Copper Band Bfly

[TruonkQ]

I've had this guy for a week. Seems to be very shy. Every time i feed (brine w/ zoe & zoecon) he tends to hide in the back. Every now and then i see him picking on rocks like he's eating worms/ pods.

Also found this one yellow worm. Looks like the regular brown centi's, but just yellow. Good or bad?

[CD]

I've had this guy for a week. Seems to be very shy.


Is there any way you could post a pic of your tank set up? List the tankmates? Sometimes when one gets a fish, they will be shy for a week or two until they settle in to their new surroundings. Reason I ask about your set up (rockwork especially) is that we got an Undulate trigger for our FOWLER tank, and she was VERY insecure until we added more live rock (more places to duck and hide if she felt the need). Once the extra LR was added, she started coming out a LOT more, but she's still shy when someone is standing in front of the tank...she is however improving every day. As far as feeding, you may want to try some different things besides brine - live foods like FW clams or mussels (you will need to break the shell open for them), crustacean flesh, mysid shrimp, etc...maybe even try soaking the food with garlic juice (like Garlic Xtreme) to illicit a feeding response. CBBs are pretty picky sometimes and notorious for being on the difficult side when it comes to food choices. Since he seems to be picking at the rocks, you may end up having to buy live foods initially, and work your way into the frozen kind slowly. ;)



Looks like the regular brown centi's


Centi's? You mean bristle worms? We may need a pic on this one.

W. :)

[GaryP]

Every Copper Band I have ever had has gone through the same thing. They are very bashful in a community tank. The LFS staff are quick to tell you that they are eating brine or mysids in their tank, but that is not a community tank with other aggressive feeders.

What I have found to be most effective with a shy copper band is to feed them before and after the lights are on. This is the time when they most aggressively feed in the wild, around sunrise and sunset. They will also get less competition from more aggressive tankmates. Often time we are trying to feed them at a time of day that they are the least active. When all else fails, feed them live black mussels from HEB. They can't resist them.

[hammondegge]

....feed them live black mussels from HEB. They can't resist them.
how to they open them up...no, really?

[CD]

how to they open them up...no, really?




live foods like FW clams or mussels (you will need to break the shell open for them)


W. :)

[hammondegge]

oh :blush

[GaryP]

You just slip a thin knife like a pearing knife through where the two shells meet and cut the muscle holding it closed. Just like opening oysters. Once open, you rinse out the inside with tap water and then toss it into the tank.

Like I said, dawn and dusk are the best times to feed.

[GaryP]

A fair amount of the live mussels I buy die before I can use them. As they die off I seperate them from the live ones and toss them into a zip lock bag in the freezer. They get used within a week or so. I just thaw them out, open them and use them the same way as the live ones. The copper bands don't seem to mind at all.

[Instar]

Please avoid dead mussels that are frozen after they died. That will eventually lead to the copperband's death.
If you freeze them before they die, then when they are thawed and washed, they are good. I had some trouble getting live mussels so I've tried several different frozen sources. One they seem to like is not as good as live, but still works for a back up is the OFI, All Natural Markese fully cooked frozen Chilean mussels. (Small ones, a 1 pound pk found at HEB - its about and 8 x 11 inch package) They are already opened by the ice and easy to wash and pop out of the shell. Then just rubberband them to a rock or shell and put in the tank at just at dawn and dusk as GaryP said above. Live is better and this is a possible back up. Frozen white mosquito larva and frozen mysis are good starter foods too as well as blood worms mashed into a dead coral head. (Copperbands love small bristle worms and these have a similar look)

There is a giant brand that are nearly as large as your fist, but these don't work.

[Bill S]

Just a quick warning about mussels. The are probably the most delicate live-shipped seafood there is. I grew up on the beach in the northeast. When we go visit my parents, we walk down the beach to the jetty for mussels - my absolute FAVORITE food. Period. This is why I don't eat them in resturants. They spoil so incredibly fast, and MOST of the mussels in resturants are dead when cooked - and they taste that way. If you've ever had good - and I mean good fresh mussels, you would absolutely agree. They are awesome - never fishy in the least. When you buy your mussels, check each and every one of them. Squeeze them and they should close up. If they don't, discard them. You wouldn't feed your fish a dead oyster, would you? (these, chopped up also make good food - feeds the whole tank, chunks for the chunk eaters, bites for the fish, and stomach contents for the filter feeders).

[GaryP]

I have also fed them little neck oysters. They last longer in the refrigerator but are more expensive and harder to open.

[deast7]

Ok -- I bought this Pakistan Butterfly a week ago -- he was eating frozen mysis at the store and for the first couple of days in the QT he was eating the mysis fine -- the last day or so he's taking the shrimp and then spitting it out -- I bought some live black mussels at HEB and want to get this straight -- I open the shell, cut out the mussel, rinse with water and toss the entire mussel into the tank?

Would it be better to secure it to a piece of rock I have in the tank? Will he eat the whole thing or do I just leave it in until he's had his fill and take it out (if so, I assume I'll have to toss the rest) -- should I soak it in garlic? Thanks for all of your help -- would like to get this guy eating again before he joins the big tank.

Cheers,

Dave