Copperbands Valentine's Day Lovefest - Not

Reef Pilot · #1 02-15-2011, 02:39 AM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gu1zCFUELs

I bought these Copperbands about 3 weeks ago and put them into my refugium tank. Almost immediately, one started chasing the other, and I had to separate them with this divider. That seemed to solve the problem. I got them both eating, and everything seemed fine. In fact, I was just about to try removing the divider again to see if they might get along. Then today I see them trying to fight each other through the divider. And it is Valentine's day, too, Feb 14, 2011.

Reef Pilot

Jackie · #2 02-15-2011, 04:29 AM

Why would you do this? They are hard to keep already given the perfect setup. You will stress them out and both will die soon.

Reef Pilot · #3 02-15-2011, 05:12 AM

Why would I do what?? I put in the divider to keep them apart. The refugium (30 g) is my quarantine tank before I move them to my main display tank.

I've got them eating several different foods now, incl freeze dried, and they seem to be quite happy and healthy. I don't think their little spat today is going to kill them. If I didn't have the divider, then yes, could be serious.

Like I said, this is the first time in 3 weeks I have seen them bicker at all. Most of the time, when they are not hunting and pecking on the bottom looking for food, they are just sitting near the divider looking at each other. Almost like they want to be together. But just not today for some reason.

Will see if this new mood continues, or if they will settle down again like before. I was still hoping to take out the divider and see if they can get along before moving them to the main display tank.

Reef Pilot

bignose · #4 02-15-2011, 05:26 AM

Is your display big enough for 2 Copperbands? Some fish don't tolerate their own kind in home aquaria.

strickrick · #5 02-15-2011, 01:03 PM

They want to be together to probably kill each other. Unfortunately these are fairly difficult to keep and are ich magnets. I have seen pet stores hold more than one juvenile together in holding tanks but have never heard of anyone keeping them together successfully. If they are only now showing aggression, it will only get worse from here and even in a large tank (125g) they will chase each other till at least one dies (if not both from stress).

Your best bet would be to return one and get him a nice buddy, mine was a big fan of the yellow tang and my majestic angel for years.

daniella3d · #6 02-15-2011, 01:33 PM

Why? because they WILL FIGHT!

As for apearing healthy?? they are both skinny and seem to be lacking the healthy fat pad on the top of the head and top body part. They should be plump there, not pinched like that.

You could have 2 males as far as we know.. not a good idea. I give them a few weeks before they die, months at best. They need to lay down on the stress and get back their fat. They are very skinny from what I can see and pinched on the top of the head, at least the one on the left seem to be pinched.

Copperband need to eat a lot. Mine is eating as much as my trigger. Give them some live food like some live white worms or some live blackworms and oyster or mussels.

I take a fresh live mussels from the grocery store, brush it hard under warm running water from the kitchen faucet and brush it for a few minutes to remove all possible parasites, then I cut that in half to open the mussel. Give one to each copperband and they will love it. Mine gets one nearly every day along with live white worms.

Unfortunatly putting them together will not work. Geezzz! look how fast that poor fish on the left is breathing!!! this is terrible. The fish is horribly stressed to breath that fast.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

I've got them eating several different foods now, incl freeze dried, and they seem to be quite happy and healthy.

paddyob · #7 02-15-2011, 02:28 PM

Yup. Research is worth way more than the fish itself. As already mentioned... one is hard to keep for most people. Did you actually research before buying the first? Or the second?

Who would actually advise you to try two??

Too bad. Nice fish. I would not be surprised if at least one dies in your fuge. Tell the shop you bought it at that the fighting is too extreme... take it back.

Sorry for the choice you made but good luck. Hope it works out for the best.

gobytron · #8 02-15-2011, 02:54 PM

meh.
your chances are about the same as any one else who has tried to keep these fish.

Good luck...

Reef Pilot · #9 02-15-2011, 04:33 PM

Whoa, everybody please chill down. First, I will admit, I may have made a mistake buying two. But let me explain my reasoning, and give some background. And yes, I did a lot of research, so this was not an impulse buy.

I have a 6 foot 100 g display tank that is very mature, going for 10 years or so. We just moved into this house 7 months ago, so it was all inherited. The display is doing well with the fish and corals, but is full of aiptasia, so that is why I wanted a Copperband.

I tried a single Copperband back last Aug. Didn't have a QT tank ready, so put him in with the other fish. Problem was I have a bully yellow tang that would harass him, and kept him to one corner of the tank. Despite that, he would eat stuff in the live rocks, and picked away at small aiptaisia. However, I could not get him to eat any of frozen and other foods that the rest of my fish ate. Even tried chopped up live clams, and would put them into a little container with holes in it for him to pick out. But soon the other fish figured that out, and again, he could not compete with them.

