What are we feeding our CBB’s?!?!

Fish man

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
May 9, 2020
Messages
191
Reaction score
215
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I've had mine for about 2 years now. I started him on live black worms in QT. After a few days I started offering Mysis. At first he wouldn't take them but I would skip a couple days feeding and he started to come around, Only after he was eating them well did I enter him into my DT. At first he was shy and couldn't compete with the feeding frenzy, he'd just stay in the back. I would feed the main display to distract them and then target feed him with a baster. After about a week he started to get the idea and now he's first in line. I feed him Mysis and frozen clams on the half shell from the LFS a couple times a week. I occasionally get live clams. I put one of those feeding screens over them with a rubber band or he'll pull the meat out of the shell within seconds and most of it floats off. I also have other fish who will go after clams so in the feeding screen he has the advantage with the snout. I've offered Rod's and other stuff but he doesn't seem interested.
Mine is very curious, if I put my hand in the tank he comes up to it rather than swim away. I was trying to trap a different fish one time and I couldn't keep him out of the trap. Great fish!
 

Gobi-Wan

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
435
Reaction score
371
Location
St. Louis area, Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I bought one a week ago and hasn’t eaten much except 2 or 3 brine shrimp. Today it finally ate a fresh clam. Sadly, I spent 2 months growing live black worms in a 20g dedicated freshwater tank I set up just for this... and the butterfly didn’t even look at them. I’ve tried every day for a week... along with masstick, clams and various frozen offerings. Now that it’s eating clams hopefully I can make the transition to frozen. He’s got a long way to go in QT
 

ReefHog

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Messages
868
Reaction score
637
Location
Chicago
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I bought one a week ago and hasn’t eaten much except 2 or 3 brine shrimp. Today it finally ate a fresh clam. Sadly, I spent 2 months growing live black worms in a 20g dedicated freshwater tank I set up just for this... and the butterfly didn’t even look at them. I’ve tried every day for a week... along with masstick, clams and various frozen offerings. Now that it’s eating clams hopefully I can make the transition to frozen. He’s got a long way to go in QT
Clams are a great food. Feed him two or three times a day and slowly mix in some Mysis or LRS fish frenzy. Mine would only eat live black worms and clam slices at first. Now he eats that plus Mysis, Brine and LRS. And easily competes with my tangs in the main display.
 

Gobi-Wan

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
435
Reaction score
371
Location
St. Louis area, Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Clams are a great food. Feed him two or three times a day and slowly mix in some Mysis or LRS fish frenzy. Mine would only eat live black worms and clam slices at first. Now he eats that plus Mysis, Brine and LRS. And easily competes with my tangs in the main display.
Day 2 with a new clam and he went for it right away so I’m feeling much better about it.
 

Biff0rz

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
1,588
Reaction score
841
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
So my CBB will eat mysis like it's going out of style, total pig, and ignores anything else I toss in the tank. I added some tangs yesterday to my DT then fed nori to them today and the CBB went to town on it!! I was fairly surprised to see him going for it. Do they normally eat it?
 

Gobi-Wan

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
435
Reaction score
371
Location
St. Louis area, Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Question for those of you who have successfully kept copperbands. After quarantine I plan to introduce the tang to a 125 gallon reef with a purple tang and a sailfin tang, both a very comparable size to the copperband. Will the tangs likely have a problem with the copperband? I planned to at the very least put the purple tang in a trap/acclimation box I have used multiple times to catch it. When I introduced the sailfin I removed the purple, rearranged the rocks, and allowed the sailfin to become comfortable before reintroducing the purple and there were few issues.
 

