Quarantine Experience with Copperband Butterfly Fish

Have you tried your hand at a Copperband Butterfly Fish?


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jtf74

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blackworms, a
I don't have access to those worms or live brine right now. He has gone at oyster and frozen claim so maybe I should keep feeding it that
Get enough food for your CBB daily, eventually you should start testing the food in the water column, how long do you have with your fish?
Copps emphasizes feeding new fish as many times as you can throughout the day, and worrying about calories first in the beginning, making the fish eat whatever it likes, the entire diet of food will be completed with the new fish time passes while the fish gains confidence little by little.
Yes. Copperbands eat a lot. More than other fish. I'd get a lot of whatever it will eat or it won't likely get enough if not already aggressively eating. The others will probably eat the worms too if you find some also. My cbb loved worms and I mixed mysis in and phased worms out. I personally wouldn't have put it in with other fish until it was eating well and would highly advise separation if possible.
 
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EakTheFreak

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blackworms, a


Yes. Copperbands eat a lot. More than other fish. I'd get a lot of whatever it will eat or it won't likely get enough if not already aggressively eating. The others will probably eat the worms too if you find some also. My cbb loved worms and I mixed mysis in and phased worms out. I personally wouldn't have put it in with other fish until it was eating well and would highly advise separation if possible.
I agree. I actually setup an individual tank purely to get mine eating everything I wanted him to eat. He has the entire tank to himself and was under close observation and constant feedings.

I would say now that he is in with others your best bet is setting up a feeding station that only your CBB can pick food out of until he gets his strength up!
 
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EakTheFreak

EakTheFreak

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3+ years strong!! Had to be at least 1-2 when I got him.

Dude is fat, happy & an attention *****!!

Has to be my favorite fish in my tank!!

@Eak_The_Freaks_Reef - Instagram handle!! Check it out!!
 

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th365thli

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Thanks for the advice. I'm feeding my copperband frozen oyster and clam and it's eating for sure. I watch like a hawk making sure it's getting pieces. I have a magnetized mesh pouch that I can use. I tried it before but I'll try again. I have masstick coming tmrw. I'm going to try sticking frozen mysis onto an oyster shell with it.

These are pretty large oysters too, I'm gonna go to the supermarket and try and find smaller clams.

I saw it poop today so that's something lol
 
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EakTheFreak

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Thanks for the advice. I'm feeding my copperband frozen oyster and clam and it's eating for sure. I watch like a hawk making sure it's getting pieces. I have a magnetized mesh pouch that I can use. I tried it before but I'll try again. I have masstick coming tmrw. I'm going to try sticking frozen mysis onto an oyster shell with it.

These are pretty large oysters too, I'm gonna go to the supermarket and try and find smaller clams.

I saw it poop today so that's something lol
The clams will be your best friend based off what you have described you have access too currently!!
 

jtf74

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Thanks for the advice. I'm feeding my copperband frozen oyster and clam and it's eating for sure. I watch like a hawk making sure it's getting pieces. I have a magnetized mesh pouch that I can use. I tried it before but I'll try again. I have masstick coming tmrw. I'm going to try sticking frozen mysis onto an oyster shell with it.

These are pretty large oysters too, I'm gonna go to the supermarket and try and find smaller clams.

I saw it poop today so that's something lol
Take a look at the area above its eyes. It should be convex. If it is concave, your cbb is underweight and needs a lot more food.
Screenshot 2023-01-31 080456.jpg
 

LaloJ

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Take a look at the area above its eyes. It should be convex. If it is concave, your cbb is underweight and needs a lot more food.
Screenshot 2023-01-31 080456.jpg
I'm probably not understanding it with the photograph you just posted, is the fish supposed to be seen in that area but with a lateral position??
 

th365thli

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Take a look at the area above its eyes. It should be convex. If it is concave, your cbb is underweight and needs a lot more food.
Screenshot 2023-01-31 080456.jpg
Also hard for me to get a long view straight on.

But I left a big oyster in the tank and it picked at it for an hour. I do it twice a day. Pain in the butt to remove and clean but I'll do it as long as I need to.

Maybe it's just me but the belly is looking plump.

BC45EC2A-D647-4E28-B2C0-6187C224B49F.jpeg
 
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EakTheFreak

EakTheFreak

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Also hard for me to get a long view straight on.

But I left a big oyster in the tank and it picked at it for an hour. I do it twice a day. Pain in the butt to remove and clean but I'll do it as long as I need to.

Maybe it's just me but the belly is looking plump.

BC45EC2A-D647-4E28-B2C0-6187C224B49F.jpeg
If you are ever on doubt with a CBB always feed more. Heavy in and heavy out if need be!!


Thats just my $0.02
 

jtf74

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Also hard for me to get a long view straight on.

But I left a big oyster in the tank and it picked at it for an hour. I do it twice a day. Pain in the butt to remove and clean but I'll do it as long as I need to.

Maybe it's just me but the belly is looking plump.

