Copperband Incoming!

[tomtheturkey]

I have a Copperband butterfly incoming and I want to run by you guys all my setup and preparations.

This guy will be coming from Dr Reef Qt Fish.

Foods in stock
Live white worms
Masstick
clams on half shell
LRS reef and herbivore frenzy
frozen bloodworms
frozen Mysis
TDO pellets small

Tank Setup
I have setup a 10g observation tank with seeded media sponge filter and heater on an inkbird with a lid
with PVC hides.

My plan
I have the tank setup just for him for two weeks to get him eating and observation before he goes in the display. Since he is not my only fish in the order I have a separate 32g for the other 3 fish. I made this feeder in fusion 360 and 3D printed in PETG for him.

I have researched many months in preparation for this fish. My display has many pods and the population is booming in the display. He will likely be the first fish of this order in display tank before the other 3 to minimize stress and to get used to his environment. The only other two fish in the display tank currently are a pair of clowns.

Please offer an tips or advice or good luck.

*Please keep negativity to yourself I am aware this is not an easy fish and I am doing my best to prepare for a healthy long life.*

 

[Uncle99]

No judgement.
Why 14 days versus 30 day observation?

 

[Harpo]

I love copper banded butterfly fishes. GL

 

[Gtinnel]

It’s sounds like you are way more prepared than almost anyone who gets a copperband, including myself. I don’t have anything to add because it seems like you have everything covered. Good luck, they’re a beautiful and pretty hardy fish, once you get them eating prepared foods well.

 

[Harpo]

If Dr fish has already performed the QT then a second QT should not be necessary. Only observation

 

[tomtheturkey]

No judgement.
Why 14 days versus 30 day observation?

It just seemed like a good medium as they are Pre QT'd. Its not the end all be all to do 14 days. And no judgement taken at all. Its okay to have questions to my method of madness haha it was more geared at those who just want to bad mouth anything from the beginning with no reason at all

Suggestions and tips are welcome

 

[tomtheturkey]

If Dr fish has already performed the QT then a second QT should not be necessary. Only observation

Yeah thats why I want to observe for at least 14 days and longer if I feel I should.

 

[Uncle99]

Yeah thats why I want to observe for at least 14 days and longer if I feel I should.

That seems like a reasonable plan since they should be clean.
More the time, less the risk.

 

[Reefin Aint Easy]

I have purchased many fish from him and a CBB was one of them. They are already eating frozen food from my experience.

 

[tomtheturkey]

I have purchased many fish from him and a CBB was one of them. They are already eating frozen food from my experience.

I believe so too. He has a video on his youtube channel showing them eating frozen but with a CBB you never know it seems. I want to be ready for anything

 

[Reefin Aint Easy]

I believe so too. He has a video on his youtube channel showing them eating frozen but with a CBB you never know it seems. I want to be ready for anything

Yeah it definitely never hurts. You are very well prepared for it for sure. I will say this, to go back to what I previously said on my last response, it's smart to purchase in this manner because he took the leg work out of getting them to eat. That's the biggest reason for the high fail rate on this fish. Both of mine came eating frozen mysis already from him. So you are already ahead of the game.

Good luck with him, they really are a great fish.

 

[kevgib67]

Well first Tom, I’m glad you and your family made it through Thanksgiving without ending up on someone’s table! Second, I think you have put more thought and planning into this than I did for my whole tank. Well done, I look forward to seeing pictures of your CBB in your display and eating like a pig in the future.

 

[Lasse]

I would add frozen adult artemia as the first option and have frozen bloodworms as a second. I know that many people have had success with clams - but this would be my last option. If you want to have a clam in your display later on - it is bad to adapt it to clams from the beginning. I have had copperband together with clams for many years without any problems - see my build thread. I would not use dry food an especial not granulate or pellets.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Tcook]

I would observe for 4 weeks or more to get him eating well. Fatten him up so you don’t see any areas of atrophy. He will have a better chance of to not stop eating once hitting the DT with other, maybe aggressive eaters. I’ve tried twice with these guys and not been successful beyond a few months.

 

[tomtheturkey]

I would add frozen adult artemia as the first option and have frozen bloodworms as a second. I know that many people have had success with clams - but this would be my last option. If you want to have a clam in your display later on - it is bad to adapt it to clams from the beginning. I have had copperband together with clams for many years without any problems - see my build thread. I would not use dry food an especial not granulate or pellets.

Sincerely Lasse

Thank you I will get some brine as well in this case!!

 

[tomtheturkey]

I would observe for 4 weeks or more to get him eating well. Fatten him up so you don’t see any areas of atrophy. He will have a better chance of to not stop eating once hitting the DT with other, maybe aggressive eaters. I’ve tried twice with these guys and not been successful beyond a few months.

