Feeding Copperband butterflyfish

[jackalexander]

I recently got this healthy looking copperband butterfly from my LFS. My first attempt at the copperband and I want to try to be successful because it’s a beautiful fish. As suspected it was quite picky at my LFS but to my surprise, it did eat some pieces of mysis. Not enough to stabilize its health long term but it did eat it. Currently, he grazes my rocks but I don’t think the pods will last long enough. Any suggestions to feeding a semi-picky copperband?

(don’t mind my green hair algae issue, i’m working on it lol)

 

[i cant think]

I recently got this healthy looking copperband butterfly from my LFS. My first attempt at the copperband and I want to try to be successful because it’s a beautiful fish. As suspected it was quite picky at my LFS but to my surprise, it did eat some pieces of mysis. Not enough to stabilize its health long term but it did eat it. Currently, he grazes my rocks but I don’t think the pods will last long enough. Any suggestions to feeding a semi-picky copperband?

(don’t mind my green hair algae issue, i’m working on it lol)

Maybe try getting it to eat small ghost shrimp and then feed frozen again? Although that’s what I know people do on a CBB that refuses to eat all together

 

[billandwende]

Buy fresh clams. Use a knife to cut them open and into two pieces. drop one piece in at a time. Repeat as necessary. The cut in half pieces can be frozen for later use and dropped in frozen as well. I have many starving fish so I drop in 2 entire clams every other day. Let me know how it works out. If you can keep a Copper Band for the first few weeks your usually in good shape.

 

[argiBK]

That's a great sign they're already responding to Mysis!

You'll need to find what triggers its feeding response and use that as a starting point to train them onto frozen or prepared foods. If you experiment with different foods and preparations and observe their enthusiasm for the food, you should be able to begin to build a menu for them.

Mine went only for live blood worms at first, but it was enough to train it to eat frozen, then dried bloodworms, and now completely frozen LRS and even flakes/pellets. Others have had luck with fresh clams and food mixed into Mass Stick as well.

 

[ReefRusty]

If you can get it to eat mysis thats great it may take some time, I recently got a CB as well and it loves fresh Mussels bought from my local shops. I cut 1 in half and throw in each halves on either side of the tank, demolishes them in 30 mins. Have also seen it chase some pellets and eat them.

I have 1kg frozen Mussels then put 1 in tap water to defrost then rinse in some.RO water before cutting in halves and into tank

 

[ccole]

It’s a good sign that he eats something frozen! When I bought mine, he would only eat certain parts of LRS reef frenzy (the clam I believe) and spit everything else out. Now he will eat any part and has began sampling mysis shrimp.

 

[alton]

Like ccole said the fact he is eating is a good thing plus he is in good shape try LRS. Also do you have a smaller docile fish that can show him how to eat? Sometimes fish follow other fishes habits.

 

[Gtinnel]

I tried a copperband once and the only thing I could get it to eat were live white worms. Unfortunately it was too little to late for mine.

 

[Sleepingtiger]

Buy fresh clams. Use a knife to cut them open and into two pieces. drop one piece in at a time. Repeat as necessary. The cut in half pieces can be frozen for later use and dropped in frozen as well. I have many starving fish so I drop in 2 entire clams every other day. Let me know how it works out. If you can keep a Copper Band for the first few weeks your usually in good shape.

i bought frozen clams from an asian market. Threw a clam in there every day. The copperband went nuts. He was such a healthy specimen as well. Eradicated my aptasia problem within the first week

 

[Tamberav]

I recently got this healthy looking copperband butterfly from my LFS. My first attempt at the copperband and I want to try to be successful because it’s a beautiful fish. As suspected it was quite picky at my LFS but to my surprise, it did eat some pieces of mysis. Not enough to stabilize its health long term but it did eat it. Currently, he grazes my rocks but I don’t think the pods will last long enough. Any suggestions to feeding a semi-picky copperband?

(don’t mind my green hair algae issue, i’m working on it lol)

LRS in a mesh bag

Live worms

Live clams you buy at a grocery or Asian grocery. Freeze them then slice into small thin pieces. The clams on the half shell from LFS or not a substitute. You want fresh human grade stuff.

