Matted filefish. Although they also sometimes pick at coral too. Mine eats feather dusters, aptasia and LPS :twised: He left my zoas and sps corals alone.

So far my Matted File is only picking at my aiptasia

Would a copperband go after the 2 little clams in my tank? I'll have to do some research on the care required for these.

Not typically, but sometimes it can happen. FWIW I had a CBB for 3 years alongside clams and there was never an issue with the clams. He loved expensive LPS though, Acans and Blastos were soon to be a thing of the past after I added him. With butterflies in general there's always something that they might decide to get a taste for. CBB's just happen to be among the "slightly better behaved" among butterflies, but then they tend to have a poor track record of adapting to captivity.

What about a long nose butterfly? I've never kept one but I've read in Scott Michael's books that they are more reef safe than a copperbanded butterfly and will eat tube worms.

My CBB that I had ate clams :sad: Left my frogspawn and hammer lps alone. They really do have a poor survival rate though.

I have a 4" clam in my tank and the copperband does not pay the slightest attention to it.

He does go at the oyster and mussels when I open them up. I think a live clam does not have the same food smell as a cut in half mussel At least both my niger trigger and my copperband gubble up the oyster and mussel in no time but none touch my live clam. I have a croccea. He does not touch my coral either, lps soft or sps. I have mine for around 3 months. I think the poor survival rate is due to people trying to force them to eat pellet or non appropriate food or they have been captured with cyanide. They do need to eat a lot.

+100000!

My longnose butterfly destroyed every tubeworm/feather duster within about 12 hours of being put into the tank. AND he looked everyday for more. Oh, and they're freakin' hilarious fish with tons of personality.

I have a solution that does not involve worrying about fish survivability or corals being eaten:

Arrow Crab. Most will eat feather dusters (though typically used to 'get rid of bristle worms'. Just tossing it out there.

Cheers,

Chris

sure, but where exactly do you find one? Never saw this for sale in my area, not even online?