Copperband Butterfly help

[acroholic]

I have a CBB I bought about two weeks ago. I got him eating Hikari Spirulina gut loaded, bio encapsulated brine shrimp, then got him on Hikari mysis, so he is eating. I want to get him to start eating aiptasia, so I was thinking I would need to feed less frozen so he starts looking for food in the tank itself, hopefully part of that being aiptasia. I have been feeding frozen brine/mysis 3x daily because I wanted to make sure he was healthy.

Feeding schedule suggestions? Maybe frozen once a day? I'd appreciate any advice from anyone that has/has had CBBs in the past. Thanks.
Dave

 

[morganatlanta]

I've had mine about three weeks. He came from another member's tank. I was feeding a couple cubes of hikari mysis every day, but then went on vacation for a week and only had someone coming every other day. When I got back, The few aiptasia I had were gone.

 

[miami dolfan]

Dave, If you have a problem with aiptasia, I'll let you borrow my Heniochus angel. I have sen him first hand eat small aiptasia when I was moving my rock around. He didn't go for the big ones, though.

 

[acroholic]

MorganAtlanta;654638 wrote: I've had mine about three weeks. He came from another member's tank. I was feeding a couple cubes of hikari mysis every day, but then went on vacation for a week and only had someone coming every other day. When I got back, The few aiptasia I had were gone.

Sounds like he got hungry when you were gone. I was just wanting to get mine fattened up and used to the tank before cutting back on the frozen food.

Edit:

Miami Dolfan;654652 wrote: Dave, If you have a problem with aiptasia, I'll let you borrow my Heniochus angel. I have sen him first hand eat small aiptasia when I was moving my rock around. He didn't go for the big ones, though.

Thanks. Let me try the CBB first. I'm sure he'll eat aiptasia, but when someone is using a baster to push mysis and gut-loaded brine shrimp at you 5 times a day I probably wouldn't eat one of those nasty aiptasia either!

I've used the Reef Napalm in the past, but I have a lot of stuff in the tank now, so I can't do it without collateral damage.

 

[miami dolfan]

Acroholic;654661 wrote: Thanks. Let me try the CBB first. I'm sure he'll eat aiptasia, but when someone is using a baster to push mysis and gut-loaded brine shrimp at you 5 times a day I probably wouldn't eat one of those nasty aiptasia either!.

You're probably right. I've never had luck with a copperband eating aiptasia in my tank.

 

[acroholic]

Miami Dolfan;654684 wrote: You're probably right. I've never had luck with a copperband eating aiptasia in my tank.

Hehe...knowing my luck I'll have the same thing happen. I bought this from Rit and he says the CBB was eating aiptasia. He got his butt kicked by a Kole Tang for a while, but that has stopped.

 

[smoothie]

Hmmm try squirting a few shrimp in an aiptasia.

 

[spike]

I received a copperband from one of my coral suppliers about 7 months ago. Originally I did not want him, he just sent him to me as a freebee. I told him I would like to have some fish beneficial to my system, so he sent a copperband. He has been thriving in one of my ponds. He is constantly searching the pond for possible aiptasia and feather dusters. I do feed once a day, with my homemade food which is made up of about everything but the kitchen sink. Due to high water flow and poor visibility looking down into my pond I really am not sure how much prepared foods he is eating. I have not seen an aiptasia in this pond for months. If I find any on a coral or rock I make sure it goes in with him. I also place a rock loaded with mini feather dusters from my systems sump into the pond with him about once a week. Last week I put a rock with a small aiptasia in his system and later that day it was gone.:thumbs:

Edit: I received a copperband from one of my coral suppliers about 6 months ago. I did not want him, he just sent him to me as a freebee. I told him I would like to have any fish beneficial to my system. He has been thriving in one of my ponds. He is constantly searching the pond for possible aiptasia and feather dusters. I do feed once a day, with my homemade food which is made up of about everything but the kitchen sink. Due to water flow and poor visibility looking down into my pond I really am not sure how much prepared foods he is eating. I have not seen an aiptasia in this pond for months. If I find any on a coral or rock I make sure it goes in with him. I also place a rock loaded with mini featherdusters from my systems sump into the pond with him about once a week. Last week I put a rock with a small aiptasia in his system and later that day it was gone.

Edit: I received a copperband from one of my coral suppliers about 6 months ago. I did not want him, he just sent him to me as a freebee. I told him I would like to have any fish beneficial to my system. He has been thriving in one of my ponds. He is constantly searching the pond for possible aiptasia and feather dusters. I do feed once a day, with my homemade food which is made up of about everything but the kitchen sink. Due to water flow and poor visibility looking down into my pond I really am not sure how much prepared foods he is eating. I have not seen an aiptasia in this pond for months. If I find any on a coral or rock I make sure it goes in with him. I also place a rock loaded with mini featherdusters from my systems sump into the pond with him about once a week. Last week I put a rock with a small aiptasia in his system and later that day it was gone.

 

[geno]

I have had my CBB for about 2 years -- and, like you, I fed him/her regularly to ensure initial survival.

What I have seen over the years is that she is constantly on the lookout for food within the LR and sand bed. It may take some time, but I feel sure yours will find the bad guys. It seems to me, that as long as there's easy food to be found, why look harder than necessary. Basically, we're all lazy

 

[jmaneyapanda]

Having one that's eats prepared food and undesirable inverts is a blessing on top of a blessing. Just be cautious. If they learn that picking at inverts, anemones, etc is a source of food/way to get food, it may be difficult to get them to stop sampling.

 

[misu]

had mine for a few months now, I feed frozen once a day just for him. Don't know when he decided to go for aiptasia but it disappeared in the first 2 months.

 

[glxtrix]

jmaneyapanda;654811 wrote: Having one that's eats prepared food and undesirable inverts is a blessing on top of a blessing. Just be cautious. If they learn that picking at inverts, anemones, etc is a source of food/way to get food, it may be difficult to get them to stop sampling.

+1 As well as clams too