- Location
- nj
I have aiptasia in my tank and would like to get a copperband to keep it under control. Are they really hard to keep alive? Really don't want to buy a fish for a few days.
butterfly copperband
- Thread starter magicalmets
- Start date
- Location
- 10022
I will say they're difficult to keep
you need a good population of pods to keep it alive
you need a good population of pods to keep it alive
- Location
- nj
That sucks. I have no pod. They wouldn't survive of really frozen food and pellets
- Location
- Lakewood NJ
I have one for the past 3 months now, the 1st one I had lasted for 2 weeks, but the one that I have now is grate he took care of the aiptasia and he eats everything,
I think if makes a big difference on what is you stock list of fish as well, if you have fish the will not let him eat and bully him that will be a problem and he will not last long.
I think if makes a big difference on what is you stock list of fish as well, if you have fish the will not let him eat and bully him that will be a problem and he will not last long.
- Location
- Lakewood NJ
Yes that is important good live rock and pods are a must!!! they are Carnivore fish so a good mix of food, like blood worms, krill, shrimp I mix it all.
when you buy it make sure its eating. the first one i bought i didn't check if it was eating, died in 2 wks. my current copper band i have 6 months eats every thing and no aphasia since i got him. try live black worms to get them eating.
you dont need pods, just do what Edd said, go to a store, dont pay more than $45 bucks for a small one, ask the store to feed each tank that has butterflies in them, take the one that eats
Mine eats, mysis and nori sheets
Mine eats, mysis and nori sheets
- Location
- Lakewood NJ
well in any healthy reef system pods will be present anyways, and yes make sure he is eating at the store
Last edited:
- Location
- Wallington, NJ
The tank mates are VERY important. You can't keep them with tangs for example unless you find a way to feed it specifically.
my copper band is in with 2 tangs, they all eat fine. no issues with them so far.
- Location
- Lakewood NJ
- Location
- Dingmans ferry PA
Weird ,I have 3 tangs and my copperband is 2 years old
- Location
- Upper East Side of NYC
My Copperband doesn't have a problem with my Hippo Tang. He actually gets along with all my fish except the yellow wrasse of all people.
I would not however add a CBB in a tank with a tang of the genus Zebrasoma - yellow, sailfin, purple etc. I'm not even sure I'd add a Zebrasoma AFTER the CBB until the CBB has been there for a while (read: 6+ months) and is a healthy size and eating well. I would also be sure to get the smallest Zebrasoma possible if I did that.
+ infinity on live blackworms. My CBB demolished all the aiptasia in my tank (though there was only a few) and then wouldn't take to any of my food. One dose of live blackworms flipped a switch in his brain and now he eats anything frozen. I still feed live blackworms every couple weeks and he slurps em down like spaghetti.
His favorite frozen foods are:
Spirulina Brine
Marine Cuisine
Mysis
Emerald Entree
If you find a CBB not eating mysis, and only brine, mix them. That's what I did, seemed to work.
Spread the food out when you feed. If all your more aggressive eaters run to the food like mine do, the CBB is going to back away. I dump some in, then dump some more in another corner, or into my powerheads, and the CBB can get his.
- Location
- Lakewood NJ
- Location
- Rocky Point, NY
Go pickup a few Caribbean Peppermint shrimp. They should take care of your aptasia problem. A Copperband would be down the list for solutions IMO. I went that route, my Atlantic Blue Tang took him out the very next day.
- Location
- Wallington, NJ
how often do you guys feed your tanks? I've always had to separate them 
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
