Copperband butterfly ONLY eats blackworms

[WallyB]

You don’t believe CBB eats pellets and need proof? Is that a serious statement?

I've had a few copperbands that managed to live a few years, and they have never touched (Flake or Pellets).
Only Frozen Foods, Clam on a shell, and live food in tank.

Would be nice if someone showed evidence so I can have hope it's possible, since in QT it's the best time to train a copperbands on as many variety of foods as possible, before they go into DT where eatting become very competitive.

Pellet would be great. Probably not the proper diet, but certainly a suppliment.

No point Poluting a QT with Pellets or Flake if the Copperband won't touch it. Difficult enought to get them to eat anything.

Surely someone could do a video and showing their copperband eating pellets.
I searched on YouTUbe and NOT one single video.

 

[Beau_B]

I could make some attempt to video it. Mine eats them everyday. It’s mostly off the bottom in the sand so I’m not sure it would be distinguishable on “film” other than the obvious commencing of the pecking following the pellets entering the tank! It goes so far as to pluck them out of corals too, annoyingly.

I find it unlikely that they are trainable in QT without other fish to show them the way. Mine didn’t eat pellets for some time, presumably after it saw all the other fish eating them.

How does one post a video?

 

[Beau_B]

Let’s try this…



As I suspected it's hard to tell, but I dumped NLS and some flake in. At the end of the video it's easier to see the one pecked off that chalice.

 

[WallyB]

Let’s try this…



As I suspected it's hard to tell, but I dumped NLS and some flake in. At the end of the video it's easier to see the one pecked off that chalice.

Wow. Cool. You are certainly lucky to have that Copperband. Has a great appetite.
Hey, it can't hurt to try some pellets in my QT. I have at least dozen varieties of pellets.
I may have do more water changes in QT with the extra (non-eaten-food), but it's worth the effort.

Many Thanks.

 

[SDK]

Wow. Cool. You are certainly lucky to have that Copperband. Has a great appetite.
Hey, it can't hurt to try some pellets in my QT. I have at least dozen varieties of pellets.
I may have do more water changes in QT with the extra (non-eaten-food), but it's worth the effort.

Many Thanks.

You can, but I would be amazed if it took pellets in QT. Mine needed a couple of months in the DT to start on pellets, and I have an auto feeder dropping pellets and nori flakes in twice per day...

 

[jtf74]

I wanted to make this thread to confirm this with you guys.

I purchased my copperband from the LFS. He was eating mysis and frozen foods, and even ate them in my QT tank.

Ever since I started feeding live blackworms, my copperband refuses to eat anything else.

I’m fine with feeding blackworms. The “problems” is that I’m worried these foods are not completely nutritious. Especially since they are a freshwater worm with less fat and protein than the whiteworms.

My copperband voraciously eats the worms from the water column. I will attempt to take a video for your entertainment, but…is this fish going to last long term if blackworms is all he eats?

PS: I have 2 deresa clams (tridacna) and the copperband doesn’t touch either of them. I feed LRS (which contains clams) but the copperband won’t touch them either. He exclusively lives off worms.

I'd not feed him for a day or two (if its got enough fat reserves) and offer mysis again when its really hungry.

 

[Miami Reef]

I'd not feed him for a day or two (if its got enough fat reserves) and offer mysis again when its really hungry.

That’s the problem. This fish does not have fat reserves. He got pretty skinny because I didn’t know he was refusing mysis in quarantine.

 

[jtf74]

That’s the problem. This fish does not have fat reserves. He got pretty skinny because I didn’t know he was refusing mysis in quarantine.

Ok. I'd keep with the worms then but keep trying mysis, clam, etc.mixed in when you feed the worms. Mine also loves loves loves aiptasia and I have a separate tank full just to supplement so maybe you can find some locally. Also mine loves white worms too.

 

[Miami Reef]

Ok. I'd keep with the worms then but keep trying mysis, clam, etc. when you feed the worms. Mine also loves loves loves aiptasia and I have a separate tank full just to supplement so maybe you can find some locally. Also mine loves white worms too.

I have tons of aiptasia and the copperband won’t even eat one! He’s pretty much only good for his looks and personality - and I knew that going for the copperbands. I’ve always read they were hit or miss for aiptasia.

Honestly, I’m not worried about the copperband. My white worm culture took off and it’s very sustainable. The copperband will live a very healthy life hopefully.

 

[jtf74]

I have tons of aiptasia and the copperband won’t even eat one! He’s pretty much only good for his looks and personality - and I knew that going for the copperbands. I’ve always read they were hit or miss for aiptasia.

Honestly, I’m not worried about the copperband. My white worm culture took off and it’s very sustainable. The copperband will live a very healthy life hopefully.

