Copperband Butterfly

chaungo · 11/15/2006, 12:42 PM

Has anyone has any experience with a copperband butterfly? I have a 120 reef. I have heard that if you get them to eat, then you're good.

michaeldaly · 11/15/2006, 12:48 PM

I have had mine 9 months now and I find him a relatively easy fish to keep. It;s like you said it once you get them to eat you are fine. I was lucky as I was able to get him to eat the first day I got him. Feed them a variety of food. Mine likes Mysis, clam, prawn,brine,bloodworms.

Gooli · 11/15/2006, 12:48 PM

im on my 2nd attempt right now.
first time around i made a mistake of not making sure it eats frozen foods before buying and he eventually died.

this time around, i saw a copperband that was in the store for 4-5 days and made sure he ate mysis shrimp. i've had him in the tank for 2 days so far and will report back on progress. BTW, my yellow tang is kicking his butt - i hope thats not gonna be a problem longterm.

chaungo · 11/15/2006, 12:55 PM

Oh, I have a yellow tang too. I thought that it would be OK since they are different species and the coloring is different. Is it because of the somewhat similar shape?

Gooli · 11/15/2006, 01:20 PM

yes...the shape

HDAlien · 11/15/2006, 05:14 PM

I've had mine about 6 months, been eating since day 1, he's fat and healthy.... wish he'd eat more aiptasia though

HDAlien

northbay-reefer · 11/15/2006, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by HDAlien
I've had mine about 6 months, been eating since day 1, he's fat and healthy.... wish he'd eat more aiptasia though

HDAlien

maybe because he is fat and healthy ??? thats why he doesn't eat aptasia ??

jimbo045 · 11/15/2006, 06:13 PM

They are hard feeders. Live brine seems the easiest. But my six still past away. JD

dwsindy · 11/15/2006, 07:09 PM

I had mine for 3 or 4 months and he was eating mysis from day one. He was always out front and appeared happy and healthy then one day he was gone. Very cool fish though, one of my favorites. I would be interested in any long term successes. I am thinking of getting another.

squiddly · 11/15/2006, 07:13 PM

I really love mine. Very curious fish who follows me around. He's eating cyclops, mysis, clams, even pieces of silverside if I soak it in "entice." I made sure he was eating at the shop before I got him. I'm very glad I did. he's great!

addicted_2_reef · 11/15/2006, 07:32 PM

Mine croaked in 6 days

slumpysix · 11/15/2006, 07:55 PM

Mine kicked it after 4 days. He was terrorized and killed (I believe) by my coral beauty. Nice looking fish and a hard $50 to see go.

addicted_2_reef · 11/15/2006, 08:13 PM

yeah mine was 50.00 too....I never had one before so I wanted to give it a try ....I NEVER impulse buy when it comes to aquarium critters but, I did on this one and I got burned. Live and learn...

michaeldaly · 11/16/2006, 05:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lrac2006
Mine kicked it after 4 days. He was terrorized and killed (I believe) by my coral beauty. Nice looking fish and a hard $50 to see go.

Ive also got a coral beauty the funny thing is though tha my CB gets the better of the coral beauty.

funkyman · 11/16/2006, 07:09 AM

Had one for a week. Saw it eat bloodworms at the store I bought it at. It ate after I got it home, but still only lasted a week.

I checked on it before I left for work one morning and everything was fine. I came home and it was laying on the bottom. I was pretty bummed. I've thought about trying another, but haven't worked up the nerve yet not knowing what happened the first time.

Porkibear · 11/16/2006, 01:09 PM

Any of you guys who have owned a copperband butterfly know if they eat tube snails? I've got a whole mess of them in my tank, and I was hoping for a natural predator against them.

Thinking about purchasing one, but I'm kinda gunshy to pull the trigger on it.

clekchau · 11/16/2006, 01:33 PM

alot of the deaths seem like it's from stocking / compatibility problems as opposed to hardiness of fish

Crusty Old Shellback · 11/16/2006, 01:54 PM

baught a pair of them for my 400G tank almost a year ago. They did fine in the tank and were not bothered by any of my other fish. Cleaned house on my apstia problem. Also ate pellet food as thats all I feed my tank along with what ever is thriving in the tank.

One day I heard a rucus in the tank and found one of my wrasses on the floor and one of my CBB's in the corner of the tank shuddering. I think he got hit by my Scribbled rabbit as he too was acting a little nervous in the tank and had spit water out of the tank. Lost the CBB. I still have the other one and he's doing fine. Even though they hung out together, it didn't seem to bother him when the other one died.

michaeldaly · 11/16/2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Porkibear
Any of you guys who have owned a copperband butterfly know if they eat tube snails? I've got a whole mess of them in my tank, and I was hoping for a natural predator against them.

