Coopper band or long nose butterfly fish?

[Arose231]

Would like to know which one is more hardy and easier to keep. Have heard cooperbands don’t survive because they refuse to eat. Got a long nose butterfly as well from Petco and it died within a few days of quarantine. What are your thoughts??

 

[TX_REEF]

petco unfortunately is not well-known for the quality of its livestock, so while I'm sad to hear it didn't survive I'm not surprised. Whichever you choose, try getting one that you know is eating from a reputable LFS or online.

 

[Ajayabb]

From my experience Long Nose Butterfly Fish are more hardy than CBB. I find them to be more aggressive eaters and less prone to being bullied by other tank mates especially when it comes to feeding. The CBB that I’ve had have needed a lot of patience with different feeding techniques in order to get them to eat. I still haven’t had any luck with them

 

[exnisstech]

I've never had a long nose. I do have a CBB pair. They eat like pigs and compete with large tangs for food. It did take some work on my part tho. Observation QT in a tank with live rock to pick at, training them to eat from the water column etc. Mine will only eat frozen. IMO CBB is not a fish to be dropped into a DT and hope for the best. Some people do it successfully but I've read about more failures than successes.