FAQs on Chelmon Butterflyfishes Foods/Feeding/Nutrition Related Articles: Chelmon Butterflyfishes,  Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,  Related FAQs: Chelmon Butterflies 1, Chelmon Butterflies 2, Chelmon Identification, Chelmon Behavior, Chelmon Compatibility, Chelmon Selection, Chelmon Systems, Chelmon Disease, Foods/Feeding/Nutrition, Using Chelmons as Aiptasia Controls, Butterflyfish Identification, Butterflyfish Foods/Feeding/Nutrition,  Butterflyfish Compatibility, Butterflyfish Behavior, Butterflyfish Systems, Butterflyfish Selection, Butterflyfish Disease, Butterflyfish Reproduction,

Chelmons may pick around Corals enough to damage them

Butterflyfishes for  Marine Aquariums Diversity, Selection & Care New eBook on Amazon: Available here New Print Book on Create Space: Available here by Robert (Bob) Fenner

Chelmon rostratus sleeping behaviour; and fdg. insights       7/10/15
Hello crew!
<Hey Jeff>
I’ve been the happy owner of a Chelmon rostratus for the last three years or so now, and despite the initial headaches and concerns he gave me when he would not eat the first week, it would seem he has now acclimated well (I can share more details on my feeding menu and habits if you’re interested).
<Please do>
I have noticed, for a while now, that at night he is the only one who does not have a den to sleep in. looking over the internet I found one article that mentions that they sleep "on spot", meaning they stay in a low flow area and sleep while they swim. can you confirm this?
<Mmm; all the Chelmons I've come across during the night were sleeping, lying on the bottom near habitat... an overhang, stony coral... apparently in low current conditions>
if so this means he must have slept badly for the past 3 years, since I don’t have a special pump schedule at night.
Clearly if he is holding strong all this time it must mean that it's not much of an issue, but being a sleep lover myself I was wondering if it would be worth perhaps shutting down one of the two pumps during the night in order to give him proper rest.
<Worth trying>
Pump and system details:
450l mixed reef
one Tunze 6500 L/h that turns on for 10 seconds and stays off for 10 seconds and one Newave 9700 L/h that turns on for 35 seconds and stays off for 35 seconds.
I also have a 100l sump/refu with a return but the flow is minimal (its adjusted with a ball valve, and i estimate the flow to be around 900 L/h… but I have no numbers to back that up, the pump is a 950L/h) gut feeling would tell me to turn off the larger Newave but your input is appreciated.
thank you in advance
Jeff
<Thank you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
Re: Chelmon rostratus sleeping behaviour       7/10/15
Thank you Bob,
<Welcome Jeff>
I make my own fish food every other month. I mix a pack of Nori, a couple garlic heads, 3 shrimps, 4 squid rings, varied clams and piece of cod together. i then place the goo in an ice rack, freeze it and presto! fish food stock for the next couple months. i feed one cube a day, half in the morning half mid afternoon.
<I see; thank you... No binder other than the ingredients above>
I was able to lure the rostratus to this mix by placing open clams in the tank, in fact its because of him that i add clams to the recipe in the first place.....now that i mention it i think it may have been you that suggested me to try open clams tu lure him.
<Could be>
regards Jeff
<Thanks again. BobF>