Not sure about tube snails, but they will devour any tube worms or feather dusters you have in your tank.

Porkibear · 11/16/2006, 02:09 PM

is there a difference between tube "worms" and tube "snails"?

I'm talking about these little tube-like growths that are attaching to liverock...they look really hard, and sometimes they secrete a small slime that looks like spider-webs.

michaeldaly · 11/16/2006, 02:36 PM

Copperbands really like anything that resembles a worm, so it's quite likely that they will eat them.

merseyman · 11/16/2006, 08:36 PM

... are any of the other butterflies known to be as "reef safe" as the copperbands?

michaeldaly · 11/17/2006, 03:24 AM

None quite as reef safe. Some people say they have had good succcess keeping a long nosed butterfly in their reef tank.

Gooli · 11/20/2006, 10:36 PM

ok..im back with some feedback.
i've had him for almost 2 weeks now....i decided to starve him out and not feed live foods....it worked!

he finished eating all the aiptasia and now he's eating frozen mysis shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen blood worms.

my yellow tang no longer beats up on him..all is well

Crusty Old Shellback · 11/21/2006, 08:52 AM

Good to hear Golan. Also glad he's eating and doing good. Enjoy.

11/15/2006, 12:42 PM	#1
chaungo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The ATL Posts: 78	Copperband Butterfly Has anyone has any experience with a copperband butterfly? I have a 120 reef. I have heard that if you get them to eat, then you're good.

11/15/2006, 12:48 PM	#3
Gooli Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Los Angeles Posts: 3,746	im on my 2nd attempt right now. first time around i made a mistake of not making sure it eats frozen foods before buying and he eventually died. this time around, i saw a copperband that was in the store for 4-5 days and made sure he ate mysis shrimp. i've had him in the tank for 2 days so far and will report back on progress. BTW, my yellow tang is kicking his butt - i hope thats not gonna be a problem longterm. __________________ "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. " - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 180g SPS

11/15/2006, 01:20 PM	#5
Gooli Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Los Angeles Posts: 3,746	yes...the shape __________________ "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. " - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 180g SPS

11/15/2006, 05:14 PM	#6
HDAlien Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 476	I've had mine about 6 months, been eating since day 1, he's fat and healthy.... wish he'd eat more aiptasia though HDAlien __________________ ¡ʞuɐʇ ʎɯ ǝʌo1 ı Current Tank Info: 220 gal. reef

11/15/2006, 07:13 PM	#10
squiddly Premium Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Great Falls, VA Posts: 127	I really love mine. Very curious fish who follows me around. He's eating cyclops, mysis, clams, even pieces of silverside if I soak it in "entice." I made sure he was eating at the shop before I got him. I'm very glad I did. he's great! __________________ padawan learner Current Tank Info: aquapod 24, Oceanic 180

11/15/2006, 12:48 PM	#2
michaeldaly Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 2,009	I have had mine 9 months now and I find him a relatively easy fish to keep. It;s like you said it once you get them to eat you are fine. I was lucky as I was able to get him to eat the first day I got him. Feed them a variety of food. Mine likes Mysis, clam, prawn,brine,bloodworms.

11/15/2006, 12:55 PM	#4
chaungo Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: The ATL Posts: 78	Oh, I have a yellow tang too. I thought that it would be OK since they are different species and the coloring is different. Is it because of the somewhat similar shape?

11/15/2006, 06:13 PM	#8
jimbo045 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Aiea, HI. Posts: 1,788	They are hard feeders. Live brine seems the easiest. But my six still past away. JD

11/15/2006, 07:09 PM	#9
dwsindy Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Indianapolis Posts: 218	I had mine for 3 or 4 months and he was eating mysis from day one. He was always out front and appeared happy and healthy then one day he was gone. Very cool fish though, one of my favorites. I would be interested in any long term successes. I am thinking of getting another.

11/15/2006, 07:32 PM	#11
addicted_2_reef Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Levittown PA Posts: 434	Mine croaked in 6 days __________________ -Brian 25 gallon cube

11/15/2006, 07:55 PM	#12
slumpysix Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 837	Mine kicked it after 4 days. He was terrorized and killed (I believe) by my coral beauty. Nice looking fish and a hard $50 to see go.

