Does/has anyone ever kept two copperband butterflies together?

I have an Australian Copperband pair. I can't keep scolys/acans/etc. without them picking but otherwise, they're awesome to watch swim together.
 
Oz;723697 wrote: I have an Australian Copperband pair. I can't keep scolys/acans/etc. without them picking but otherwise, they're awesome to watch swim together.

Dang, I have 1 scoly, 2 trachophyllia, and 2 acan colonies. Do they pick bad enough to kill the coral, or just pi$$ em off?

I do have quite a few aptasias
 
I have always heard they last much longer in multiples. I certainly can't vouch for it but I had one despite a friends advice and it died after 6 months just like he said. The CB ate great for 5 months and just quit one day, that was the beginning of the end...
 
Against rational odds, I decided to buy the pair.

I have a 4.4g tank I could use for qt, but that seems pretty cruel. Plus, every fish that is in the tank they are going into gets ick every now and then. So, a qt seems pretty much pointless, no?
 
Ripped - Pure Reef in Alpharetta has two Copperbands in a tank and they appear to be paired - or at least they did when I was there last week.

I've seen videos on youtube about them and they definitely do look awesome swimming together. Mine is struggling now.. he won't eat anything, not even black worms. I've tried everything and I fear the end is near.. He's been in there for 3 weeks or so.. I imagine he's nearing the end of his rope :(
 
certainly don't. He was eating mysis when he left the shop but now won't touch anything. I've tried everything - mysis, brine, blood worms, black worms, 'angel/butterfly' food.. nothing :(

He won't even eat my coral! Dumb fish!
 
Thanks Kris, but I think I am going to risk it. There are plenty of healthy aptasia for them to munch on.
 
Ripped Tide;723784 wrote: Against rational odds, I decided to buy the pair.

I have a 4.4g tank I could use for qt, but that seems pretty cruel. Plus, every fish that is in the tank they are going into gets ick every now and then. So, a qt seems pretty much pointless, no?

Absolutely not. QT has SO much more importance than just preventing ick. EVERY fish should be quarantined for so many reasons.

Also, FYI, pairing butterflies is a complicated matter that relies on luck. With no dimorphism, one can only put them together and hope they are a male and female. Otherwise, you will ultimately have fighting.
 
Grrrr grumble huff and puff, alright, I'll do it. What is the most widely accepted qt treatment? Praziquantel and copper? At seperate times of course. I don't want to do hypo salinity, they will be going in to 1.026
 
They pick but it depends on how much and the hardiness of the coral if they thrive, just live, or die.

I assume Panda means you should QT all new fish before they go into a display to avoid introducing ich and other crap to begin with. IMO I wouldn't consider Copperbands to be super hardy to begin with so putting them in a tank with existing problems/stress is just asking for death in many cases.
 
When I say the fish have ich from time to time, I don't mean like COVERED one spot in the morning, maybe, and gone by noon. Then I won't see any for another 3 weeks or so. It's foolish to think that ick won't be present in an aquarium. It's always there.

I see how a qt is benificial, I know that when a fish is first introduced, they are most prone to disease out breaks due to the stress caused from transport. The qt gives a buffer zone so that when a fish is ailed, it can be easily treated w/ out damaging your display.

I'd say the highest stress factor in my tank would be the flow. Chemically speaking, it is pretty well off.

I know copperband are a gamble, I was prepared to flush it before I bought it, but this ain't my first rodeo w/ butterflies, and I do have a few tricks up my sleeve.

So, copper and praziquantel?
 
There is a age that they love you can grow not sure name looks like grape vines its what Tim at keen use to feed his

Edit: Caulerpa alge
 
Well - I was spot on. Woke up today, went into the office to start work and my copperband was stuck to the powerhead... sad day for me :(

Ripped - did you make sure your fish ate before you took them home?
 
Update:

It has been a little over two weeks since I bought both fish.

I decided to do an experiment. I put one fish in my qt tank and the other was acclimated directly into the DT.

Neither of the fish ate prepared foods from the beginning. The fish in the DT almost immediately began picking at pods and micro algae. The fish in qt had no pods to pick on. After day 2, I began praziquantel in the qt. Day three, fish in qt is getting thin and fins looks tattered. Day four: fish in qt is dead, fish in tank still not eating prepared, but I see him Eatin pods. Today(day 15) the fish that did not go through qt is doing great, eating PE mysis, flake, and very happy.


I am in no way advocating this practice, but from my personal experience, I have come to the conclusion that a fish in a comfortable environment is going to be more happy than a fish in a small, bare box with a few pieces of PVC or live rock. I have also come to the conclusion that using medications are way more stressful on a fish than not medicating it. I completely believe that a healthy fish, that is not in a stressful environment is fully capable of "kicking" diseases an parasites. I also think that selecting appropriate tank mates will help control unnecessary stress in your tank.

Just something to chew on. Happy reefing.
 
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