Ok here's 1 good Copperband story. I've had one for about 2 1/2 years and he's fat and happy. First, they are definitely not a fish for beginners. Second, I wouldn't recommend adding one until your tank is well established. Third, they are finicky eaters. I made sure his weight was good and they fed him mysis for me in store before I purchased. If you don't typically quarantine you definitely need to for this fish, if for no other reason then to get him eating good before introducing it to your DT. This is obviously a thin bodied fish that can't afford to lose a lot of weight. I started him in qt with live black worms, Copperbands can't resist them. Once he was eating those well and not losing weight (about 4 days) I started to offer mysis shrimp. At first he wouldn't even look at it. I would skip a day feeding and eventually (after about the 2nd week in qt) he started taking mysis. When He was totally on the Mysis I transferred him to my display. The first few days he couldn't compete with the usual feeding frenzy and stayed in the back but I fed mysis with my pumps on and blew food all over the tank so he was getting some. After a week he came around and started to feed with the rest of the group. It won't eat flake or pellets. I buy Ocean Nutrition frozen clams on the half shell to supplement a couple times a week. I have to rubber band them to a long handle scoop and put a screen over the clam to keep other fish from stealing it. He loves the clams.
It never bothers any corals. The only shrimp I have is large coral banded and he never bothers it. I have a Mexican turbo that has been in there longer then he has and he never bother it either. He goes at it with the rest of the population at feeding time. I don't coddle it or give it any special attention. Once he got comfortable in the DT he's been very hardy and a model citizen.
..lol