Need Help with Copperband Butterfly, fdg., comp...  10/2/13
Hi Crew,
<Rendi>
I recently purchased a CBB from Diver's Den and it was reportedly eating enriched Mysis and brine very well before being shipped to me.  It arrived healthy and well adjusted, unphased by the other fish in my tank, but would not readily eat prepared foods.
<Typical behavior for the genus Chelmon, recently moved...>
  I spent a week trying SF Bay Mysis, Marine Cuisine, Rod's food, and PE Mysis. After reading through your site I finally decided to try blood worms (it had been picking at hitchhiking feather dusters but not Aiptasia in my tank), which finally did the trick, and I also added in Spirulina brine shrimp since it was feeding on enriched bring at Live Aquaria.
<Good moves>
 For the last week it has been eating a few blood worms and at least one piece of either Mysis or brine at each feeding. 
I'm currently feeding a mix of foods 3x per day, soaked in Vita-Chem, AngeLixer, and garlic, and its eating a little bit at every feeding.  But its still getting skinnier (I do plan to treat the tank with PraziPro tomorrow just in case parasites are present).  I think part of the problem is that it is such a slow and deliberate feeder compared to my other fish who are all very voracious eaters (fairy wrasses, melanurus wrasse, tilefish, mimic tang, clownfish, lyretail Anthias, Chromis, blenny, watchman goby, tiny Kole tang - 90g + 20g sump and 160+lbs of live rock, established almost 2 years). 
<Ah yes... maybe you can/could move this B/F to a less vigorous setting for a while... a sump, refugium?>
For example, I fed 4 cubes of various frozen food this morning (2 Mysis, 1 Spirulina brine, 1 bloodworm) and it was all gone in less than 3 minutes - the CBB got a few blood worms and a piece of shrimp but that was it.  It will see other pieces of food and start to move towards them but inevitably a wrasse or the tilefish swoops in and grabs it before the CBB can even get close.  I'm now turning off the pumps so that the food doesn't move around so quickly but I still don't think the CBB is getting enough to eat to sustain it, even when its being fed 3x per day.  I've also heard that bloodworms are about as unnutritious as brine (is this true?)
<Can be about the same as Artemia... both vary widely in content>
so I'm not sure its getting much of anything nutrient-wise, even though I am soaking in Vita-Chem.  I'm wondering if there is anything else that I can do to increase the CBB's intake without removing it from the tank?
<Put in a divider for a few weeks... screening out the other fishes. You can buy or fashion such... there is a FAQs file on the root/marine web on WWM re "dividers" for input>
 I don't think clams would work out in my tank as I'm pretty sure the melanurus would rip into it before the CBB even had a chance to think about eating it.
<Worth trying though; I would>
 And I'm a little reluctant to feed 4x a day - my other fish are getting really fat and although my water quality seems to be holding its own for even I've increased the amount of waste in the tank substantially by feeding 3x as much as I used to, I don't know how much more my live rock can take before I start getting substantial algae outbreaks (running a reef octopus skimmer rated for 200g and using a GFO reactor, + 15% water changes weekly).  Are these reasonable concerns?
<Yes>
 Any
advice or guidance you could provide would be greatly appreciated!
<Try (once the fish is separated from the others), introducing foods via a feeding tool (wood, plastic tongs, chop sticks...) a few times daily>
Thank you!
Rendi
<Welcome. Please do report back your further experiences, observations. Bob Fenner>
Re: Need Help with Copperband Butterfly   10/3/13
Thank you for your quick reply, Bob!  I will look into dividers and see what I can fashion.
<Something chemically inert... again, the ref. on WWM>
 I do have a smaller tank I could move it to,
<Mmm, not too small... >
 but am concerned it will get bullied on returning it to the tank as a single fish (I introduced it with 4 other fish, all from Divers Den, to reduce aggression towards it).  Though I will move it if needed.  In the mean time, are there particular brands of blood worms that you would recommend that are more nutritious than others?
<Am a giant fan of both the TMC Gamma and Hikari lines... have not heard much re other people's>
 And/or is there a better or additional food soak I could use?
<The SeaChem Vitality, Selcon, MicroVit are faves>
I will definitely keep you posted on what happens and will go ahead and try the clams as well!
Rendi
<Thank you, BobF>

