Good bad ugly, on Copperband butterflies

[Triggreef]

I know this topic is probably killed, but I just want to hear some good and bad stories on these guys. I've been reluctant to try one because my bio load is already out of control, but I recently got a bunch of aptaisia out of nowhere. I haven't had any at all about 2 years running and all of a sudden theres about a dozen I can see and cannot reach to inject them.

So I want to try a copperband, but I'm scared. My reef is very mixed, lots of acros, stylos, birdsnest, LPS, zoas etc. So I'm a little worried if the copperband would pick at any other corals. I have no anemones.

So please share your experience with copperbands...

1 - Is/was it an aptasia eater?

2 - Does/did it eat other corals?

3 - How did you get it eating, and what worked to get him used to tank life?

4 - And as always pics if you got em!

 

[rworegon]

I've had mine for almost two years now. To get it started eating I tried a variety of things but ultimately it was finely shaved and chopped scallops from the grocery store. I qt'd him for six weeks during which he began eating heartily and became used to daily activity around the tank. I added it to the display just after lights out and he got along with everybody after a day or two. He has become the pacemaker between fish that chase each other, putting himself between any potential bully and any other fish. I haven't seen an aptasia since a couple of days after he went in. However, he does have a taste for acans and favia so those have been segregated in a different tank. If you can find one that is healthy and eats prepared foods they are a great addition to a reef. Btw. Mine now eats not only the scallops but also mysis and is always hunting worms and pods. My profile pic shows mine. We call him Bart.

 

[Triggreef]

Ouch I have 13 different acans. I would assume if he liked acans and favia then lobos and chalices could potentially be on the menu? That would be bad in my tank.

 

[bknapp]

I've never seen my CBB (current or past) touch a coral or anemone. Mine goes bonkers for live black worms and will readily eat PE Mysis and LRS. One of my absolutely favorite fish. My tank is a mixed reef.

 

[64Ivy]

I

've always been a fan of Muelleri Copperbands; endemic to Australia, as they usually come in healthier and less finicky. Nevertheless, I still recommend quarantining all Copperbands to help them build up their reserves and strength before introducing them into the competition of a display. For starter foods, you can't go wrong with live blackworms and clams on the half-shell, then try to gradually wean it over to mysis or whatever you're feeding your other fish. Save the blackworms as an occasional snack. My Copperband completely cleared my tank of a light infestation of aiptasia in less than a week. And this is a 500g tank! The only other life form it ever went after were fanworms but I suppose it might take out clams also. Never had a problem with 'sps' or 'lps' corals. All in all, as long as I maintain a reeftank, I'll maintain a Copperband to keep in it.

 

[fishmommy]

Mine ate all my aptasia.
It has not been picking on my acans as far as I can tell.
So far it only eats live blackworms but Ihave him eating from the tip of a turkey baster so am hopeful I can substitute other foods at some point.
I have had it a few months.

 

[Triggreef]

I might give one a shot. I suppose I could try a few extra frags in an established quarantine to make sure of which corals it will or won't snack on, prior to letting one loose in my display.

 

[LPS Hunter]

I have had one for two months now. He was healthy and eating frozen brine at the LFS. I have a 125 mixed reef that is SPS dominant.

Brought him home, took him a few days to notice the aptaisia (I had well over 100 in a 125 gallon tank)...once he started eating them he didn't stop until they were all gone. Would still eat frozen brine and mysis when I put them in the tank but he was ALWAYS on the hunt. One day, I notice one of my lobos a little less puffy and he was picking at one of the mouths. Had to move that into the sump later that day...then, I notice him picking on one of my acan colonies (only 1 out of 6-7 colonies I have) and I had to move that to the sump. They were both a shade of green, if that matters. Since then, I have not noticed him picking at any other SPS or zoas. I have duncans, blastos, acans, chalices, lobos, and I have only seen him pick at those two. Never noticed him picking at any SPS.

I am hesitant to put any new LPS(mainly acans or lobos) in the tank. I have added quite a few SPS pieces since then and he ignores them.

HTH.

 

[Humblefish]

Back in the day, it seemed I always had a CBB in one of my tanks. Got them started on live brine or blackworms, and it wasn't long before they were eating even flake. However, I don't remember one ever lasting for longer than 5 years (and that was only once; 2-3 years was much more common.) For the past 2-3 years I can't get one thru QT... they always starve to death or I think I lost one to velvet before I got the CP raised in time.

I've been told specimens from Australia have a much better chance of survival... but that's $100-200 for a $30-40 fish. I probably won't try one again unless I can snag one off of DD (which I've can't remember ever seen a regular CBB on there).