Yeah it seems like I may double it to four from what most people are saying.

 

[DaJMasta]

They don't eat copepods, but they do eat various organisms on rocks - feather dusters, bivalves, pest anemones, etc. I don't know how important a feeder is, they'll have no issue hunting around for food, but need to learn to recognize the new foods you're offering as food.

In my attempts (twice successful), mysis were some of the first things they'd go after on recognition aside from stuff on live rocks, but they can be picky eaters, I'd try every one of those frozen foods, maybe with clams on the half shell starting several days in (I'd offer what I offer the tank first and use them as a backup).

It's important to understand some about their behaviors to get a gauge on how it's going and how to approach things:
The behavior you want to see is them turning their head down and looking at the ground. Most of their normal food is attached to surfaces, so if they are turning their body so their beak points at a surface and looking around, they are hunting for food. Without this behavior, they're never going to recognize what's food because they're not trying to eat.
They're shy and somewhat skittish, especially early on, so make sure there is sufficient ways to break line of sight with you outside the tank. The less they are panicking, the more they'll be willing to look for food.
They prefer overhangs to hang out, but not tunnels, so having a vertical face with a little overhang at the top will probably be a preferred spot, something offering this also likely offers line of sight breaking.
Since they feed off benthic organisms, don't expect them to eat immediately out of the water column, and it's helpful for the food not to be blowing around - I would feed with pumps off at least until they start picking it out of the water column.

It is unlikely they will eat the food you offer in the first couple of days, but if they show feeding behavior, you're on a reasonable enough track. The next few days (maybe 3-6) is where you really want to see them eat something you offer. Offering natural live sources (tube worms, small bivalves, aiptasia, etc.) can prolong this period, so if it's looking healthy when you get it and you have a lot of life on your rocks, it could actually be worth adding directly as an intermediate food source, but it's still critical that you get them onto prepared foods since they will just eat everything they have access to on the rock and deplete it in a tank of that size.

Starting around one week in, if they are not eating, your chances of getting them to eat start going down. This is when I'd try clams on the half shell (or just before), or even full small frozen clams, or consider adding a sacrificial feather duster or something. As with many fish, as they run out of fat reserves, their body and behavior goes into a mode where they don't try to feed as much - making it harder and harder to keep them from starving. In my opinion, if they are eating prepared foods at the end of the first week, you've past the most difficult point.

Also worth mentioning that they may eat your livestock. My first one was a model citizen but still went after scallops and oysters living on the rock as well as feather dusters and even a filter feeding cucumber, it ate most frozen foods I offered (and not pellets). My second one (the first was rehomed being too big) eats LPS, more specifically, acans (micromussa now), and of the frozen foods I offer, will eat LRS reef frenzy, Rods food, and hikari mysis, but won't touch bloodworms or frozen brine shrimp despite acting just as excited at feeding time. Neither has touched tridacna clams, blastomussa, tubastrea, or goniopora.

 

[tomtheturkey]

They don't eat copepods, but they do eat various organisms on rocks - feather dusters, bivalves, pest anemones, etc. I don't know how important a feeder is, they'll have no issue hunting around for food, but need to learn to recognize the new foods you're offering as food.

Thank you very much for taking the time and writing this up. Very informative!

 

[Isaac Alves]

I got a CBB from fishotel.com back in May. It was prequaratined and treated prophylactically for 40 days and eating mysis.

What I’ve had good success with over the past 8 months is making sure he eats 3-4 times a day. And I use Masstick in the morning and in the evening. Middle of the day is LRS or Rods for the whole tank.

The Masstick is great in that I can mix in supplements - algae based Beta glucan and Selcon. You can also mix in other stuff into it. But I can watch him aggressively taking in the food as well, so I know he’s getting nutrition into his belly. Otherwise I’m sure he’d get out competed.

For the other meals, I use the Two Litttle Fishies Pouch feeder. Which works great to allow him to pick at the food alongside the other fish.

 

[tomtheturkey]

I got a CBB from fishotel.com back in May. It was prequaratined and treated prophylactically for 40 days and eating mysis.

What I’ve had good success with over the past 8 months is making sure he eats 3-4 times a day. And I use Masstick in the morning and in the evening. Middle of the day is LRS or Rods for the whole tank.

The Masstick is great in that I can mix in supplements - algae based Beta glucan and Selcon. You can also mix in other stuff into it. But I can watch him aggressively taking in the food as well, so I know he’s getting nutrition into his belly. Otherwise I’m sure he’d get out competed.

For the other meals, I use the Two Litttle Fishies Pouch feeder. Which works great to allow him to pick at the food alongside the other fish.

Masstick seems 50/50 from what I have read with Copperbands. Thank you for your input!