How to wean CBB to regular foods?   7/3/13
Hi guys,
<Aditya>
I have recently acquired a Copperband butterfly after wanting to have one for a very long time. I picked the youngest most inquisitive fellow I saw at the LFS. After a lot of reading I tried giving the fish clam on the half shell and it spent some time picking on it. Soon it lost interest. I had a tiny rock in QT with Aiptasia but he didn't seem interested after nipping at it a couple of times.
<Patience>
 So the next thing I thought id try was live worms.
Where I am located however the only live worms we get are Tubifex, so with some hesitation (cause I don't trust the source) I got a bunch of them and rinsed them several times a day in RO water. The CBB seems to love live Tubifex worms. It has gotten to the point where he hurriedly comes up to the front glass and eats Tubifex directly out of the syringe I use. I have offered him crushed snail and clam in my hand, he nips them a few times and then loses interest. The funny thing is that for some strange reason he likes to be hand fed only, if the worms fall on the floor, he just avoids them and looks back up at me until I hold a fresh batch for him again... I have never had this experience with any fish in the past. Anyway I had an ammonia spike in the Qt and moved him to the sump. Its a decent sized fuge and within a minute he was already swimming around my hand looking for food.
DT Tank info: 500g soft coral reef that's been running for 1.5 yrs. All param.s in check. tons of copepods and amphipods living in an ever growing bundle of Chaeto. Fish include regal, yellow tangs and a host of small fish (clowns, damsels, Anthias, a bicolor angel and a flame angel)
My question is: How long do you think I need to keep him in the sump/qt before I move him to the DT?
<I'd move as soon as it/this is practical... Like now>
 I cannot afford to hand feed this one guy worms in a 500g tank on a daily basis.
<Train the fish to accept/eat other foods. My choice: Spectrum pellets (small size); mixed with other foods... again, Mysids would be my first choice... diminishing other foods as a percentage, till the fish is accepting just the Spectrum>
 I want to move him to a more sustainable feeding regimen, but he doesn't care about any of the other meaty foods i put in there. At the moment I have no Mysis and it may take me a little time to source some. What would you suggest? slowly mix brine shrimp with the worms in the syringe? Will he be ok in the DT? Is Tubifex a bad thing on the long run?
<Read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chelmonfdgfaq.htm
many thanks again for your time reading this!
Aditya
P.S writing a separate short email regarding a query about my bi-color and Zoas in a bit!
<I see this. Bob Fenner>
re: How to wean CBB to regular foods?   7/4/13
Hi Bob,
<Aditya>
I went ahead and introduced the CBB to the display tank. The currents in the DT can be quite strong so he was getting pushed around. Then what I feared most happened, he ventured into the small humbug damsels territory and got quite a beating. Weird how new fish go straight to the 2 cu ft damsel territory when there is 500g of water to play with. Anyway soon they lost each other and then for the next hr he spent at the top front of the tank next to the Tunze. I tried worms on the syringe right next to him and he ate them. He still looked quite skittish and overall nervous, so I turned down the flow and switched off the lights with just the moonlight on. All other fish are in hiding now but the cbb still hangs around the top. Couple of things I noticed, with the bright DT lights, now I see that one eye is cloudy while the other seems normal. Also he seems thin, I can see his spine a bit, not sure if this is normal with CBBs.
<... shouldn't be that/this thin; not normal/healthy, no>
My follow-up questions are:
do you think the damsels pose serious threat to the CBB?
<As you state above; there should be plenty of living space here>
 Its a large tank and they have issues with anyone who trespasses but are picking on the newbie. Should I remove the CBB? The CBB is small but still larger than the damsel.
Is the cloudy eye a bacterial infection? Its not spotty. One eye is duller than the other eye, this becomes apparent only if viewing the fish head on.
If catching the fish is a difficulty is it possible for these things to sort themselves out in the DT? I am hesitant towards stressing him out much more
<... can't tell from here>
Slightly distressed and hoping he is ok. Never had such a trusting fish before.
Thanks again for your time.
Aditya
<Welcome. B>