11/15/2006, 08:13 PM	#13
addicted_2_reef Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Levittown PA Posts: 434	yeah mine was 50.00 too....I never had one before so I wanted to give it a try ....I NEVER impulse buy when it comes to aquarium critters but, I did on this one and I got burned. Live and learn... __________________ -Brian 25 gallon cube

11/16/2006, 07:09 AM	#15
funkyman Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Lorain, Ohio Posts: 1,811	Had one for a week. Saw it eat bloodworms at the store I bought it at. It ate after I got it home, but still only lasted a week. I checked on it before I left for work one morning and everything was fine. I came home and it was laying on the bottom. I was pretty bummed. I've thought about trying another, but haven't worked up the nerve yet not knowing what happened the first time. __________________ 150 gallon mixed reef, Kessil x 3, Gyre x 2, IceCap 48XL sump, Reef Octopus Regal 200-INT skimmer.

11/16/2006, 01:09 PM	#16
Porkibear Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Orange County Posts: 186	Any of you guys who have owned a copperband butterfly know if they eat tube snails? I've got a whole mess of them in my tank, and I was hoping for a natural predator against them. Thinking about purchasing one, but I'm kinda gunshy to pull the trigger on it.

11/16/2006, 01:33 PM	#17
clekchau Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: TX Posts: 1,159	alot of the deaths seem like it's from stocking / compatibility problems as opposed to hardiness of fish __________________ RIP: 550 Fowlr, 600 Mixed Cichlids Aquarium Blog: www.clekchau.com

11/16/2006, 01:54 PM	#18
Crusty Old Shellback MASVC OG Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Home of the FREE, Thanks to the BRAVE! Posts: 5,089	baught a pair of them for my 400G tank almost a year ago. They did fine in the tank and were not bothered by any of my other fish. Cleaned house on my apstia problem. Also ate pellet food as thats all I feed my tank along with what ever is thriving in the tank. One day I heard a rucus in the tank and found one of my wrasses on the floor and one of my CBB's in the corner of the tank shuddering. I think he got hit by my Scribbled rabbit as he too was acting a little nervous in the tank and had spit water out of the tank. Lost the CBB. I still have the other one and he's doing fine. Even though they hung out together, it didn't seem to bother him when the other one died. __________________ Have you THANKED a Veteran lately for the freedoms you take for granted each day? Best quote ever! "This is a hobby for God sakes and so many people get so uptite. A "hobby" so it should be fun and not a cause to worry or go broke." Paul B Current Tank Info: Tankless for a while. RIP my 8+ yr old pair of Naso tangs, 4 + yr old Moorish Idol

11/16/2006, 02:09 PM	#20
Porkibear Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Orange County Posts: 186	is there a difference between tube "worms" and tube "snails"? I'm talking about these little tube-like growths that are attaching to liverock...they look really hard, and sometimes they secrete a small slime that looks like spider-webs.

11/16/2006, 02:36 PM	#21
michaeldaly Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 2,009	Copperbands really like anything that resembles a worm, so it's quite likely that they will eat them.

11/16/2006, 08:36 PM	#22
merseyman Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: san francisco Posts: 381	... are any of the other butterflies known to be as "reef safe" as the copperbands? __________________ ...there's not necessarily always tomorrow... Current Tank Info: 120g, 4-sided starphire, "island" overflow. Being built!

11/17/2006, 03:24 AM	#23
michaeldaly Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Earth Posts: 2,009	None quite as reef safe. Some people say they have had good succcess keeping a long nosed butterfly in their reef tank.

11/20/2006, 10:36 PM	#24
Gooli Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Los Angeles Posts: 3,746	ok..im back with some feedback. i've had him for almost 2 weeks now....i decided to starve him out and not feed live foods....it worked! he finished eating all the aiptasia and now he's eating frozen mysis shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen blood worms. my yellow tang no longer beats up on him..all is well __________________ "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. " - Benjamin Franklin Current Tank Info: 180g SPS

11/21/2006, 08:52 AM	#25
Crusty Old Shellback MASVC OG Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Home of the FREE, Thanks to the BRAVE! Posts: 5,089	Good to hear Golan. Also glad he's eating and doing good. Enjoy. __________________ Have you THANKED a Veteran lately for the freedoms you take for granted each day? Best quote ever! "This is a hobby for God sakes and so many people get so uptite. A "hobby" so it should be fun and not a cause to worry or go broke." Paul B Current Tank Info: Tankless for a while. RIP my 8+ yr old pair of Naso tangs, 4 + yr old Moorish Idol