Rare Bandit Trilogy Pics

[Instar]

Warning: Don't try this at home... :P

A rare sight in an aquarium: Known to fight to the death, these fish have turned into an interactive trio. They currently reside in a 6 foot long, 125 gallon reef. :-D :-D :-D

http://www.maast.org/albums/Instar/IM003256copperbandTrilogy.jpg

For more trilogy pics: http://www.maast.org/modules.php?set_albumName=Instar&op=modload&name=g allery&file=index&include=view_album.php&page=7

[Richard]

Very cool!

Larry do you/have you kept copperbands with tridacnid clams? If so, any problems?

[BA]

awesome pack Larry

[Instar]

Thanks guys!
I had these 3 in with a Southeast Asia teardrop maxima and a blue and gold max, both about 4 inch clams. The only reason the clams are not in there now is because I sold them. I wish that I hadn't done that now, as I had them for a while. There are still 5 turkey wing bivalves in there though. One of the clams had a couple small aiptasia on the edge of it when I got it and the CBB cleaned it up with surgical precision, never touching the mantle of the clam. There are a couple tricks to introducing clams into a tank with the CBB though.

[StephenA]

My CBB has never messed with my clams.

[GaryP]

I had a CBB eat a small maxima a few weeks ago. Larry filled me in on the why and how to prevent it in the future.

I'll let him give you the details.

Gary

[dan203]

how?

[GaryP]

Here's how Larry explained it to me. My apologies to Larry if I misquote him. Larry's working a lot of hours right now and I'm not sure how much posting he is able to do.

Clams produce a pheromone when stressed, such as when they are moved. This pheromone is a feeding trigger to butterflies like a CBB. The way to get around this is to build an eggcrate cage around the clam so that the CBB can't get to it. Second, immediately feed the CBB some black mussels. The feeding trigger creates an insatiable need to feed on bivalves. The black mussels provide the CBB with a food to satisfy their need. Once the clam gets acclimated to the tank it will stop being stressed and stop producing the pheromone. The eggcrate can be removed at that time. I think this explains why some people have success putting the two together and some do not. If you are putting a CBB into a tank that already has clams, it shouldn't be a problem because they are not producing the pheromone. However, if you are introducing the clam to the tank then you do. This explains a lot to me. I recently had a very bad experience where my CBB ate a clam that I put into a tank that had 2 other clams already in it. He's never touched the other two. That was a very expensive meal.

Gary

[Instar]

Thanks GaryP, you got it right. Sorry my earlier post was so brief.
One additional item: anything on the sand bed is in the fair game field for the copperband to strike and may be attacked for food.
Put the clams up into the reef on the rocks and its not fair game. Clams on the sand are food, clams up in the reef are not.
Its a test of nerves knowing that. After the copperband tames down and is aquainted with the clams, then I've had them on the sand without issues. But, remember if its on the sand and then if it falls over, gets bitten by a fire worm or something that upsets it a lot, it can again become fair game if its on the sand.

[GaryP]

The small clam that I had was in the rock but it had an aiptasia on it and that probably encouraged its feeding response.

Gary

[Reef69]

wow, nice picture Larry

[SuperXdude]

3 CBBs are easy, but keeping the aptasia alive with them is the hard part!



SuperX

(just kidding!) Great pic dude!