Copperband Butterfly experience

[Beau_B]

Really? Mine has left them alone... for now. I am suspicious about a favia though. Might be snacking on the feeder nodules or whatever their called.

 

[DanConnor]

Well, they are gone... I used to have an acropora eating filefish that was a hazard, but he isn't in the tank anymore and there's nothing else that would eat corals. Maybe my rabbitfish? Copperband is the best bet.

 

[brian moran]

One of my favorite fish. Hearty & healthy. Boy does the tank click when she chomps on food!

 

[Lucas815]

I'm currently on my 2nd try.

The 1st one was small and already had some white fluffy stuff on it's fins, but they told me at the LFS that it was nothing to be worried about. It lasted about a week and a half in a 30G QT, and then just started waste away and died.

For the 2nd one, I got super lucky.
My LFS had a 3-4" CBB in their biggest display tank. They wouldnt sell it even though I kept asking for a couple months.
About a month ago, it took a taste to some super expensive coral (I think it was some kind of brain coral) and ate a couple thousand dollars worth of them in a short time.
So they decided to catch it and sell it, and I was first in line for that moment.
It's fat, healthy and already used to fish tank life. I didnt care for the type of coral it ate, so no big deal for me.

This time, I skipped QT altogether and put it straight in the DT.
Kinda mixed success with it so far, but it's still alive and kicking.
I tried multiple types of food, but I havent seen it eating so far. Mysis, mussels from the grocery, masstick, home made frozen food, pellets...
It's been 2 weeks now, but it must be eating something when i'm not looking as it's still rather fat.

Not seen it touching any coral, so far so good on this side.

It made friends with my Foxface, they're always together.

Very happy so far, considering the reputation of this fish !

 

[ApoIsland]

IME the vast majority of them die within the first 6 weeks. Many of them start out eating and act normally but soon start declining and end up dead. There are exceptions as with all difficult to keep fish but my guess is that about one in 8 actually survive long term.

I have had the opposite experience. I have had success getting 3 of 4 to live a bit longer term. Only the first one died in QT and I'm sure that was only because I had him in a QT not nearly capable of processing the bioload from all the food they require. If I was smarter about it then I have no doubt I would be 4 for 4.

My biggest problem is that after a while in the main tank they all start picking at my rock flower nems. I thought I had a winner this last go around as he was good for probably 6 months. Last couple weeks he was having at one of the smaller rfa's preventing it from fully opening. He has now been banished to the sump. On to the next....

 

[DanConnor]

I'm currently on my 2nd try.

The 1st one was small and already had some white fluffy stuff on it's fins, but they told me at the LFS that it was nothing to be worried about. It lasted about a week and a half in a 30G QT, and then just started waste away and died.

For the 2nd one, I got super lucky.
My LFS had a 3-4" CBB in their biggest display tank. They wouldnt sell it even though I kept asking for a couple months.
About a month ago, it took a taste to some super expensive coral (I think it was some kind of brain coral) and ate a couple thousand dollars worth of them in a short time.
So they decided to catch it and sell it, and I was first in line for that moment.
It's fat, healthy and already used to fish tank life. I didnt care for the type of coral it ate, so no big deal for me.

This time, I skipped QT altogether and put it straight in the DT.
Kinda mixed success with it so far, but it's still alive and kicking.
I tried multiple types of food, but I havent seen it eating so far. Mysis, mussels from the grocery, masstick, home made frozen food, pellets...
It's been 2 weeks now, but it must be eating something when i'm not looking as it's still rather fat.

Not seen it touching any coral, so far so good on this side.

It made friends with my Foxface, they're always together.

Very happy so far, considering the reputation of this fish !

Yeah, quarantine is great if you have to treat something, but with delicate fish that are hard to feed I put them right in the reef. If you can find an LFS with live black worms try those. Live adult brine shrimp work too, and then you can mix it with frozen brine. Mine also likes clams from the grocery- shucked frozen and grated.

 

[Beau_B]

Minced scallop is another popular option in my tank.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

The once I’ve had have always been safe with corals although I mostly keep sps.
My current one will eat rockflower anemones but leaves everything else alone.
it’s an easy fish provided that you find a healthy specimen and you are willing to meet its particular demands.