Copperband butterfly stopped eating, comp. issue      7/6/12
Hello all,
<Art>
   I have had a Copperband for about two or three months that I bought from the pet store. A few days after getting it he tried some Mysis and had eating that ever since.
<Mmm, needs a wider diet... Try smallish Spectrum pellets as a staple for all is my suggestion>
    Yesterday, however, I added two new fish (mystery wrasse and royal gramma).
<Mmm, may be/come territorial; esp. toward each other>
Then the butterfly stopped eating and has been facing the same piece of rock in the tank most of the time I look at him. I couldn't find out if this is part of the butterfly behavior or not.
<A "Beta" signal... subdominant, submissive>
 I hope I didn't ruin all my progress. The first day he picked at a couple pieces but then he stopped looking at them all together. Though he is more active when food is put in the tank.
Old tank mates are clownfish (2) and a mandarin and nothing is picking on the CB that I can see.
Do I take out the new fish? 
<Maybe; or the Chelmon>
Or just let it go and give him some more time to adjust?
<If it doesn't resume feeding w/in a week, I would act>
  It might just be behavioral but I have never seen fish act like that. Any advice, as always, is appreciated.
75 gal
Water nitrates 5ppm 0 ammo 0 nitrite
35 ppt salt
78 degrees temp
7dkh alk (I know it's a bit low but I've been working on it)
Ph 8.3/4 ( maybe due to alk buffer)
Calcium 540ppm
<Too high... I'd keep under 450>
Magnesium 1400
Arthur
<Bob Fenner>

Copperband Butterfly Fish Feeding - 2/23/2011
Dear WWM crew,
<Hello Bladezz>
So I am reading over your discussions <FAQs> regarding the feeding of a Copperband butterfly fish and I see lots of references to the use of live clams. Could you elaborate on the types of clams used i.e. type, source, size etc?
<Is really just one of the many foods you can try to tempt the fish to eat. One fresh clam at your local deli/meat market should last for a while. One trick I have had success with in the past is to press a small piece of clam/scallop into a brain coral skeleton. May need to try several foods until you find a food it will accept.>
I have purchased a fellow reeferâÂ's <reefer's> specimen which was eating Mysis shrimp but now that he is in my system (a well established 200 gallon display) he will not touch my offerings. He is munching on my feather dusters which I have lots of and he is occasionally grazing on my Aiptasia but I would love to have long term success by getting him to eat foods that I offer him. Any input you have would be greatly appreciated!
<Ahh, is unlikely that your Copperband will go after Mysis when some of their favorite foods are available in the form of Fanworms and Aiptasia. Offer a variety of foods in small amounts and hopefully it will accept one of them, and most of all, give it some time to acclimate.>
Thanks so much for being a great source of information.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Bladezz

