Copperband Butterfly

[Seascapes]

Hey there - stop everything you are trying right now and get the CB into its own small tank, then order live black worms here: https://easternaquatics.com/ (A 1/4 pound will last a month if you change the water daily. Don't use RODI as it will kill the worms - used filtered tap (think Brita) or dechlorinated tap by leaving it out for 24 hours+) Your copperband will likely never change feeding behavior, or be stress-free enough to put on the needed caloric buffer to learn how to eat while in a new display among other fish the same size. It will likely slowly starve to death like many do. Not a certainty, but likely. Live black worms are a sure thing - it will put on weight and live. I tried everything else under the sun - clams, mussels, mastick, other frozen, tubifex, blood worms, the list goes on - it ate nothing but the live black worms. Once it is eating them, slowly introduce a small amount of mysis (Hikari brand are smaller than PE Mysis, and a better starting point). The CB will ignore them for a while, then eventually try one. Once you observe it eating the mysis, you can slowly flip the percentage and wean it off worms. This transition took more than a month for mine. I've had my CB for close to 5 years and it eats all the meaty foods I put in the tank (now a DIY seafood mix of mussels, tuna, nori for tangs, etc.) Some may get lucky, but mine has never touched pellet or flake. For ease of feeding, you really want to train it to eat what you are feeding everything else if possible. I can't imagine having to feed a mussel on the half shell everyday - but my respect to those that do. You can fart around and hope and pray and toy with the fishes life, or you can just separate it and order live black worms and have it live. Sorry to be so delineating, but it is my favorite fish, and too many are lost because people simply hope for the best...

Ordered some black worms. He did nibble on the plankton yesterday and showed some interest in the mysis.

 

[bandando]

I've had three. First one just barely ate, clams only. Died. Second ate like a pig. I put a calico crab in the tank and it vanished. The one I have now will only eat frozen mysis. I think they are just very... Variable. If you get one that eats they are great. I've never been able to change the eating habits of the ones I have. What they eat to begin with seems to be all I can get them to eat. I've never been able to get their menu to open up.

I completely agree!
My copperband eats only frozen mysis and mussels.

 

[Cjgraham86]

Try and get some brine and or mysis blowing around in the water column. If you have access to live brine that would be great.
Mine would get excited when the other fish would start to feed and not really eat anything but eventually he caught on.

I find that starting with a live version of your frozen food seems to help. I have enticed a copperband to eat frozen food by limiting feedings and providing a mix of frozen then live foods to make them see that it's the same thing. They need a nudge in the right direction sometimes... Also probably doesn't hurt to buy a young juvenile fish as well

 

[jtf74]

Don't think picking at a few pods will be anywhere near enough for the cbb for very long. I also strongly believe the key to success is keeping the cbb out of display until it eats very well. Blackworms got mine excited about eating in the beginning. As the years have gone by mine is much less picky and eats just about anything except of course pellets/flakes.

 

[vetteguy53081]

There are foods that are enticers for a copperband. The statement of Mine ate this will not help much but starting with behavior- Breathing normal?
Any head shaking, hiding or hanging near overflow?
Enticer foods for CBB:
Live Blackworms or bloodworms
Hikari half clam on the shell
LRS Herbivore diet
Massticks gel food

 

[mattgsa]

I agree with the other on the thread; I had one that was not eating anything. So I got some live mussels, and he instantly started eating them. Then, after a week or two of eating those, I started adding LRS fish frenzy in the shell with the muscle, but I didn't open it all the way. Just enough for the fish to get its mouth in. He now eats LRS like it is going out of style. He is now fat.

Also, I don't stop dropping food in the tank until the copper band stops eating it.

 

[Tamberav]

White worms are very easy to culture indefinitely and will benefit all your fish