Hard to tell from that view but looks ok from what I can tell. Is it eating all the clams offered? What I have noticed is that sometimes they will rip off big chunks and drop it somewhere you don't see and not necessarily eat it all because its hard to tear off small pieces. You might try cutting slices also and see if it will eat them out of the water column and then you can start mixing mysis, etc in with the clam.
 

th365thli

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Hard to tell from that view but looks ok from what I can tell. Is it eating all the clams offered? What I have noticed is that sometimes they will rip off big chunks and drop it somewhere you don't see and not necessarily eat it all because its hard to tear off small pieces. You might try cutting slices also and see if it will eat them out of the water column and then you can start mixing mysis, etc in with the clam.

Nah it's definitely eating them. I watch all my fish closely to make sure they're actually eating the food, because sometimes they spit it out. The Copperband will tear of chunks and try and swallow. Sometimes it needs to spit it out and get the pieces back in.

And it does eat a lot. I'll put a whole oyster half (a large oyster) in for an hour and it'll still be picking at it. I noticed its confidence eating the oyster increases every day. The first day, it just was very slow and deliberate, inspecting it. Now, it just goes straight for it and starts tearing out chunks. I feed it oyster twice a day and make sure it gets oyster chunks. It can really put away food, but now I'm more confident I'm not underfeeding it.

Honestly I'm not sure how it fits all those oyster chunks in its belly lol. Seems physically impossible. I have seen it start going for torn off pieces in the water column. I might try that next, cutting up a bunch of pieces. It's hard with all that competition, may need to use tongs or a pipette and get it come close. I'm just glad it's eating.
 

jtf74

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Nah it's definitely eating them. I watch all my fish closely to make sure they're actually eating the food, because sometimes they spit it out. The Copperband will tear of chunks and try and swallow. Sometimes it needs to spit it out and get the pieces back in.

And it does eat a lot. I'll put a whole oyster half (a large oyster) in for an hour and it'll still be picking at it. I noticed its confidence eating the oyster increases every day. The first day, it just was very slow and deliberate, inspecting it. Now, it just goes straight for it and starts tearing out chunks. I feed it oyster twice a day and make sure it gets oyster chunks. It can really put away food, but now I'm more confident I'm not underfeeding it.

Honestly I'm not sure how it fits all those oyster chunks in its belly lol. Seems physically impossible. I have seen it start going for torn off pieces in the water column. I might try that next, cutting up a bunch of pieces. It's hard with all that competition, may need to use tongs or a pipette and get it come close. I'm just glad it's eating.
Sounds like its going good. Yeah they are never satisfied. At least mine isn't. Still eating when the others are full. Was curious and counted it eating over 60 mysis in one feeding.
 
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Sounds like its going good. Yeah they are never satisfied. At least mine isn't. Still eating when the others are full. Was curious and counted it eating over 60 mysis in one feeding.
Yeah makes no sense, I’ve seen my CBB eat 40+ white worms and tons of mysis! Must have a fast digestive track or larger stomach.

#jayhamdel Any idea if CBB’s can eat more food than others in terms of capacity?
 

th365thli

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Yeah makes no sense, I’ve seen my CBB eat 40+ white worms and tons of mysis! Must have a fast digestive track or larger stomach.

#jayhamdel Any idea if CBB’s can eat more food than others in terms of capacity?

I swear it eats more than its body weight in oyster every day.

I think this is an important part of butterflies in general. I notice the long nose I just got also eats a ton. Feed often, feed a lot, probably a huge key to success. Gotta ensure the food goes in their mouth and stays in their mouth
 

jtf74

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I swear it eats more than its body weight in oyster every day.

I think this is an important part of butterflies in general. I notice the long nose I just got also eats a ton. Feed often, feed a lot, probably a huge key to success. Gotta ensure the food goes in their mouth and stays in their mouth
I absolutely love this pairing of fish. My longnose and CBB are by far the most brave fish I've owned. I had never tried butterflies before about 4 years ago because of the caution with corals label, but the CBB is almost full grown, and hasn't touched anything, and so far the longnose hasn't either. Both are big time beggars. Does your longnose squirt water from the surface when its time to eat?
 

th365thli

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No, I just got it, but you're right both are spunky. They are not afraid of any of the tangs. The longnose in particular eats out of the water column readily. When I got the longnose, it ate in the acclimation tank. When I was doing the transfer to the display, it was piping up on the surface. I was freaking out a little, worried about some breahting issue. When it got put in the display, it swam around a bunch and every now and then piped at the surface. I was pretty anxious, but I think now it was just trying to get out of the bucket/DT. The one I have in particular is bold. It almost jumped out of the cup when I was transferring to the DT.

it's pretty funny watching them interact, the longnose tried to get at the oyster and the copperband deliberately pushed it away.

The copperband is still only eating live oyster. During the feeding frenzy it'll swim around but not actually commit to eat. Almost like it's thinking about it. Maybe it just needs time.
 
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th365thli

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I also have a Raccoon butterfly in the acclimation tank. And I'll have a pair of Pakistanis and a pair of schooling bannerfish hopefully soon. I think it's fair to say I love butterfly fish.
 

vetteguy53081

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Take a look at the area above its eyes. It should be convex. If it is concave, your cbb is underweight and needs a lot more food.
Screenshot 2023-01-31 080456.jpg
normal
 

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