Copperband Butterfly

[naesco]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

Did you have it in QT? Did you get it eating, and what food?

This would have been around 1990, I did not have a QT. It would have been flake food.
I would go to the LFS and take a look at buy anything that appeared interesting. I couldn't blame the LFS guy because I am sure he didn't know anything. How could he. There was no internet, no books other than marine books with pretty pictures but no advice on care.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by naesco

This would have been around 1990, I did not have a QT. It would have been flake food.
I would go to the LFS and take a look at buy anything that appeared interesting. I couldn't blame the LFS guy because I am sure he didn't know anything. How could he. There was no internet, no books other than marine books with pretty pictures but no advice on care.

OK, well, I think your experience with Copperbands is not really relevant then. This fish does need extra attention at the beginning, and you can't treat it just like any other fish. Worst thing you can do is plop it into the display tank after bringing home from the LFS. If the tank bully doesn't get it, it will still be very difficult to get it feeding properly when it has to compete with other established tank mates. I think a mature tank helps too, as they really like to hunt and peck in the live rock, especially at dawn and dusk.

In the old days, too, maybe more were caught with cyanide..., who knows...

[whatcaneyedo]

Is it a new month already? I guess it must be time for another CBB thread!

I'm ashamed to say that I am on my fourth. The first one I bought within my first year and placed it into an immature 33gal, within a week it cleaned it out then starved to death. The second was big, healthy looking and eating well in my newly setup 120gal but I brought it back because it was trying to eat all of my christmas tree worms (that should have been obvious). After setting up a second tank to protect the worms I purchased a third one which seemed fine and was eating like the others but died suddenly after a week. That seller was known to bring in some questionable stuff like obviously dyed coral so I'm betting it was cyanide caught. The fourth is my current one which I bought in the summer of 2008 has been doing great. I have to feed it three times a day and it eats pretty much everything including many types of coral. When I introduced it I had to remove my purple tang for a week to allow it to settle in but they've been getting along ever since. Unlike the others this one took over a month to start eating frozen foods so I'm certain it would have starved if I had placed it in a smaller less mature tank.

I don't encourage others to try these fish and if my +3 year old should die I wouldn't replace it. I bought mine for aptasia control because I could not use peppermint shrimp and since aptasia eating nudibranches weren't available at the time. Also, at the time there was no mention of tasseled filefish as an option either.

[naesco]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

OK, well, I think your experience with Copperbands is not really relevant then. This fish does need extra attention at the beginning, and you can't treat it just like any other fish. Worst thing you can do is plop it into the display tank after bringing home from the LFS. If the tank bully doesn't get it, it will still be very difficult to get it feeding properly when it has to compete with other established tank mates. I think a mature tank helps too, as they really like to hunt and peck in the live rock, especially at dawn and dusk.

In the old days, too, maybe more were caught with cyanide..., who knows...

My personal experience is not relavent but my experience on this board along with many others is.
Like most posters post their experience has been dismal.

It is not a matter of extra attention at the beginning. Face the fact that this is a very difficult fish to keep with most dying prematurely.

[Lance]

I've had mine 2.5 years. Got it from a fellow Canreefer. It would only eat fresh shellfish at the time but I eventually got it to eat any fresh or frozen meaty foods; it will not touch flakes or pellets. For a special treat I periodically place fresh clam meat in a clear pill box that I drilled 1/4 inch holes in. I place the Selcon-soaked clam in it and drop it into the tank. The other fishes can't get at the food but the CBB can get his long, narrow nose in.
I think I have been successful with mine because the fish may be retarded. It shows absolutely no fear, and will try to steal food from much larger, aggresive fishes, including a 7" Lunare Wrasse and a 6" Tuskfish. It is so stupid it once chased a piece of mysis to the overflow teeth and stood there waiting for it to reappear for a good two minutes. Meanwhile food is swirling all around it which it doesn't even notice as it is so intent in catching that mysis when it comes back out of the overflow.

[paddyob]

Originally Posted by Lance

It is so stupid it once chased a piece of mysis to the overflow teeth and stood there waiting for it to reappear for a good two minutes. Meanwhile food is swirling all around it which it doesn't even notice as it is so intent in catching that mysis when it comes back out of the overflow.

Thats awesome! Ha ha ha!

[Tderow30]

I was also always told cbb were very hard to keep but i still wanted to give him a try. I have had him for about 5 months now and he is doing amazing. I have only 2 clowns, peppermint, cleaner shrimp and a arrow crab with him. I had no trouble getting him to eat. At the start he loved pickign at some of my soft corals but now he doesnt even touch them. He ended up cleaning my aptaisa in about 2 days and keeps the feather dusters down to a bare minium! As much as i can tell he is loving life so hopefully he stays healthy I will be needed to upgrade my tank in these next couple months since i do only have a 55 gal right now :O

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by Lance

I've had mine 2.5 years. Got it from a fellow Canreefer. It would only eat fresh shellfish at the time but I eventually got it to eat any fresh or frozen meaty foods; it will not touch flakes or pellets. For a special treat I periodically place fresh clam meat in a clear pill box that I drilled 1/4 inch holes in. I place the Selcon-soaked clam in it and drop it into the tank. The other fishes can't get at the food but the CBB can get his long, narrow nose in.
I think I have been successful with mine because the fish may be retarded. It shows absolutely no fear, and will try to steal food from much larger, aggresive fishes, including a 7" Lunare Wrasse and a 6" Tuskfish. It is so stupid it once chased a piece of mysis to the overflow teeth and stood there waiting for it to reappear for a good two minutes. Meanwhile food is swirling all around it which it doesn't even notice as it is so intent in catching that mysis when it comes back out of the overflow.

Your pill box sounds similar to what I did initially with my Copperbands. I too first used chopped up fresh clam, and then gradually introduced other foods. But like yours, mine still won't eat flake or pellet food.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fQjAZjafxM

And yes, once they lose their fear, they get quite aggressive going after the food. I feed mostly dry floating food, but they are a little clumsy with their long beaks, and often miss, and just suck air. Sometimes food gets knocked up against the top glass or under the euro brace. But my Copperband will still try for it by sticking his long beak right out of the water, and spitting water. It usually works.

[Reef Pilot]

Originally Posted by naesco

My personal experience is not relavent but my experience on this board along with many others is.
Like most posters post their experience has been dismal.

It is not a matter of extra attention at the beginning. Face the fact that this is a very difficult fish to keep with most dying prematurely.

Sorry, Naesco, but first hand experience is relevant. The internet is full of self proclaimed experts who like to selectively echo what they believe or what they want others to believe.

When I talk here about Copperbands, I relate my direct experience. You should do the same. Understanding the circumstances with a failure or a success is more helpful. Let people draw their own conclusions, instead of just telling them what to think or do.

There are lots of difficult to keep fish, many much more so than Copperbands. But what helps others, is sharing information about the difficulty and how to be successful. Even you admit, that the lack of information at the time led you to do the wrong things when you first tried to keep this fish. Hopefully today, people can make better informed decisions.