Copperband eating clam question

[MarsReefer]

This is probably a really dumb question.
I got my copperband yesterday and I’m trying to get him to eat. I bought some frozen clams from the super market, microwaved it for 10 seconds, split it open and dropped it in the tank.

my copperband has been viciously attacking it for like 15 minutes but he doesn’t seem capable of breaking through the skin? Do I need to further split it open through the skin? Is he just taking really small bites I can’t see?

 

[thepotoo]

My two cents: I don't microwave it, just toss it in the tank. I also don't split it in half, the copperband can fit his mouth in the clam once it opens, and the other fish can't.

As long as he's working on eating it, I wouldn't worry about it, they do take very tiny bites.

 

[BuckChoklit]

i cut in half and add some garlic then i put it back in the half shell

 

[MarsReefer]

I got some garlic and selcan coming today so I’ll try cutting it open and adding that and skipping the microwaving.

 

[BuckChoklit]

Good Luck! Theyre an amazing fish with lots of personality and appear to be very curious. Ive had one for a little over 2 weeks and already a favorite

 

[ReeferSamster]

This is probably a really dumb question.
I got my copperband yesterday and I’m trying to get him to eat. I bought some frozen clams from the super market, microwaved it for 10 seconds, split it open and dropped it in the tank.

my copperband has been viciously attacking it for like 15 minutes but he doesn’t seem capable of breaking through the skin? Do I need to further split it open through the skin? Is he just taking really small bites I can’t see?

I would use blackworms. not clams. blackworms are guaranteed for healthy copperbands to start eating. turn off your pump flow. In time, with pavlovs conditioning you can even hand feed them eventually. if you feed them clams, then forget forever having a tridacnea clam in your tank... they will have learned a taste for clams. Sorry for quality, but its over ten years old and it was low res back then:

He successfully migrated to my new tank 10 years later. He recently died. I hope due to natural causes. I recently got another one and he was skinny and starved at the LFS (as all copperbands are) but the black worms made him fat and super aggressive.

EDIT: Even if the copperband you see at the lfs is skinny and has all the markings of starvation, but show some signs of pecking at artificial coral at LFS's, they have a chance. Buy the skinny copperband and rescue him/her. Just get a bunch of blackworms and they will be the showpiece of your tank. Its my favorite fish.

 

[MarsReefer]

I would use blackworms. not clams. blackworms are guaranteed for healthy copperbands to start eating. turn off your pump flow. In time, with pavlovs conditioning you can even hand feed them eventually. if you feed them clams, then forget forever having a tridacnea clam in your tank... they will have learned a taste for clams. Sorry for quality, but its over ten years old and it was low res back then:

He successfully migrated to my new tank 10 years later. He recently died. I hope due to natural causes. I recently got another one and he was skinny and starved at the LFS (as all copperbands are) but the black worms made him fat and super aggressive.

EDIT: Even if the copperband you see at the lfs is skinny and has all the markings of starvation, but show some signs of pecking at artificial coral at LFS's, they have a chance. Buy the skinny copperband and rescue him/her. Just get a bunch of blackworms and they will be the showpiece of your tank. Its my favorite fish.

Unfortunately I looked everywhere but live black worms are basically impossible to source since Covid the best I can tell.

 

[DaJMasta]

I would agree that just leaving the clam a crack open should be fine, and that microwaving isn't required (nor would I do it). They go after live clams/scallops by sort of stabbing their beak in there and trying to rip something off. They can only eat much smaller chunks than you'd expect from a large fish, but they will pull and snap at larger chunks.

I've heard mastic on a clam shell can help similarly, but a lot will hunt on the rocks and sand - filter feeding worms and things make up part of their normal diet, so if yours is hunting (that thing where they sort of turn themselves upwards while staring at something), it's a good sign. You could try feeding frozen with the powerheads off so it settles on the rockwork to present it in a way that it's more used to.

As for worms, while live worms do have a pretty high acceptance rate, I wouldn't say they are guaranteed. My current CBB totally ignores the frozen bloodworms I feed (as well as the brine shrimp), and generally doesn't seem to care about spaghetti worms in the tank, whereas previous ones would go crazy for basically any kind of worm. I've had good acceptance for chopped mixed foods (currently reef frenzy nano) and hikari mysis shrimp with all of the CBBs I've kept that ate frozen, but they do need to basically realize that it's food before they go after it.


Worth mentioning that they are particular about what bivalves they eat. My current one likes scallops, jewelbox clams, and wing oysters, but totally ignores my derasa clam.

 

[ReeferSamster]

Unfortunately I looked everywhere but live black worms are basically impossible to source since Covid the best I can tell.

