YES or NO: The Beautiful Copperband Butterfly Fish for Your Reef Tank?

[vetteguy53081]

I got one on hold . Can't wait to get him. Saw on at WWC in Florida when I drove there and they had one in each reef tank, so that changed my mind about adding one to my mainly LPS,zoa,paly and a few sps ..

Assure it eats or shows interest in food and responds to your hand approaching tank

 

[Tamberav]

I voted yes but for those who have been in the hobby awhile.

Find one eating, more then just brine.

Add it before things that may bully it like Tangs.

I don't think they do that poorly in QT as long as they are eating, they do not seem to stress that much. I did Hybrid TTM and kept mine in QT for months and it's fine.

Don't be that guy who buys one and then comes to the forum and says "it isn't eating and I can't find worms/clams" - You should have found the worms/clams and cultured live white worms BEFORE purchase.

You may find better success if you purchase from a reputable QT vender as they will keep the fish for awhile and assure it is eating before shipping.


I just added Tangs today after the CCB has been established a long while and my CCB is chasing the Yellow Tang around lol I made sure to add when I have a few days off work so I can monitor. I got a fish trap and prepared to remove all rock if the Tangs cause any issues... bye bye to them.

 

[coralbeauties]

I just added mine to my display tank a week or so ago. I bought mine eating at a lfs. When I got it home and into qt he didnt eat as much. Got him eating well using live black worms dropped into the water. I then taught him to eat from my home made bottle feeder. From there got him eating out of my fingers. I can now take a frozen flat of food and hold it into the water and he will come up and pick at the food and get its fill. Digs right in with the my big tangs. Took a week for it to get bold enough to go up against the tangs but is doing really well. I attached a picture of how I made my feeder. The foam insert is just a swimming pool noodle. The personality of this fish is just a joy to experience.
Jeff

 

[1ocean]

Assure it eats or shows interest in food and responds to your hand approaching tank

oh yeah she eats , mysis, blood worms and brine at the LFS
I built a acrylic holding pen 12x8x8 and put it in the 140 i have. I put her in it and she getting to know my yellow tang. She also ate in the holding pen last night.

 

[MohH]

Ive always wanted a CB... however i never got one in over 10 years im in the hobby, until recently. I think getting them through QT and eating various foods is a huge factor, but one of the most important thing to consider is the tank-mates of the CB, larger and faster fish will get all the foods and the CB being a shy fish will go hungry. So since i finally got a CB i made a little feeder for it... so only the CB can get to food inside and hopefully it helps to keep it well fed and happy in the long term.

 

[Reef and Dive]

Mine is with me for a year, amazing aiptasia and polychaeta cleaner, but really picky eater. Amazing fish and eats from my hands, loves small clams. It is only now starting to eat pellets. It is not completely reef safe and might pick on LPS and meety corals (mine did destroy some euphyllias and a scoly). I would never buy one that’s not eating well already, at least frozen / clams. Definitely an expert only fish but totally worth the effort of keeping it.

It is worth mentioning that Chelmon has been bred in captivity:

UF/IFAS IRREC Successfully Aquacultures the Copperband Butterflyfish, Chelmon rostratus! – Rising Tide Conservation

www.risingtideconservation.org

 

[Glenner’sreef]

It’s maybe that fish that can elevate the hobbyist to the “experienced “ level. So yes. Love mine! Favorite! Food twice a day.

 

[OrionN]

These were my rare bonded pair . Lost them in the big tank move last year after keeping for 3-4 years . Took me a lot of trial and error to pair them and was featured in masstick videos by Coralvue

You never ever keep a reef tank with a butterfly !!!

I remember turning down an offer for a trade of JF Jolt and JF Homewrecker colonies for theM .. I would have never ever traded them

I was never able to get a pair . How did you do it? How many pairs did you tried before you got a pair?

 

[OrionN]

FOLKS ( Let's Cheer this GUY ON) *** COPPERBAND VERY WEAK [ Just Today] **

What Timing for this Topic. I'm sad this is happening.

I've had this COpperband for just about a year. Always an eager eatter.

Darn!!!! The Copperband Butterfly didn't come out to eat today.
I found him hovering in a rock area.

He was so weak I litterly caught him by hand and scooped him into a container.

I moved him to a my Frag Tank to see if I can get him to recover.




I've had a few copperbands over the years. I do my best to feed them properly. Including Clam on Half Shell.

However I did notice this FAT GUY get thinner and thinner over the last few months, so I ramped up target feeding him.

The problem with this one, is he never got a taste for Aptasia, like my other Copperband.

