish should live at least ten.
You really need to feed them worms. I feed live black worms that I first feed with Selcon. I know these are fresh water worms but fresh water worms are not like feeding fresh water fish. Worms have omega 3 oil just like salt water fish and if you feed the worms heavily on Selcon they get almost 3" long and nice and fat. I also feed other things every day like clams, mysis, plankton etc but worms are the main diet. I feed him and all of my fish with something like a turkey baster only better. It is a rubber (plastic) bulb about 3" wide and I insert a 3/8" acrylic tube slightly bent on the end. I have always used this to feed my animals and would not think to just dump food in the tank. All of the food is eaten before it hits bottom. This is especially important with black worms which die as soon as they hit the bottom. I keep a moorish Idol too which I feed the same way only different food along with the worms. When I used to breed fish I always got them into breeding condition with live black worms. In the summer I collect saltwater sand worms but they are very large and I have to cut them up.
Copperbands should never be purchased unless you see them eat in the store. Stores ususlly feed brine shrimp because most fish will eat them but you have to get them off that very soon. You can do that by feeding worms with the shrimp.
You should also feed a copperband at least twice a day. Very few of them will eat flakes but it is not a food for them anyway. They are a great fish and each one has a different personality unlike most fish.
Have a great day.
Paul
You really need to feed them worms. I feed live black worms that I first feed with Selcon. I know these are fresh water worms but fresh water worms are not like feeding fresh water fish. Worms have omega 3 oil just like salt water fish and if you feed the worms heavily on Selcon they get almost 3" long and nice and fat. I also feed other things every day like clams, mysis, plankton etc but worms are the main diet. I feed him and all of my fish with something like a turkey baster only better. It is a rubber (plastic) bulb about 3" wide and I insert a 3/8" acrylic tube slightly bent on the end. I have always used this to feed my animals and would not think to just dump food in the tank. All of the food is eaten before it hits bottom. This is especially important with black worms which die as soon as they hit the bottom. I keep a moorish Idol too which I feed the same way only different food along with the worms. When I used to breed fish I always got them into breeding condition with live black worms. In the summer I collect saltwater sand worms but they are very large and I have to cut them up.
Copperbands should never be purchased unless you see them eat in the store. Stores ususlly feed brine shrimp because most fish will eat them but you have to get them off that very soon. You can do that by feeding worms with the shrimp.
You should also feed a copperband at least twice a day. Very few of them will eat flakes but it is not a food for them anyway. They are a great fish and each one has a different personality unlike most fish.
Have a great day.
Paul
dhoch
New member
PauB,
Thanks for the input... I've wanted to keep one of these for a while, and purchased one about a month ago.
I have setup a feeding station for him and feed clams/shrimp/squid/musels & mysis (all frozen) and he loves them all (especially the mussells).
I try to soak most foods in selecon first... Hadn't thought about the twice a day thing, but I may start doing that I want him to live a long time.
Dave
Thanks for the input... I've wanted to keep one of these for a while, and purchased one about a month ago.
I have setup a feeding station for him and feed clams/shrimp/squid/musels & mysis (all frozen) and he loves them all (especially the mussells).
I try to soak most foods in selecon first... Hadn't thought about the twice a day thing, but I may start doing that I want him to live a long time.
Dave
CAn you guys give me more info on the clams/shrimp/squid/musels & mysis . As in brand names? I just got a 2" CBB yesterday and i put in some frozen PE mysis which he tried to eat but they were way too big for him. So tonight I'll have to chop them up for the little guy. Good news though that he atleast tried, right?
Paul B
Premium Member
dhoch, Selcon is hard to get into a copperband. It will just rinse off the foods you are feeding. If he will eat anything freeze dried, you can soak that in Selcon. I also enrich food with cod liver oil. Fish in nature eat whole fish which have a good portion of vitamin A in it. Cod liver oil is mostly vitamin A. Again, you can only enrich dry food like flakes (which a CBB will not eat usually) but they sometimes will eat freeze dried worms. If he does I would give him some of the Selcon and "A" once a week.
Have a great day.
Paul
Have a great day.
Paul
Paul B
Premium Member
Freed, I have no Idea where to get black worms on line. Here they are very common. Also there is no brand name for clams and squid, just go to a fish market or supermarket and buy some.
Neil, just put some worms in a shallow container about 2" deep awith an air stone. Don't put so much air that the worms can't stay on the bottom. Very little circulation is all you need. Put in 2 drops of Selcon for a portion of worms, that is about a ping pong ball size of worms. Feed them twice a day if you can. Pick them up in a small bunch with a tweezer and put them in fresh water to feed to the fish with your baster. Don't put the worm water in your tank. Change the worm water with tap water every few days. They will last indefinately at room temperature, try not to get them too hot. If it is hot, put in more circulation.
Paul
Neil, just put some worms in a shallow container about 2" deep awith an air stone. Don't put so much air that the worms can't stay on the bottom. Very little circulation is all you need. Put in 2 drops of Selcon for a portion of worms, that is about a ping pong ball size of worms. Feed them twice a day if you can. Pick them up in a small bunch with a tweezer and put them in fresh water to feed to the fish with your baster. Don't put the worm water in your tank. Change the worm water with tap water every few days. They will last indefinately at room temperature, try not to get them too hot. If it is hot, put in more circulation.
Paul
raddogz
Premium Member
Black worms can be found on-line via the worm man (I kid you not).
http://www.wormman.com/pd_california.cfm
The downside is you have to order $30+ and you get a lot of worms.
http://www.wormman.com/pd_california.cfm
The downside is you have to order $30+ and you get a lot of worms.
Mine died yesterday, he has been in my tank for 5 weeks. He ate well and was surprisingly competing very well against other fish while I was feeding. He learded where and when I was about to feed. He looked healthy and well fed. One day, he stopped feeding and the day after he died.
Cyanide ? don't know, but with what I read here I don't think it is fair for the fish to try 3-4 CB before finally getting THE one that don't die.
I won't get another one.
pheel
Cyanide ? don't know, but with what I read here I don't think it is fair for the fish to try 3-4 CB before finally getting THE one that don't die.
I won't get another one.
pheel