I would never feed clam especially if your evolution in the reefworld curiosity expands to tridancea clams. Go to ebay for your initial source of blackworms. its expensive, yes. but eventually you can ween the copperband to other foods that free float, such as enriched brine shrimp, bloodworms and even mysis. i have never in 25 years of this hobby have seen a copperband eat flake processed food. if YMMV then i would like to see a video. but trust me, copperbands are like princesses's when you first get them. my nitrates and phosphastes went off the roof the 2 times I had to get my starving copperbands to start eating. It is simply this: blackworms. bloodworms. no clams. then pavlov condition them to eat from a pipette. Then they will eventually eat from your fingers. Scroll past to my posts about voluntarilly saving copperbands in Petland discounts mass chain store.

Here is a 10 year old video

 

[dadnjesse]

I guess I got lucky. My Copperband that I got from Dr Reef has been eating frozen Mysis since day one. He was pretty thin but has gained a lot in the 4 weeks I have had him.

 

[MarsReefer]

I guess I got lucky. My Copperband that I got from Dr Reef has been eating frozen Mysis since day one. He was pretty thin but has gained a lot in the 4 weeks I have had him.

Did you just broadcast feed? Hand feed? Mine just swims right through the cloud of Mysis.

 

[MarsReefer]

Unfortunately my little guy didn’t survive the weekend. He looked pretty skinny when I got him but I was hopeful that he was biting at the clam. I assume there was pretty much no saving him since he only lived less than 72 hours after I got him. I figured Dr. Reef would ensure he was eating well in QT before sending him, but I assumed wrong I guess.

I got a fox face at the same time and he seems to be doing well, cruising around the tank pecking at my algae. Though he is not a fan of my royal gramma. He flashes his spikes every time the little guy gets within a foot of him.

 

[BuckChoklit]

oh man. Im so sorry.

 

[DaJMasta]

It's been my experience that once they stop hunting around, there is very little chance of them surviving. It seems they sort of stop trying to eat once they have been hungry for long enough, and I've even tried moving them into tanks with almost no flow and pipetting food directly into their mouth (since in low flow and in this state, they typically have their beak facing somewhat upwards) only to have them spit it out and pass away anyways.

I also wouldn't recommend buying a malnourished one and trying to nurse it back to health because no food, in my experience, is a magic bullet to get them to eat - not even live blackworms. While I don't think being fat when you buy them is a requirement, it does buy them extra time, and it is essential that the fish you're considering is at least looking for food (the characteristic behavior is turning their beak down at the rocks/sand/etc. and and sometimes going in for a peck.) If they are just staying in one area, looking away, or acting afraid and aren't plump, I doubt there will be enough time for them to get comfortable enough to start hunting around and then try to accept prepared foods. Having well established live rock with a number of bivalves and fan worms also helps extend the time they have to learn their new food, since they're natural food sources for them which seem to be immediately recognized by the ones I've kept.

 

[Dolphis]

Unfortunately my little guy didn’t survive the weekend. He looked pretty skinny when I got him but I was hopeful that he was biting at the clam. I assume there was pretty much no saving him since he only lived less than 72 hours after I got him. I figured Dr. Reef would ensure he was eating well in QT before sending him, but I assumed wrong I guess.

I got a fox face at the same time and he seems to be doing well, cruising around the tank pecking at my algae. Though he is not a fan of my royal gramma. He flashes his spikes every time the little guy gets within a foot of him.

So you got it quarantined from Dr Reef and it died?

I would contact him, he’s pretty good at helping when a fish doesn’t make it.
I too would have assumed it be eating, as that’s what the site say.

I ordered a CBB from him as well, almost a year ago. It took the CBB a few days before he ate, figured he was just getting used to his new home.

sorry to hear about your CBB, but I’m sure he’ll help you out

 

[InvictusReef]

This is probably a really dumb question.
I got my copperband yesterday and I’m trying to get him to eat. I bought some frozen clams from the super market, microwaved it for 10 seconds, split it open and dropped it in the tank.

my copperband has been viciously attacking it for like 15 minutes but he doesn’t seem capable of breaking through the skin? Do I need to further split it open through the skin? Is he just taking really small bites I can’t see?

It’s not the worst idea to break it down into smaller pieces. Mine enjoys frozen PE Misys also.

 

[MarsReefer]

So you got it quarantined from Dr Reef and it died?

I would contact him, he’s pretty good at helping when a fish doesn’t make it.
I too would have assumed it be eating, as that’s what the site say.

I ordered a CBB from him as well, almost a year ago. It took the CBB a few days before he ate, figured he was just getting used to his new home.

sorry to hear about your CBB, but I’m sure he’ll help you out

Yeah all the fish in my tank are from him, and this is the first one i've ever had an issue with. Hopefully we can work something out, i've been very happy up until this guy.

 

[Dolphis]

Yeah all the fish in my tank are from him, and this is the first one i've ever had an issue with. Hopefully we can work something out, i've been very happy up until this guy.

I’m sure he’ll make it right.
He’s easy to work with and very understanding.
I’ve been happy with ordering from him.
I’ve had a fish died from him and was promptly replaced.