copperhead butterfly

[rolloff52]

i purchased a copperhead angel yesterday to clean up some aptasia in my 29 gal nano.. the fish store said he is reef safe.. before i put coral in the tank, is it true that these fish are reef safe?

 

[prattreef]

i purchased a copperhead angel yesterday to clean up some aptasia in my 29 gal nano.. the fish store said he is reef safe.. before i put coral in the tank, is it true that these fish are reef safe?

I am unaware of a fish known by that name. Do you mean a Copperband Butterflyfish? These are commonly sold for aiptasia eradication. If so, they are reef safe with caution and they also are very finicky to get eating frozen foods like mysis shrimp.

 

[rolloff52]

sorry, i meant the copperband butterfly... why do you say with caution? will flake food be ok for feeding?

 

[prattreef]

I say with caution because sometimes they pick at things you don't want them to. Generally they are fine. It is a very rare Copperband that will eat flake food.

 

[rolloff52]

so you suggest mysis shrimp for feeding?

 

[prattreef]

yes

 

[rolloff52]

thanks for your help

 

[NL146]

Before it bought the farm my copperband ate every aiptasia I could see (they are back now btw) but also cleaned up my little feather dusters and ate the feeder tentacles off my acans. I'd love to get another but...

 

[duke62]

also feed it a mixture of blood worms and black worms.

 

[ming]

+1 on the blackworms. Since their natural diet is usually tube worms and feather dusters (another type of worm), they wean easier onto the blackworms. Once you get them on that, next step is mysis if you can get them onto that.
And they'll eat aiptasia's inbetween their food servings

 

[E.intheC]

+1 on the Blackworms. This is actually a pretty tough fish to get to live long term though.
Are you planning on keeping him for a while in the 29? It's MUCH too small an environment if so...

 

[B.BASH]

Mine only ate live black worms