 

[Triggreef]

I grabbed one impulsively from my LFS a few days ago. He ate LBW at the store, so I felt fairly safe. Looks great except it has a small black spot next to the normal black spot, on one side of him. It just looks like some sort of color deformation, which I'm okay with, IMO it makes him unique. I have him eating mysis and LBW very well and I have been feeding him as many times a day as possible. I also grabbed a couple anthias (First try with anthias) and a tailspot blenny. All are doing quite well at this point and look very clean.

I'm quarantining a bit differently this time, using my established 72g which I had set up for leopards but has been fish less a while. I figure if I see signs of flukes I can treat, and if I see ich I'll just pull them all and go through TTM. There were some aptasia in that tank, but I'm not seeing them anyore except one that was sort of different and very clear. Unsure why he hasn't gone for that one. The few "test" corals (hitch hiker's)in there are so far so good.

 

[Eckolancer]

..

1 - Is/was it an aptasia eater?

2 - Does/did it eat other corals?

3 - How did you get it eating, and what worked to get him used to tank life?

4 - And as always pics if you got em!

Good they are great looking fish and have a great attitude
Bad they eat aptaisa for the most part
Ugly they are hard to train to eat other foods.

1.
Mine are about 30 aptaisa in my tank over night.

2.
Mine didnt and still dosent touch other corals, as well as my feather dusters, and anenomes (just got lucky)

3.
Took about a week to get him to look at mysis shrimp. I soaked it in garlic and vitamins and kept feeding daily. All other fish would go crazy and think that helped him realize he better eat.

4.

 

[Humblefish]

Triggreef - Keep a close eye on that small black spot. If it starts to turn a different color (like red), treat with a wide spectrum antibiotic. Butterflies are notorious for getting these little red sores a few weeks after collection.

 

[bruceosterberg]

Well Mine is about one week in the Tank Today.. Bandit is its Name. Only Had two visible aptasia, but he ate them both. He is always Picking at the Turbo Snails and I notice they no Longer have antenna, Oh Well, so far the snails don't mind. But what does is the Rock Anemone. He is getting Picked on all the time and I believe slowly consumed. two many small wavy things around his oral disk that my CBB can't resist. It's a Dull Color, so I will not miss the Rock anemone if he eventually Goes. Only picks on Him at night. Also bought a live clam Today and put a Small hole in Shell. The CBB was very busy picking on it all Day. Finally removed the Shell.

 

[Triggreef]

@Triggreef - Keep a close eye on that small black spot. If it starts to turn a different color (like red), treat with a wide spectrum antibiotic. Butterflies are notorious for getting these little red sores a few weeks after collection.

I will keep an eye on it. It really just looks to be an odd discoloration though. I did a lot of reading past butterfly quarantine threads regarding mouth rot and such. I have several antibiotics on hand. Speaking of which, just to be ready if the time comes, what would you suggest out of erythromycin, TMP sulfa, and kanamycin? I might have some others but thats all I can think of at the moment.

 

[Humblefish]

I will keep an eye on it. It really just looks to be an odd discoloration though. I did a lot of reading past butterfly quarantine threads regarding mouth rot and such. I have several antibiotics on hand. Speaking of which, just to be ready if the time comes, what would you suggest out of erythromycin, TMP sulfa, and kanamycin? I might have some others but thats all I can think of at the moment.

Of the three you listed, kanamycin. I recently helped someone locally with a really nasty bacterial infection that was spreading like wildfire, and the Kanaplex+Furan-2+metronidazole combo that somebody on RC suggested worked wonders. I was very impressed. However, I know SDguy is a big fan of Nitrofuracin Green powder for treating infections in butterflies. So, you have some options.

 

[Triggreef]

Ah, I keep metro on hand as well.

 

[Triggreef]

Update on mine, coming along well. He knocked out every bit of aptasia in my cycled qt, and has taken to frozen mysis and live blackworms very well. Saw some signs of flukes including a cloudy eye, a little twitching, and then some scraping so treated 2 rounds of prazi, seems to have done the trick.

I believe the black spot is a discoloration of sorts still.

Will be starting TTM soon and then into display, along with the 2 anthias and tailspot blenny that are with him now.

 

[Humblefish]

Update on mine, coming along well. He knocked out every bit of aptasia in my cycled qt, and has taken to frozen mysis and live blackworms very well. Saw some signs of flukes including a cloudy eye, a little twitching, and then some scraping so treated 2 rounds of prazi, seems to have done the trick.

I believe the black spot is a discoloration of sorts still.

Will be starting TTM soon and then into display, along with the 2 anthias and tailspot blenny that are with him now.

Sounds good! :wink:

 

[Triggreef]

Check out his dorsal fin. There's a tiny white spec on his top and another at the rear of his dorsal fin. Neither is ich, I'm confident in that. perhaps lympho? The one on the rear of his dorsal has been there from about the first week I had him. No change. it actually looks like that white spot goes right through the fin as it looks the same on both sides. What do you think about that?

 

[Triggreef]

And his QT buddies just for fun...