Need help with Copperband Butterfly

[reefpunk]

Hey everyone, happy holidays!

My fiancé surprised me with a copperband butterfly for Christmas and added it to the tank while I was out of town. It went in last Friday, and I got back on the 24th. She bought it from a reputable local seller who quarantines all their fish and ensures they’re eating before selling them.

A couple of issues have come up:

1. The copperband’s beak is bent. The top tip is curved upward, and the lower part curves downward. I’m not sure if this happened in my tank or before. Has anyone dealt with this kind of issue before? Can it recover?

2. My yellow tang was aggressive when the copperband was first added. My fiancé said it was pretty intense the first day but calmed down after that to more of a display than actual physical aggression. Yesterday, after I got back, I watched the tank for a while and didn’t see anything physical, but the copperband was clearly stressed. I moved the yellow tang to the sump last night to give it a break.

Now, even with the tang in the sump, the copperband is still glass surfing in the corner and seems too scared to explore the tank. It hasn’t eaten yet but has been picking at a rock near its corner. It’s still a good weight and was eating fine before being added. How long does it usually take for copperbands to settle in and start acting normally?

Tank details:

150 gallons (72x30x17)

Current fish: tomini tang, ornate leopard wrasse, black leopard wrasse, single clownfish, yellowtail damsel, pacific cleaner wrasse, psychedelic mandarin, lawnmower blenny, zebra eel, and snowflake eel. The yellow tang is now in the sump.

Appreciate any advice or suggestions!

 

[*GAREEF*]

Sorry, I don’t have good news for you.
Copperbands are very delicate fish.
As far as the bent mouth, that is also not good.
If it is raw it might lead to infection and an inability to eat. The best you can do is make sure no one else is bothering him. Make sure your water parameters are all in check and keep them stable.
He might end up needing antibiotic treatment so get prepared for that.
Offer food several times a day and make sure it’s enough that there is some left over after your other fish eat, if the copperband is not eating in front of you.
I would feed and walk away because you being there will just add to its stress right now.
You don’t have to leave the room but observe from a distance if you know what I mean.
Say a prayer or two might help as well.
Sorry this is happening to you and your fish.

 

[Fish Fan]

#fishmedics

Can you post of clear pic of the fish?

 

[exnisstech]

:crying-face:

Copperband Butterflyfish - A beautiful but hard to keep species.

Chelmon rostratus, one of the most iconic reef fish but one of the worst to attempt. If this wasn’t one of the first “unusual” fish to catch your eye then I’ll be surprised as many people will walk into an LFS for the first time and there will usually be one, two or in some cases four of this...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Llyod276]

My copperband glass surfs, especially after dinner. I call him twitch, cause he reminds me of a tweaker. Look in the back upper left corner. Mine eat and all. But yeah. Hope it pulls through.

Tang aggression is a real thing. If it's a new fish, then yes it'll happen as they establish hierarchy. And in my tank the foxface and copperband are the 2 most bullied fish... nothing crazy, but it still happens.