Contemplating a CopperBand Butterfly

[carey]

So like the title says, I am thinking of adding a copperband butterfly fish to my 125g. I have done some researching and they appear to be reef safe with some exceptions like dusters and small shrimp. I have none nor do I plan on adding any. I know they can be tricky to get to start eating, but how hard are they really? I have a butterfly in my 90g and it eats everything like a pig, my heartiest eater in the tank without a doubt.

So you guys can help by telling me what you know. If you've kept one successfully or with bad results i still wanna know the whole deal.

I currently have an aipatsia problem in the 125g which I don't want to get worse. For those who would suggest peppermint shrimp, trust me, been there done that. Added a dozen about 2 weeks ago with none surviving that i can tell.

I originally wanted to add another butterfly to the 90g but figured with the situation it might be best if i put it in the established tank.

Thanks for any help you guys can give me!

 

[mr_X]

Extremely hard to get eating. It's very sad to watch them starve to death.

 

[FTMMWS]

I would think the tang gang would make life hard for it also

Why did your peps die after 2 weeks..I had great luck with mine devouring aips

 

[carey]

I've tried twice with peppermints and each time they disappear. The last batch was unusually small ones so they didn't stand a chance.

I had the same issue when my 5 cleaner shrimp were killed. I have narrowed it down to the pistol shrimp or the pink spotted goby. Both would be impossible to get out without a tank breakdown.

I do like the copperband, both my lfs's have been getting them in on a regular basis so the availability is there. If the fish is eating at the store would that carry over to my tank? Or is it like the mandarin who can eat at store then refuse food when you get him home?

I have thought of even getting the nudibranch that only eats aiptasia but thats sentencing it to death when the job is done. If i were to have the butterfly it would be a great addition even long after the aipatasias are gone.

Any tips on feeding? Would live food be what you need to feed to entice them to try other food?

 

[Mpfaff77]

My LFS is adamant on feeding copper bands through out the day. My buddy just bought one and he has been feeding 5 or 6 times a day. Maybe 1 turkey baster squirt each time. His has been eating for weeks like this and is gaining weight.

 

[carey]

I actually feed now with a turkey baster. So much easier.

Anyone think it can be done?

 

[mr_X]

I tried every kind of food. Mine never ate any aptasia either.

 

[Magma]

This is one fish better left in the sea than at home in our tanks IMO. More people try and fail with this fish than any other and the low price doesnt help because then people think "oh well it was only 40$". I have watched many threads over the past year and bit about people getting them and I have watched just as many of them end up with "my copperband died today".

IMO Leave them be in the sea.

berghia nudibranch's IMO they work wonders

 

[carey]

I thought about those nudibranchs and it was recommended i would need 1 for every 10g which means I need about a dozen of them and at $25 a piece i just can't swing it. lol

If it makes any difference I have all the time in the world and patience too to give the fish any special attention it may require. I did very well getting my 2 dragonettes eating frozen food which I think to date is my best achievement in aquaria, at least to date. LOL

I already feed the tank 3 times a day due to the anthias'es. Are there any tips you guys would recommend if I do decide to go with one? I would think seeing it eat at the LFS would be a major point, what about size? I've read both sides, that you get one that is larger so it will eat prepared food or get one small before they get set in their ways. LOL

Not one of my fish has ever equated to money with me. I had a semi tank crash almost a year ago and lost 6 fish in a week and to be honest I don't think I have ever added up the cost of it fish wise in dollars and cents. Still haunts my every move with my tanks too. :-(

I know people can keep them and just wondering what the magic combination is so I can do it. I'm dedicated and not dumb so I think I can do it.

 

[Magma]

dragonettes are like clownfish compared to CBB, again I dont think its worth having a fish for a month or 2 and watch it slowly starve to death, we dont know enough about the dietary needs of the fish in the wild they pick at rocks like dragonettes and they eat small tube worms its just a lot of work.

nudi branches will bread if they have enough food so you could get a small group of 4 and go from there. or check into a tasseled filefish

 

[carey]

Is a filefish reef safe? I was looking at them for my 90g fowlr and dont recall them being coral friendly.