ReefHog

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 17, 2017
Messages
868
Reaction score
637
Location
Chicago
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Question for those of you who have successfully kept copperbands. After quarantine I plan to introduce the tang to a 125 gallon reef with a purple tang and a sailfin tang, both a very comparable size to the copperband. Will the tangs likely have a problem with the copperband? I planned to at the very least put the purple tang in a trap/acclimation box I have used multiple times to catch it. When I introduced the sailfin I removed the purple, rearranged the rocks, and allowed the sailfin to become comfortable before reintroducing the purple and there were few issues.
Thread officially hijacked :p Assuming you mean introduce the CBB. I had a larger Sailfin in my 220 mixed reef that I relocated to another tank for six weeks just to be safe when I introduced my CBB. When I put him back the CBB was firmly established and the Sailfin never really paid any attention to him. Since then I have added a Convict Tang and the Sailfin let him know who's boss instantly. That only lasted a few days and the Convict is part of the crew now. Tangs are tough though and I'm not sure how the CBB would have faired if he got picked on relentlessly for two or three days. So I'd say remove them if you have somewhere to put them for a few weeks.
 

Gobi-Wan

Active Member
View Badges
Joined
Jun 4, 2018
Messages
435
Reaction score
371
Location
St. Louis area, Illinois
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thread officially hijacked :p Assuming you mean introduce the CBB. I had a larger Sailfin in my 220 mixed reef that I relocated to another tank for six weeks just to be safe when I introduced my CBB. When I put him back the CBB was firmly established and the Sailfin never really paid any attention to him. Since then I have added a Convict Tang and the Sailfin let him know who's boss instantly. That only lasted a few days and the Convict is part of the crew now. Tangs are tough though and I'm not sure how the CBB would have faired if he got picked on relentlessly for two or three days. So I'd say remove them if you have somewhere to put them for a few weeks.
Sorry for the hijacking lol. Yeah I meant to say introduce the CBB. I have kept the purple tang in the sump before and I also do have a couple quarantine tanks. Perhaps the sailfin could survive alone in the 20 long for a week or 2 without being too mad at me.
 

jtf74

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 20, 2020
Messages
671
Reaction score
506
Location
Washougal,WA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Mine eats mysis but not brine. Loves, loves black/white worms. Goes crazy over aiptasia. Won't touch clams/mussels in shell or bits. Won't touch frozen blood worms. Will eat small earthworms (in a pinch) that it can swallow in one gulp but if they are too big it won't.
 

Biff0rz

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 9, 2020
Messages
1,588
Reaction score
841
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
1   0   0
Question for those of you who have successfully kept copperbands. After quarantine I plan to introduce the tang to a 125 gallon reef with a purple tang and a sailfin tang, both a very comparable size to the copperband. Will the tangs likely have a problem with the copperband? I planned to at the very least put the purple tang in a trap/acclimation box I have used multiple times to catch it. When I introduced the sailfin I removed the purple, rearranged the rocks, and allowed the sailfin to become comfortable before reintroducing the purple and there were few issues.

CBB goes in first, get him eating and comfy (2-3 weeks imo). Then re-intro the tangs. I have him with 3 smaller ones. Yellow, purple, gem. They don't bother him at all as he's the big one.
 

jtf74

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
May 20, 2020
Messages
671
Reaction score
506
Location
Washougal,WA
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Question for those of you who have successfully kept copperbands. After quarantine I plan to introduce the tang to a 125 gallon reef with a purple tang and a sailfin tang, both a very comparable size to the copperband. Will the tangs likely have a problem with the copperband? I planned to at the very least put the purple tang in a trap/acclimation box I have used multiple times to catch it. When I introduced the sailfin I removed the purple, rearranged the rocks, and allowed the sailfin to become comfortable before reintroducing the purple and there were few issues.
Not saying I have been successful its not even been a year yet, but I just sold a yellow tang after the first swipe to my CBB. After finding one that eats readily and was healthy from QT it wasn't worth the risk they would work it out. Your tangs may not like the similar body shape. No trouble with my smaller hippo but the yellow kept the CBB hiding and nervous.
 

Being sticky and staying connected: Have you used any reef-safe glue?

  • I have used reef safe glue.

    Votes: 144 88.3%
  • I haven’t used reef safe glue, but plan to in the future.

    Votes: 9 5.5%
  • I have no interest in using reef safe glue.

    Votes: 7 4.3%
  • Other.

    Votes: 3 1.8%
Back
Top