About to buy my 2nd copperband butterfly

[Dilan Patel]

Hey guys so I had purchased a copper band butterfly a couple months back and it unfortunately died a month or so ago. It was probably 3.5-4in and was only eating aptasia and pods I think. I tried to feed it frozen clams on the halfshell but never liked it. i did have it in a acclimation box to try and get it to eat in the new enviornment but it went about a week without eating so I let it go into the main aquarium so it could at least hunt something. I would like some tips on caring for this guy. I plan to gte a smaller one around 2.5-3in and still put him in an acclimation box. I cannot find live black worms here which is one major Issue. Thanks just want to give myself the highest possibility of success since I liked my last copper band

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I would try culturing your own black worms before trying to get another CBB, that would at least give you an upper hand in the event that you need them, if you don't need them you still have a nutritious food source to give to your fish.

I've also had much better experiences with finicky eaters by just asking the LFS to feed the fish before I buy it, if it eats at the store its much more likely to eat at your place.

 

[Dilan Patel]

My issue is finding them locally.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

My issue is finding them locally.

https://www.enasco.com/product/LM01015M

 

[Goldenvue]

Try pe mysis that’s what mine eat

 

[Kmsutows]

I cannot tell you how many threads in the past week alone I've read and given advice for in regards to keeping copperbands. Please, if you don't want to or can't go the extra mile for them choose a different fish. If you're up for the challenge please give it everything you've got.
Multiple feedings a day. Try a dozen different food and tricks if you have to in order to get it to eat. They are fish that eat worms from rocks in the wild. They need to learn to eat out of the water column. I would suggest if you insist on an acclamation box then make sure it's big enough for a piece of live rock for it to pick at and squish or attach the good to it. But in a small box that may scare the crap out of it so maybe swap out smaller sized rocks with new food

 

[Grey Guy]

My 1st Copperband was a success, I think mainly because my live rock was full of the little pesky tube worms. The new guy feasted on them for days, loved black worms and then would eat what the other fish eat.

 

[Dilan Patel]

I cannot tell you how many threads in the past week alone I've read and given advice for in regards to keeping copperbands. Please, if you don't want to or can't go the extra mile for them choose a different fish. If you're up for the challenge please give it everything you've got.
Multiple feedings a day. Try a dozen different food and tricks if you have to in order to get it to eat. They are fish that eat worms from rocks in the wild. They need to learn to eat out of the water column. I would suggest if you insist on an acclamation box then make sure it's big enough for a piece of live rock for it to pick at and squish or attach the good to it. But in a small box that may scare the crap out of it so maybe swap out smaller sized rocks with new food

I mean I am willing to do a lot to keep this copperband alive. Hence why I asked for more tips on keeping one longer than my other one. I feed multiple times a day anyways due to my wrasses who need it. I also put everything in an acclimation box to give fish time to get used to the new fish. The box is certainly big enough for the copperband and for a piece of LR. I have tried LRS,Butterfly food cubes,Frozen Clams and so on but have picked up PE mysis for my other fish and will certainly try it out on the copperband. I have built out of PVC feeding holes where I would squirt food into it and try and get it to eat of it but that did not work. I might not try everything since I am not made of money but I will try my best to offer this fish the best chance of survival.

 

[Lb71]

When you purchase a CB butterfly the first thing I would suggest is have them in their own quarantine tank by themselves. CB’s like most other butterfly’s need time by themselves to adjust to the new environment. When first introducing food I highly recommend using a feeding station for them. You can look on U tube on how to make one. The reason for the feeding station is it mimics their natural feeding behavior of using that long slim nose to poke into nooks and crannies for food. In time they will start pulling out food from the station and eat it floating in the water column. I agree you have to try lots of different foods until you find one they like. I fed 3 different types of frozen mysis until I found one he really ate with relish. It was Hikari frozen mysis. Something to do with the particle size?
Larry

 

[Grey Guy]

I think CB’s are in my top 3 favorite, inexpensive fish, which is the same as my top 3 favorite fish.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I think 3 key things improve the odds of cbb success.

As mentioned, have a large variety of fresh, frozen and live options on hand before you get the fish. Blackworms, half clams, masstick and various sized mysis are the foods most reported to be accepted by cbb.

Qt and have meds on hand. Qt lets the fish learn to eat in peace and acclimate to aquarium life. Setting up a qt suitable for a cbb may not be simple, but this us a difficult fish.

Most important imo is choosing the right fish. Buy locally if possible and inspect carefully. Do not take a cbb if it has any damage, bruising maeks etc on its body or mouth. Make sure it eats. Really eats, pecking rocks or tubeworms doesnt count.

Once feeding and comfortable, they become quite bold and easy to care for ime.

Good luck