copperband butterfly

[bruce 1]

I looked on live aquaria and it says they will eat anemones. So will they bother my RBTA??

 

[purplegorilla]

They won't bother your RBTA..However getting one to eat an aptasia is a hit or miss. If you managed to find out, what will they eat after all the aptasias are gone?

 

[bruce 1]

The one I am looking at was eating everything.

 

[bdooley]

I have five rbta's and my copperband hasn't touched any of them .

 

[bruce 1]

How hardy are they? Are they a good fish to have?

 

[purplegorilla]

They have a very poor survival rate. At least with me. I have tried like twice with both times, and I made sure they ate at the LFS before I pick him up. Unless you are buying it from an individual who claims to have them longer than 6 m to a year then I would reconsider. In fact I even bought it from another user who claims to have it for 6 months and it still didn't survive in my tank.


I would love to have another but don't want to risk it. I have heard the Australian species tend to do better than the Indo.

That is one of the fish I would love to own one day plus a Clown Tang.

 

[spike]

JMHO,but I think they slowly starve to death. Unless you plan on feeding 3-4 times a day. They are constantly searching rock work for something to eat. Mine ate prepared food up until the day it died, but I was only able to feed once a day. I have heard the same story from others. Mine lasted a little over a year. Anytime I found aiptasia on rock or coral in my systems it was delivered to him. Hes would devour within seconds.

 

[fishlips]

Very good subject.Has anyone kept one ,and still has it alive in there tank over a year. Please post and do tell how.

 

[ripped tide]

Mine will be going in nine months this month.

He still eats like a fat little pig and comes up to the top of the tank and eats mysis out of my fingers or tongs.

They are pretty delicate. Only experienced keepers, and those who are willing to flush $40 down the toilet should attempt to keep these animals. This was the most stressful(on me) acclimation I had dealt with. He wouldn't take prepared foods for a while after I got him. It probably took 3 weeks before he would take mysis.

 

[rjrgroup]

Had one for 8 months and he ate everything I gave him...until one day, he stopped eating. I have heard that pairs do much better but you know how that is. Beautiful fish but still a little to sensitive I think.

 

[bruce 1]

I think I am going to pass on it now.
Thanks for all the input.

 

[reeferman]

ive tried 3 times.the one that would eat,ate acans,chalice and favias as well.

 

[ripped tide]

reeferman;795998 wrote: ive tried 3 times.the one that would eat,ate acans,chalice and favias as well.

O yeah... I forgot to add, that's why I have mainly sps.

He'll pick on brains and lord acans. Mine leaves chalice and acan echinatas alone.

 

[reeferman]

i only have 4 lps in my tank and the cb loved them all!

 

[thanhreef]

Mine lived up to 7 months. He did not pick anything except aptasias & feather duster. After he ate them all... nothing to eat and slowly starve to death.