Enriched Aiptasia for Chelmon Rostratus?  6/7/10
Dear Neptune and posse,
<Whoa!>
I have searched WWM and the web for "enriched Aiptasia" and not found anything quite like what I am seeking; forgive me if this is covered here already.
<Have never heard of these two words together>
I have a 75 gallon reef tank with a 29 gallon sump and a 20 gallon 'fuge/surge tank. Having accepted the presence of some Aiptasia as a given, I decided early on to keep a Copperband butterfly to control populations of the pest anemones and hope for the best wrt possible problems with corals.
The system is now about 7 months old (seeded/initially stocked with animals from a previous chain-of-nanos system) and the butterfly has been here just about as long. Apart from an early bout with what appeared to be a minor case of Lymphocystis, there have been no problems with keeping the butterfly in apparent good health. He eats nothing but live food (I was not hardcore about trying to train him onto prepared while in QT)--mostly
Aiptasia, pods, and various worms when he can get them. He has shown no interest (that I'm aware of) in any of my corals (softies, LPS and SPS) or Zoas. He also shows no interest at all in any food that is not live--and regular foods include frozen Mysis, bloodworms and glassworms, brine, krill, etc.. There are plenty of other fish in the tank. I figure he'll learn to eat this stuff by watching the others do it if food ever becomes a real problem for him. My system generates quite a bit of live food.
So much food, in fact, that about a month and a half ago I decided I was ready to add a spotted mandarin to the mix. I was slightly concerned that the butterfly might make food scarce for the mandarin, so I watched carefully for weight gain in the mandarin (this is my second one--the first was fat and healthy and lost in a jumping incident).
<Quite common>
After a few weeks I concluded that the mandarin was actually the stronger competitor for available pods in the system--probably because the mandarin seems to be able to pick up smaller pods, thereby depleting the number of
larger pods available for the butterfly. The mandarin got fat, and the butterfly doesn't appear to be suffering, but.......
Maybe it's just me, but my CB hasn't grown quite as much as I would have expected by now. It's grown maybe 1 to 1.5 inches to its present 4.5 inches or so in the time I've had it. That seems small to me for a fish that can grow to nearly 8 inches. Is it small, or does this sound like normal growth?
<Could well be "normal" per the conditions presented, that it exists in>
You and others always recommend enriching CB food with Selcon, but I can't do that with this guy because he won't touch frozen food.
<Might do so if made more palatable...>
To make sure he gets enough to eat, I've been rotating rocks out of the other vessels to a spot in the DT where he knows I put fresh rock for him.
He goes after the worms, then the pods and Aiptasia. I worried about nutrition in his diet before, but now the presence of the mandarin has possibly made the range of his diet even narrower (thankfully the mandarin eats frozen bloodworms with gusto and also the live BBS I regularly feed).
So today I tried a crazy idea. I target-fed Selcon to the Aiptasia on a rock in the surge tank, then dropped it in the DT for the CB. He ate them all as usual. Mission accomplished? Will this work the way I intend it to?
<May well do so>
I can't believe I'm the first to think of this (I seem to get this feeling a lot), but I can't find anything written on this specific idea. Sorry for the lengthy email, I've tried to stay on-point.
<No worries>
Thanks as always for your priceless (literally!) service here. I can't imagine attempting all I've achieved with this system without the guidance of this site.
dh
<Thank you for sharing your observations, experience so well. Bob Fenner>

Copperband Butterfly Change In Eating Habits -- 04/16/10
Hi all,
<<Greetings>>
I've had a Copperband butterfly for about a month now. He ate Mysis in the store and in QT but has since gone on a hunger strike in the main tank.
<<Mmm, happens from time to time'¦but any 'extended' strike is not good>>
He ate for the first few days but now won't touch anything I try. The other fish don't bother him at all and he still comes out and around at feeding time, just won't sample anything.
<<These are very finicky fish'¦mine doesn't even show interest in brine shrimp>>
There are no signs of ich or flukes but behind his eyes/head it's getting kind of skinny and I wondered if he's just "losing weight" or if there might be something else going on?
<<I see this often with these fish'¦the fish is starving to death>>
Thanks for any insight you might have as to what is wrong and what I should be doing!
<<As stated, the fish is not receiving adequate nutrition. Even when they do feed well, Copperbands often to not receive adequate quantities of food as they compete poorly re with most all other fishes. Do see if your fish will accept frozen glass worms (also known as white mosquito larvae) as I have found most Copperbands relish these (as will your other fishes too). Although of freshwater origin, they are nutritious and palatable'¦you could also give frozen daphnia and bloodworms a try, though these often are not accepted in my experience. Soaking all offered foods in a vitamin/HUFA supplement (Selcon or Selco) might also induce feeding and if taken will do much to help this fish recover. Once you get it feeding again you 'must' provide several feedings a day on an ongoing basis for its long-term good health. Cheers'¦ EricR>>