Saw your video. It is awful thin. These fish need more food than tangs and omnivores so make sure its getting a lot of worms. My cbb eats several dozen mysis every day and still hungry.

 

[Miami Reef]

Saw your video. It is awful thin. These fish need more food than tangs and omnivores so make sure its getting a lot of worms. My cbb eats several dozen mysis every day and still hungry.

I know he was thin. Poor guy. He’s gained some weight and is no longer in critical condition.

By this month he will become FAT! My white worms are producing at a crazy rate and soon I will feed boatloads of worms daily for this fish. He’s going to be a lucky guy.

 

[jtf74]

I know he was thin. Poor guy. He’s gained some weight and is no longer in critical condition.

By this month he will become FAT! My white worms are producing at a crazy rate and soon I will feed boatloads of worms daily for this fish. He’s going to be a lucky guy.

I hope so. Looks like its got good energy. FWIW mine didn't touch aiptasia for a month, then one day they were all gone.

 

[Miami Reef]

I hope so. Looks like its got good energy. FWIW mine didn't touch aiptasia for a month, then one day they were all gone.

Is yours an adult?

 

[jtf74]

Is yours an adult?

adult ish. 3-4"

 

[blazn]

If it helps, I just ordered masstick because I read it’s good for finicky eaters, especially copperbands who like to pick off rocks and glass.

I did forget to mention that my copperband picks at rocks as well, but I do not believe that it is sufficient enough to keep him alive.

I took Masstick, along with frozen LRS, etc, and would take spare porous rocks and smash the food into the pores/crevices and then freeze the rocks. I'd then add one of these rocks to the tank daily and my CBB, along with most of my other fish, loved pecking away at it. I also was able to get the CBB eating nori.

Unfortunately, I never could get it to eat out of the water column, even with offering black & white worms, it was oblivious that food was floating by. It would pick at all the rock-work and clams/mussels in the shell, but none of it was enough to keep it going. This CBB had been pre-quarrantined for 2 months, so I knew it had been eating and it was very healthy appearing when I got it. It only made it 3 weeks.

I'd love to have a CBB and I thought that getting one that survived 2 months of QT, it would have been able to start eating well considering all the types of food I provided. I will never try another CBB without knowing it's eating from the water column prior to purchase.

Based on what I've read, CBB's should be able to thrive on a worm only diet, but I'd expect that over time, it'll start adding more items to its menu. Good luck!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Mine is an eating machine and very aggressive feeder. My magic food was LRS herbivore diet. Each CBB differs in food preference. It can be intimidation, flukes, adjusting to new tank as some factors fr not eating.
Now that it eats live blackworms, try adding some frozen. Once it takes the frozen, mix frozen with brine shrimp. Once it takes brine shrimp, eliminate blackworms and add mysis. Once it eats mysis- It should eat all frozen offered.

 

[TheDragonsReef]

You can also soak the blackworms in selcon, its basically vitimins for fish. Both my longnoses are pigs and one even eats nori lol

 

[Snoopy 67]

Mine only eats small Mysis. It is VERY picky, only complete small mysis, no partials, he inspects before eating.
I have a Longnose hawk on the same diet which surprised me as they have always eaten whatever was presented in the past.

 

[Miami Reef]

Update!!

copperband is eating everything now! The only caveat is that I must hold the food on the surface of the water. He eats ALL frozen foods! This is amazing!

 

[Gobi-Wan]

I wanted to make this thread to confirm this with you guys.

I purchased my copperband from the LFS. He was eating mysis and frozen foods, and even ate them in my QT tank.

Ever since I started feeding live blackworms, my copperband refuses to eat anything else.

I’m fine with feeding blackworms. The “problems” is that I’m worried these foods are not completely nutritious. Especially since they are a freshwater worm with less fat and protein than the whiteworms.

My copperband voraciously eats the worms from the water column. I will attempt to take a video for your entertainment, but…is this fish going to last long term if blackworms is all he eats?

PS: I have 2 deresa clams (tridacna) and the copperband doesn’t touch either of them. I feed LRS (which contains clams) but the copperband won’t touch them either. He exclusively lives off worms.

Mine took a very very long time to get it to eat what i wanted as well. I eventually won by teaching it to feed from a turkey baster. this was also because i had 2 tangs and 2 large clownfish that were very agressive eaters. but anyway i would feed what he liked from the turkey baster and he eventually got to the point where he would reach his beak inside the end of the turkey baster so i would be gently squeezing it so the next bite was just inside the tip. Then i started mixing the food once he learned what they turkey baster was so the next bite would be of LRS or whatever you want him to eat. After i got him on LRS i eventually made a feeder out of a PVC plug and cap that fit together with holes drilled in the cap. Now i just put a chunk of LRS inside it and he eats as much as he wants and the rest floats out of the holes and everyone gets fed.