So after 2 months, he was getting very skinny indeed, and I returned him to the pet shop. At least he never did get sick, and if I had a QT tank, I think I could have saved him.

Since then, I have successfully introduced several other fish into the main display tank with no losses. But each time this yellow tank harassed them for a few days, so I know that will be the challenge with the Copperband(s).

Now I finally have a good QT tank set up (doubles as a Refugium when no new fish), seeded with aiptasia, and wanted to try the Copperband route again. My thinking with 2 is that is the yellow tang's attention would be divided. This actually worked with my other fish that I introduced successfully. Also, I found that when in QT, fish teach each other to feed (monkey see, monkey do).

Anyway, at the pet shop they had 4 Copperbands. 2 were in the open seemingly happy, doing what Copperbands do, looking for food on the bottom, and didn't show any aggression towards each other. The other 2 were cowering behind a pipe in the corner. So I bought the 2 that seemed like they were getting along and were looking for food.

When home in the QT, unfortunately, one did bully the other, so I separated them with the divider. But the monkey do, see thing, still worked, and it took me only a couple days to get them both eating Mysis shrimp. Then I would give them a chopped up live clam, and again they seemed to take cues from each other about going after food. Now I also have them eating freeze dried Mysis shrimp. I also have an Azure Damselfish in there with them to get any uneaten scraps. He is very peaceful, so no problem there, and I think he too, is teaching them to eat.

My plan is to fatten them up and eating a variety of foods before putting them into the display tank. But I am not sure if I will put them both in. If the aggression continues, may have to sell or return one of the Copperbands. But for now, want to fatten them up first in the Refugium. Good news is that they are definitely eating well, and no sign of any disease.

Like I said initially, they seemed to get along fine the first 3 weeks, and only yesterday bickered at each other through the divider. I think it may actually be a sign of vigor, as they are slowly gaining back their strength from their ordeals in the supply chain.

But will keep a close eye on them, and will see what happens.

Reef Pilot

daniella3d · #10 02-15-2011, 05:32 PM

Well that's great...between the yellow tang harrassing them and them harrassing each other..they should have a long and happy life.

The sensible thing to do would be to remove the yellow tang and let one copperband (the one that eat the best and is the fattest) get acclimated for a month in the display, sell the other copperband (100 gallons is way too small to keep 2 copperband) and then introduce the yellow tang once the copperband is acclimated.

The one on the left is not going to live much longer from what I can see. it's quite thin and stressed.

Also if you give them mysis, it is best to give them PE mysis as they are much more rich in fatty acid than the regular mysis.

A copperband goes through a colony of aiptasia in no time, no need for 2.

You already tried one and failed, then you're going through the same mistakes again as the yellow tang will definitly harrass both of them. I don't think they are "eating well" either because mine got to a skinny bony thing to a very beautiful fat and healthy fish in 10 only days...yours are skinny still after 3 weeks, especialy the one on the left. You may think they eat well but they don't. After 3 weeks of eating well they should have gained their fat pad back. Sorry if I sound harsh but the copperband is my favorite fish as they have such sweet personality and it sadden me to see this.

It also sound as if your quarantine tank is connected to your main tank? if that is so, then it's useless since any disease will quickly spread to the main tank. I surely hope I got that part wrong.

It is very misleading to see a bunch of copperband fish together at the store and they seem to get along great. They have no territory to defend or associate with as most of these tanks are empty of anything. It's the same with discus. Put a bunch of discus in an empty tank with nothing in it and they will get along great...then put a piece of driftwood and they will start to fight for the possesion of this wood.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

I have a 6 foot 100 g display tank that is very mature, going for 10 years or so. We just moved into this house 7 months ago, so it was all inherited. The display is doing well with the fish and corals, but is full of aiptasia, so that is why I wanted a Copperband.

I tried a single Copperband back last Aug. Didn't have a QT tank ready, so put him in with the other fish. Problem was I have a bully yellow tang that would harass him, and kept him to one corner of the tank. Despite that, he would eat stuff in the live rocks, and picked away at small aiptaisia. However, I could not get him to eat any of frozen and other foods that the rest of my fish ate. Even tried chopped up live clams, and would put them into a little container with holes in it for him to pick out. But soon the other fish figured that out, and again, he could not compete with them.

So after 2 months, he was getting very skinny indeed, and I returned him to the pet shop. At least he never did get sick, and if I had a QT tank, I think I could have saved him.

Reef Pilot