Sufficient Variety/Copperband Butterfly/Feeding 3/27/10
Dear Crew;
<Seth>
After looking through the website, I have a question about whether I am providing sufficient variety for the long term in the diet of my Copperband Butterfly. He is eating live brine shrimp (won't touch the frozen, though),
Mysis shrimp, and shrimp from the grocery store. He is, incidentally atypical in that he is downright aggressive in eating, even stealing accidentally larger pieces of shrimp from the tang, Peppermint Shrimp and damsels. I occasionally give him the small tube worms that grow in the refugium, and he is finding something in the rocks, I think probably isopods, copepods, but all I can tell is that he definitely got something.
But: is this enough variety? I got a pack of San Francisco Bay Brand "Butterfly/Angel diet which doesn't interest him very much. Also, since he is such a greedy guts, do I need to worry about him overeating?
<Geez no, be happy the fish is a glutton, can be a difficult fish to acclimate.>
If there is something you feel is missing in his diet please let me know.
<One thing I would do is soak the foods in Selcon or similar product about three times a week to boost the nutritional quality of any freeze-dried or frozen food, and, you may want to read the FAQ's on Chelmon feeding for
more suggestions. Go here.
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chelmonfdgfaq.htm>
Thanks so much...
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Seth

Scopas Tang with Copperband Butterfly  11/22/09
Hi I have a 55 gallon and I've just had a Scopas tang for a week now and I ordered a Longnose butterfly with it at the same time but it was back ordered and shipped separately, when it finally arrived for some reason they sent me a Copperband butterfly. They told me to keep it and they would refund me the money because I told them I can't have 2 butterfly's in the tank and I also didn't want to have to ship the poor guy back. In researching I find that Copperband are difficult to keep so I will be doing everything I can to make this the best for him.
<Ah good. Ones that adjust, feed initially can do quite well in captivity>
We will be setting up a 175 gallon next year once our basement is finished so it would be for a year that these guys would have to co-exist in this tank. I added the Copperband today and the scopas has been very aggressive towards it.
<Yes... this four foot long, 13" wide space isn't enough territory for the Zebrasoma alone>
I kept the lights out for a few hours and after turning them on it's still the same. The Scopas doesn't bite him but he does chase him and back into him with his tail. I'm going to remove the Scopas and try to put him back in afterwards. Do you think if I re-arrange the rocks and then reintroduce the Scopas it will be ok?
<Worth trying, but not likely a fix in these circumstances... The size, shape/volume, the species involved, their stocking order>
Or is there something else that you can recommend.
<Really... to decide through action to give up one of the species/specimens>
I've been reading over your site like crazy trying to find the best solution but so far the consensus seems to be to re-arrange the rocks.
<Can work... at least temporarily... better to place the alpha fish in a floating plastic colander instead... but... again, this tank, the mix of species... Not likely to resolve/solve the territorial issue>
Ideally I'd like to make it work out between them but if I can't I will most likely try to sell the Scopas or give it to the LFS.
<This would be best>
Any suggestions and ultimately do you think this aggression will go away or am I fighting a losing battle?
<I do not think "it" will go away, no>
Thanks for all your help.
Jeff.
<Certainly welcome. Bob Fenner>

Re: Scopas Tang with Copperband Butterfly -- 11/23/09
I just wanted to say thank you for your advice.
It encouraged me to make the right decision and the LFS let me trade the Scopas Tang in.
<Ah, good... and timely>
The Copperband seems to be doing a lot better now. I just haven't seen him eat yet. I've been putting in fresh clams with the tops off and he keeps going up to them but then swimming away. Do you think it's just a matter of time before he tries them?
<Hopefully so. The genus is slow to adopt, adapt to captive conditions, take novel foods>
I've been also trying frozen mysis shrimp, dried mysis shrimp, NLS pellet soaked in garlic and Marine flakes, I also tried a chopped up shrimp.
<Good>
I'm thinking of getting some blood worms tonight and putting them in the rocks. Are there any other things you can suggest. I've found most of these suggestions throughout your website and others but I'm always open to more.
Thanks again for all the great advice.
Jeff
<I'd apply a vitamin and HUFA mixture to the foods ahead of offering. A "feeding stimulant" like Selcon, Microvit... there are several commercial products. Bob Fenner>