Even if he is eating mysis. Mysis is mostly shell and this is not a recommended long term solution.

 

[ying yang]

Feeding clams and oysters to copperband?

Hi there,ive read about feeding fish and inparticular copperband butterflies, So i read about buying fresh clams and then freezing them,i live in big city in england but cant for life off me find a fishmongers lol. So found a fishmonger section in a not so local supermarket,so i bought these raw...

www.reef2reef.com

Look this thread i started asking about clams/oysters as some good articles/videos and good information from a few people

 

[jdiefenbaugh]

Live black worms, live adult brine, frozen PE mysids, frozen clams on the shell, LRS reef foods, masstick. I have always QT'd and gotten them eating really well before putting them in a display with other fish.

 

[ApoIsland]

I recently got this healthy looking copperband butterfly from my LFS. My first attempt at the copperband and I want to try to be successful because it’s a beautiful fish. As suspected it was quite picky at my LFS but to my surprise, it did eat some pieces of mysis. Not enough to stabilize its health long term but it did eat it. Currently, he grazes my rocks but I don’t think the pods will last long enough. Any suggestions to feeding a semi-picky copperband?

(don’t mind my green hair algae issue, i’m working on it lol)

1/2 cube of PE Mysis just for the CBB in the morning, and a regular broadcast feeding of regular mysis in the evening keeps mine fat and happy.

 

[jackalexander]

Like ccole said the fact he is eating is a good thing plus he is in good shape try LRS. Also do you have a smaller docile fish that can show him how to eat? Sometimes fish follow other fishes habits.

I have a leopard wrasse that will hopefully show him how to eat frozen, the wrasse destroys mysis and brine.

 

[sp1187]

as other have stated, the clams.
if you have those tiny feather dusters in your sump, mines loaded with them, scrape them off and toss them into the display. they love dusters.

 

[Glenner’sreef]

All the right foods suggested above! But twice a day is necessary. If you’re not confident in the pod population in your tank then make sure you feed your tank twice a day. The flow as well should not be super crazy as CBB are about half as slow as wrasses, Tangs etc. If the food is hard to chase down your Butterfly might starve. They are hunting and picking all the time because they need to eat. Agreed, a beautiful fish! Love mine!

 

[jackalexander]

as other have stated, the clams.

if you have those tiny feather dusters in your sump, mines loaded with them, scrape them off and toss them into the display. they love dusters.

All the right foods suggested above! But twice a day is necessary. If you’re not confident in the pod population in your tank then make sure you feed your tank twice a day. The flow as well should not be super crazy as CBB are about half as slow as wrasses, Tangs etc. If the food is hard to chase down your Butterfly might starve. They are hunting and picking all the time because they need to eat. Agreed, a beautiful fish! Love mine!

Got it, thank you!

 

[Glenner’sreef]

as other have stated, the clams.


Got it, thank you!

Hey no problem, I had a CBB 5+years ago. Fed it once a day. I had it for maybe 6 months. Came home one day and it was dead. No apparent reason. Once you lose a nice fish like that, you’re attentive to others who have also lost their fish and you listen to their experience. That’s when everything I heard re: CBBs death, it pointed to diets (or lack thereof)

 

[ying yang]

Hey no problem, I had a CBB 5+years ago. Fed it once a day. I had it for maybe 6 months. Came home one day and it was dead. No apparent reason. Once you lose a nice fish like that, you’re attentive to others who have also lost their fish and you listen to their experience. That’s when everything I heard re: CBBs death, it pointed to diets (or lack thereof)

Yeah i heard they need feeding often as fast metabolism so i feed 3 - 4 times per day,except this week as i cant but got 2 people to feed once a day each so getting just twice a day this week but should be ok then on next tuesday be back to 3- 4 times daily.

 

[i cant think]

Clams are a downside because clams on a half shell will often have them nip at clams you want such as Crocea/Maxima/Squamosa/hippopus
Similar thing with feather dusters although since you have a leopard wrasse you probably won’t have either of those inverts in your tank.