Let's hope for the best since they are such beautiful and Gentle fish.

I am sorry. He does look very thin and likley will not last long unless you correct his nutritional deficiency.

 

[OrionN]

This would be my experience and judgement. Not a fish for the beginner certainly, but success requires a calm, uncompetitive tank. If you must have tangs don’t try a CB.

I think they are delicate and require good acclimation and transition from food eating in the wild to captive food. Once they eat captive food, they will do well.
They will do better in larger tank. Other larger fish will not bother them if they are in larger tanks. Large fish in small tank will be stressed and will bother them.

I don't have problem with keeping CBB because I acclimated them in a 40 gal DT that is full of fauna, and worms, feather duster and the like. A few months in these, with regular feeding and they eat essentially every frozen food I put into the tank. They don't really eat flakes or pellets or other dry food other tank peck at them and spit it out. They love steamer clams. I often freeze steamer clams and drop on in the tank a day in the past. As the clam thaw, it open and the CBB will have first crack at it, due to his long snout. Once it fully open the rest of the fish move in and finish it.

That is one of the best way I know off to use to fatten CBB in a tank that is not fill with fauna.

 

[jdiefenbaugh]

Anyone keeping more then one in a tank? I know one earlier post said they had a bonded pair. I have one in my 210 and is by far my favorite fish and would to have another.
thanks
Jeff

I have kept a pair in the past, and like most people who have, it was most likely just pure luck. I had tried in large tanks a couple of times, and one always had to be removed the same/next day. I usually just tell people if they have one doing well in their tank, just to be content with a single.

 

[uhgster1]

I just read an article in reef builders about the successful tank breeding and rearing of copperbands today. My hopes are brightening up again!

 

[bReefedBaker]

The Copperband butterfly fish is one of the most beautiful fish that is readily available in our hobby and is in the "more affordable" range. People love the CBB fish for many reasons with one of those being that they can use that slender "snout" to get deep into crevices and eat aiptasia anemones! They like to snack on those! But the problem is widely known that they are not very hardy when it comes to being acclimated into our home aquariums because of how finicky and deliberate they are at eating. So let's talk about them today!

1. Should the Copperband Butterfly Fish be attempted in our home aquariums?

2. What are your personal experiences with the CBB? Also any tips for those of you who have been successful?

I'm a huge fan of fish that are also members of the CUC! I swear they're all like the Alice Nelson of the Brady Bunch tanks.

 

[rusty hannon]

I'm giving it a try in my new tank. So far I've only lost a few blue symposium polyps. I've had this fish and had some trouble getting one thru the "proper" steps and keeping it alive so I would like to remind r2r on the very first thing I learned on this forum. Do not quarantine this fish . They can't handle the stress. I couldn't keep one alive long enough to get him into the tank so I started looking at why here and you folks had a butterfly expert and gave me that advice. I haven't lost one to stress since. Thank you r2r and don't you guys remember or am I remembering wrong, not, happy reefing and hope this helps someone like it has me. My copperband is the coolest. Thanks again, best advice on a fish I've gotten here imo

 

[Grill]

I just read an article in reef builders about the successful tank breeding and rearing of copperbands today. My hopes are brightening up again!

I read that as well. Captive breeding would be a huge plus. Copperband Butterflyfish Successfully Captive Bred

 

[rusty hannon]

I read that as well. Captive breeding would be a huge plus. Copperband Butterflyfish Successfully Captive Bred

Very happy to say there are several folks successfully breeding them. Awesome!!!!!

 

[Travis Warren]

Has anyone had any issue with them nipping or eating lps such as Meats, Scollies and Tracies? I been wanting to get one for a while but have several LPS. Aptisia File fish nipped at my meats and tracies so got took it to local LFS for credit.

 

[WallyB]

I am sorry. He does look very thin and likley will not last long unless you correct his nutritional deficiency.

I tried my best. He didn't make it.
He was hooked on Aptasia and the Mysis wasn't enough when Aptasia ran out.
The good news is before he passed away he did clean up all the Aptasia in the tank.

 

[rusty hannon]

Has anyone had any issue with them nipping or eating lps such as Meats, Scollies and Tracies? I been wanting to get one for a while but have several LPS. Aptisia File fish nipped at my meats and tracies so got took it to local LFS for credit.

Mine sta

 

[rusty hannon]

Mine sta

Mine started eating a few symposium polops and stopped but understand they really like messing w clam mantles and ate all my feather dusters. Hope he stoops before I get more corals, he's got more personality than most people I know. Told if well fed you'll do much better