Copperband BF Feeding 1/21/09 Hello to all, <Hello Kris!> You guys (and gals) are truly inspiring in what you do for all of us "under-knowledged" hobbyists. <Ha, well thank you. We are happy to help out.> I was reading through today's question and answer page and read that someone had the same problem that I once had in regards to a Copper Band Butterfly Fish. I too had one of these beautiful fish in a tank almost identical to that of the other post. With regards to its feeding or not wanting to when I first got mine it took about a week for him/her to remove the infestation of aiptasia. <In the words of Borat, 'great success!'> However after they were all gone the fish wanted nothing to do with any kind of fresh/frozen or prepared foods. I tried everything from Sally's butterfly frozen foods to fresh mussels half shelled, shell only cracked open everything that the LFS was telling me to try and nothing. One day I got curious after reading in the FAQ sections somewhere that offering frozen Blood worms to finicky fish might entice them to start eating so I gave it a go. Within two seconds of me placing the now thawed blood worms in the tank my fish had devoured them all. I still tried to offer him/her other types of more marine type foods but he wanted nothing to do with it. I successfully kept him in my tank for over two years before he got to big and I brought him back to the LFS to live out the rest of his life as a aiptasia remover for their live rock tank and from what I hear he is still doing great! Just thought the other person who posted might want to give it try if it doesn't work they're only out $3.50. <Great, thank you for sharing your experience. Hopefully the fellow will see this in the dailies! Have a good one, Scott V.>

Copperband Butterfly Fish/Feeding 1/21/09 Hellow Crew, <Hi, Mmm, never saw hello spelled like that before.> I have a Copperband Butterfly that is acting very strange and is not eating. <Not strange at all for this fish. Is difficult to keep and acclimate to captive foods. Once this hurdle is overcome, they are reasonably hardy.> I have had this fish for about three weeks, unfortunately I only QT for about 10 days, but the fish seemed to be doing fine (eating pellet food and diced meats when I put them in the tank) and I had to go on a business trip. Also the fish store had him for about 2 weeks prior to my purchase. The BF was doing fine eating and swimming all over the tank. Now he seems to be not doing well. The BF just stays in the same place in the tank and doesn't move except if I place food right in front of him (which he doesn't eat). He has his mouth opened and is breathing faster than normal (his gills are moving faster). <Not a good sign, you likely will lose this fish. To have a decent chance in keeping the Copperband, they are best housed in very large reefs, or in peaceful community tanks (keeping in mind they will eat tubeworms, feather dusters and may pick on corals and anemones). They are known for ridding tanks of the dreaded aiptasia anemone. It should be kept singly, not with conspecifics or similar butterflyfish, and should not be kept with any stress-inducing fish. The Copperband Butterflyfish is a difficult fish to feed; it is a shy and deliberate feeder that may need a variety of foods offered to it in order to start feeding. Do read here and linked files above. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chelmon.htm Also Tank stats: 90 gallons 100 lbs live rock 100 lbs live sand tank mates are Foxface, 3 damsels, Mandarin Dragonet, cleaner shrimp, Anthias (female), 2 Pajama Cardinals. nitrates 20 ppm, <Would not let this exceed 10ppm when keeping fish such as the Copperband which demands excellent water quality.> nitrites 0, ammonia 0 ppm pH 8.2, salinity 1.025, alkalinity 250 ppm <5 dKH> I change out about 10% of the water a week, and I use Kalkwasser to do top offs. Should I try to move the fish back to the QT tank and try to feed him there? Do you have any suggestions? <I would isolate this fish in QT with enough live rock for a feeling of security, and try a variety of foods. Small live foods in the form of pods may/will be needed to induce this fish to eat. See if your LFS has a piece of aiptasia infested rock. Putting this in the QT would be a tempting food offering. Do read Chelmon feeding FAQ's in the above link.> Thanks for the help, <You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Eric PS: If you covered this in one of your FAQs just point the way. I didn't seem to find the right page if it is already covered.

Thin bodied...

