Whats wrong with my copperband?

[Regan_tyler]

Walked down today an he keeps laying on his side an doesn't look to hot. He was doing just fine yesterday swimming around eating great.

 

[TheTodd]

How long have you had it? What was it eating? Copperbands are notoriously difficult to keep alive.

 

[molliwopp]

What are the parameters of the tank? This is usually the first asked question when it comes to sick fish.

 

[Regan_tyler]

I've had him probably 3 weeks an he would only eat brine shrimp he loved them an my parameter would be ammonia 0 nitrite 0 nitrate 0 phosphates are extremely low salinity is 1.025
And temp 83 I think it possibly could've got beaten up by my yellow tang I saw him trying to fight him this morning but before that they where two peas in a pod. He's alive in the pic but isn't looking to great. Should I just let him loose in my sump chamber I don't think her get hurt by anything?

 

[carey]

How large is this tank to begin with? And I have had similar issues with adding a butterfly with a tang, tangs get very aggressive when new fish are introduced into their tank. lol

I have lost 3 copperbands in total, they are definitely a hard fish to keep.

 

[Regan_tyler]

90 gallon i know it's small for him when he gets bigger but I planned on selling him when I think he needs to go to a bigger home. Man I sure hope I don't lose him he was probably my favorite little guy. Any reason why there so hard to keep?

 

[Regan_tyler]

Sure hope I don't lose him that be 55 bucks down the drain.

 

[alco1]

I would say it's stress. possibly the yellow tang has previously gave the copperband a hard time without anyone seeing. agree with carey, tangs can be quite aggressive to newcomers, whenever I get a new fish it's like prison rules... the newcomer get a solid beating for a few days/weeks from the tangs then all of a sudden theyre all best of friends. but if it's laying on it's side I would say it's extremely stressed. just try moving it somewhere else like in a fuge or something and hopefully it'll get better

 

[Regan_tyler]

Okay I put it in a breeder net in my sump I've got a light down there should I turn it of an just let him rest?

 

[alco1]

yea probably the best thing to do... try not to handle it too much, even the move could stress it more and kill it. just leave the light off.... might calm it down a bit.

 

[Regan_tyler]

Okay man I sure hope he makes it he was my favorites took care of all my aiptasia

 

[alco1]

no worries man good luck

 

[Regan_tyler]

And he's gone:/ now he's in fish heaven

 

[alco1]

dam sorry to hear it

 

[Regan_tyler]

How come there so hard to keep?

 

[alco1]

could be that they don't really have a defensive mechanism and if they get attacked they just cop it and get stressed.

just guessing here

 

[carey]

Copperbands are very delicate fish to begin with. They also have extreme issues with eating. They get stressed very easily and combined with their lack of eating usually dictates why they dont make it. I had one that lasted well over a year until I accidentally killed it with an overdose of flatworm exit. :-( Since then I have tried on three different occassions to keep one all three with no success.
I take ultra care of my fish, I feed whatever I need to and take great care in selecting tankmates and yet the three died within weeks of adding them.
The one I did have that thrived i attribute to the care it received at the lfs before i took him home. he was wt'd for 3 months and trained to eat by hand, he was an awesome, maybe one in a million fish. Some people can get lucky with them but a cast majority do not do well in home aquaria.

Really sorry yours didnt make it, its always very sad when something we love and put effort into doesnt so well like we had hoped.

 

[Regan_tyler]

Dang that stinks he was my favorite little guy. Yea he was eating great he loved brine shrimp he would follow around my needle cause I target feed my corals and he'd follow that thing around like crazy and pick up left overs but in pretty sure he got best up by the tang cause when I came down stair he was all flared up and whipping him with his tail.

 

[TheTodd]

Sorry to hear about the loss. That is never fun. They are extremely difficult fish to keep, even in the best settings with the best care.

As was stated in another post...I would really reconsider getting the Yellow Tang out of there. Health issues will come down the road due to the tank being too small, but if this one was attacking the Copperband, it will likely do the same to future additions.

 

[Regan_tyler]

Yea I do plan on getting him a new home eventually but other then that I don't plan on adding an species except probably peppermint shrimp and a flame angel but why waste money on fish I'll just buy more corals!