I wouldnt' let the fish starve! My gosh, I think I would know before that if it was eating or not. I still stand guard when i feed the dragonettes to make sure I see them eat, every time and every day. I like to be proactive rather than reactive with my tanks.

 

[FTMMWS]

Just try one ..Heck,we have someone on here keeping an idol alive and eating ,,so i think its worth a shot..Every fish is different..

 

[jwalsh]

I know 3 of my buddies have them for the same problem and have had no issues with any of them eating. All the aptasia was cleared out pretty quickly. These are guys that I see frequently and the fish look good and healthy. I can't say I would hesitate to get one if I had an aptasia problem. I hear butterflies in general are finicky I have a Pakistani and he's doing quite well also. Can't hurt to give it a shot especially if you are so vigalant

 

[Melissaann0617]

If you are looking to get something to control the aiptasia...I have a Klein's butterfly who is also a great eater like the one in your 90g. When I first got her my tank had just gone through a burst of aiptasia....one very large aiptasia turned into about 15-20 smaller ones. I got the butterfly not for the aiptasia but she ate all of the aiptasia within 3 days after being introduced into the tank, even the extremely large one. I looked online and apparently it is not abnormal for them to eat aiptasia. Not sure if you would consider moving yours out of the 90 but I thought I would let you know of my experience.

 

[carey]

Good thought, but I don't think the butterfly is reef safe. No aiptasia in the 90g so i can't be sure. lol

I've been reading more and more all day on these fish and it seems to be a mixed bag of results. It would appear the odds are better in an established tank and with people who do what i do, and are anal retentive about their fish.
Alot of the failures from other posts and forums seems to be putting them blindly into new tanks with first time reef keepers. Now, LOL, I know I'm not an expert reef keeper but I wouldn't consider myself a first timer.

The LFS I have in mind to purchase one from will hold fish until they are eating so won't that be of some help as well?

Thanks everyone for your participation! I love getting people opinions and experiences.

 

[jwalsh]

I know your butterfly might not be reef safe but mine said with caution on live aquaria. So I gave it a shot and so far so good. It ate all my tube worms off my rocks but has left my lps and mushrooms alone.

 

[redsea]

My thoughts:

I think it is great that your LFS will hold the fish for you until they know it is eating. If the Butterfly is like your Blenny (the one who ate flakes and frozen, even though some Lawnmowers don't), then it should eat what it is eating at your LFS forever. If it is like a Mandarin, that could be a different story, lol.

I see exactly what you are saying about your 125g being an established tank. Since it is so established, do you think that your tank has enough of a natural ecosystem for the Butterfly to survive? Also, if Copperbands eat any kind of pods, you know that you're good . I think a Copperband would like really nice, they are beautiful fish!

 

[carey]

I have too many corals to take a chance on the kleins. But then again, I;ve seen somewhere that its possible the copperband can eat coral too.

Decisions decisions....I really wanted another butterfly too, just thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. lol

I'll have to talk to my fish guru guy at one of my lfs's and see what he thinks. He'll level with me, one of the good guys. hehe...

 

[redsea]

I have too many corals to take a chance on the kleins. But then again, I;ve seen somewhere that its possible the copperband can eat coral too.

Decisions decisions....I really wanted another butterfly too, just thought I'd kill two birds with one stone. lol

I'll have to talk to my fish guru guy at one of my lfs's and see what he thinks. He'll level with me, one of the good guys. hehe...

That's good that you have a trustworthy person to talk too. Especially if they have had many experiences with the Copperband before (like your LFS guy does). Once at my LFS I saw them feed the fish, and one of them was a Copperband. They were feeding frozen and the Butterfly was eating it too.

 

[carey]

See, that's exactly what i see. The other LFS that I dont go to as much, his copperbands are eating frozen and flake. All the time, not just once if i ask him to feed them. They seem like they are doing well at the store and I figure I have got to be better than a store.! LOL