Our new Copperband

[Crabby48]

Good size, I hope you get to enjoy him for years :)
I love mine!
Once he starts to eat prepared food. You'll go nuts being able to hand feed them!

I was going to say the same thing. Does yours twitch its head eating for you to feed him? Very cool fish

Congratulations @Aparker2005

 

[Aparker2005]

I'll accept a congratulations once we can keep one alive for longer than 3 months haha

 

[vetteguy53081]

Got a close up of the newest one. It's just now after a day getting halfway interested in picking at rocks. I'm just not sure how to approach this one as the other 2 were much different, especially the previous one. I'll just keep offering food.

There is plenty of aips for it to eat, as I'm getting overrun. If this one fails it's gonna be a mass thing of F-aiptasia needed. I know not all CBB even eat it, but both have previously so fingers crossed.

Did you guy's here take a few days to start picking/eating?

It may or may not eat aptasia. Ive had mine 5 years and it has never looked at a coral.
Its favorite foods are EVERYTHING even dry foods but favorites are:
Lrs herbivore diet
mysis shrimp
Plankton
Formula 2 frozen

Spirulina brine shrimp is a good enticer as is live blackworms should it be finicky

 

[Aparker2005]

Like I said the previous one was eating aips and had started devouring mysis. Perfect looking and brave, of course dead within 2 weeks. I'll keep you guys posted!

 

[bruce337]

CBB's can be finnicky one day they like a food next they refuse it..keep mixing it up. They are also known for not wanting to eat for a few days after introduction. They typically don't eat from water column in my experience. They like grazing rocks Yes PBT's can be a menace with new additions of other fish that look similar in shape to them. Mine hadda be rehomed and I replaced him with a Mata & orange shoulder tang...who get along in the same tank shockingly....I was very leery about those 2 together but they were cool at the LFS and so far they are still getting along 3 months later.

 

[Aparker2005]

I guess I should update this thread title. Our pbt was rehomed days after we got our original CBB in this post. The newest one has no bullies now thankfully, but is the least I interactive one yet as far as picking/eating just yet. It's only been 2 days though, so not too worried yet.

 

[Aparker2005]

Daily update, but this one is making me less and less confident. It's just swimming, not remotely picking at rocks even. Won't eat anything, just swims or stays stationary for a while.

I thought since it's received aggression at all it would help, but I'm getting just frustrated with these fish in particular lol

 

[Aparker2005]

All the recommendations for clam never works for me either. They just sit there and look at it

 

[vetteguy53081]

Daily update, but this one is making me less and less confident. It's just swimming, not remotely picking at rocks even. Won't eat anything, just swims or stays stationary for a while.

I thought since it's received aggression at all it would help, but I'm getting just frustrated with these fish in particular lol

Not abnormal- Try live blackworms while not easy to find this time of the year

 

[Aparker2005]

Now it's at the top back corner of the tank just idley swimming in place. I've already lost hope for this one. Won't be trying copperbands anymore most likely unfortunately. This does suck after having such a good one last time, but seems like I'm just wasting money at this point.

 

[Aparker2005]

First time we get one with not one single sign of aggression from any tank mates and it goes to a corner and likely gonna die.

Would moving it to qt help at all or stress it even more? I usually don't qt CBBs

 

[Aparker2005]

One last question just for my knowledge. When people suggest clams from the grocery store, are the Hikari clams not the same thing? We have those and only our other fish and crabs eat them

 

[Aparker2005]

So I may have done more harm than good, but seeing it act the way it was, I had to do something. It was an easy transfer to the qt system.

I'm wondering if it's stressed out by our foxface chasing our yellow longnose butterfly and it can't settle because of the stupid foxface. Gonna try to get it eating in qt. Can't be any worse than it staying in a corner pointing to the top.

 

[Aparker2005]

Much more active and not sitting in one spot in the qt. Makes me think the foxface was the culprit by being stupid and constantly rushing the longnose.

Hopefully it'll begin to eat in this tank. The store we get our fish from said they were all confirmed eaters this shipment. We just don't have access to any live foods anywhere near us, so it's frozen usually only.

 

[ggNoRe]

You can buy a frozen clam on a half shell at fish stores https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hikari-bio-pure-frozen-clam-on-a-half-shell-4-oz.html

Those and any small live worms are probably your best bet to get them eating. Feeder pouches can also sometimes help. This is purely anecdotal but I noticed they like very clean water (low nitrates and phosphates) and are very sensitive to low oxygen situations.

I went through 9. Current guy has been with me for a little over 6 months.

https://youtube.com/shorts/bQ9UeFBwUkc?feature=share

 

[Aparker2005]

You can buy a frozen clam on a half shell at fish stores https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hikari-bio-pure-frozen-clam-on-a-half-shell-4-oz.html

Those and any small live worms are probably your best bet to get them eating. Feeder pouches can also sometimes help. This is purely anecdotal but I noticed they like very clean water (low nitrates and phosphates) and are very sensitive to low oxygen situations.

I went through 9. Current guy has been with me for a little over 6 months.

https://youtube.com/shorts/bQ9UeFBwUkc?feature=share

We have clams. Offer them and they swim away lol. I want so bad for one to make it. I was so sure the way the last one was eating so well and unafraid it was it. Then, dead out of nowhere.

This is my favorite fish we've had, but I feel like I'm being dumb keeping on trying lol

 

[ggNoRe]

Some people have success with this for picky eaters as well:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/masstick-fish-food-easy-reefs.html

 

[Aparker2005]

Some people have success with this for picky eaters as well:
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/masstick-fish-food-easy-reefs.html

We tried that on our first one. Didn't even look at it. It's so weird how ours will actively swim away from food for a while. I'm like it's food, EAT! Lol

 

[Aparker2005]

Still staying at the top corner. Hasn't picked once. Either it's just stressed still or something was wrong with it from the get go. I've given up on these after this one likely goes

 

[Goaway]

I was going to say the same thing. Does yours twitch its head eating for you to feed him? Very cool fish

Congratulations @Aparker2005

100% i got used to it.

Still staying at the top corner. Hasn't picked once. Either it's just stressed still or something was wrong with it from the get go. I've given up on these after this one likely goes

I am so sorry to hear all this. Sadly, a lot of fish are probably dying due to cyanide capture. Their livers slowly turn to mush over a couple of months. Hopefully not the case with this one.