Live bloodworms for a CBB? Coral Banded Butterfly? Chelmon sp.? fdg.    5/30/08 I bought him in the LFS and he was eating frozen Mysid. I have him qt'd in a 55 with live rock at 1.022 salinity. <... too low> I've had him a week and he's not eating any frozen food. I've tried the mussel and put a clam in yesterday that hasn't opened yet. He's not interested in any of those. He looks healthy but skinny and no unusual swimming or hiding. He's in the qt alone. I was reading to try live bloodworms but where can I buy them? Anywhere online? Kay <... I'd try the usual suspects... Marine Depot, Dr.s Foster and Smith, searching the back of fish magazines for individuals who do culture... But I'd read here first: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/part2.htm see the sections on BF feeding, Chelmon... Bob Fenner>  

Copperband Butterfly/Aiptasia Result And Question -- 02/15/08 Hello "crew", hope all is well. <<Fine'¦thanks>> I have "spoken" to you before, and had brilliant help each time. <<Ah good!>> I am Janie (in Australia). <<Hey Janie! Eric here'¦in South Carolina>> I have a 285 Litre tank, one Spiny Puffer ("Puffy"), <<Mmm, if this is Diodon holocanthus this tank (75g US) is 'much too small.' This fish will need a system of several hundred gallons or more (800-1000 Litres) for its long term well-being>> one Copperband Butterfly ("Coppy") and the odd "worm" and little hermit crab. <<Really'¦? Worms with the Copperband around'¦? Mine has feasted on all the worms it can find. It will even take on the odd bristleworm when given the chance>> I last wrote to you because my tank had been over-run by Aiptasia, after my original tank cracked, was replaced, re-setup, stocked up with live rock etc. <<Okay>> The Aiptasia came with the rock, flourished and killed all bar one Leather Coral, "starved out" my Tropheus snails and Stromp snails, grew inside my baby Clam and killed it, etc. <<Yikes'¦a bad infestation indeed!>> Your Site led me to acquire a Copperband Butterfly (having tried absolutely everything else to no effect). "Coppy" is brilliant! In 12 weeks or so he has eaten "every" Aiptasia in the tank, and believe me, by the time I managed to buy Coppy, my whole tank, all of every surface, and the sand were totally covered by aiptasia! <<I'm glad to hear the Butterfly has worked out'¦am sure you are aware this is not always the case>> Now I cannot see even one, not even a baby one! <<Yay!>> My question is; Even though I have 50 or 60 pounds of live (now "clean") rock, Coppy doesn't seem to be eating. <<Mmm, yes'¦has been accustomed to finding live natural foods>> I researched your Site, and I am offering him appropriate foods, <<Such as?>> in a now "pristine" environment, but Coppy seems to prefer to do what appears to be "sucking something from the surface" of the water. <<Hmm'¦not a 'natural' behavior for this fish as far as I am aware>> My Prizm Protein Skimmer is pulling protein out happily as always, <<If you say so [grin]>> and my water testing is showing excellent water, in a system now several years old, so I am not sure if I should be worried or not. <<Mmm, well'¦the rock/available fauna in a system of this size will not likely be enough to sustain this fish'¦best to get it eating prepared offerings>> Coppy still picks at the rocks, the sand, and the algae on the glass etc, <<Not the 'algae''¦not a part of this species diet>> but doesn't eat Nori, veggie, brine shrimp or anything else offered. <<These fish can be quite finicky'¦ I have one that can even differentiate/will refuse differing brands of Mysis Shrimp! But, I have found frozen glassworms (white mosquito larvae) will often entice these and most any other finicky feeder. Do give them a try>> He is "happy", not at all shy, and is "best mates" with Puffy, but I am worried that he is not getting enough nutrition to sustain him. <<Me too>> I haven't seen him poo for a week (but Puffy certainly has), so I am wondering what this "sucking at the surface" is all about? <<Dunno'¦does seem kind of odd>> I have gleaned from this Site that I can buy (hopefully...in Australia) food products especially for Butterflies, and I will do so promptly, <<'This' Butterfly needs small meaty fare like the Mysis and Mosquito Larvae. Hikari's frozen Ocean Plankton and Mega Marine are also worth trying>> but ...what is this "sucking at the surface" all about? <<Beats me, mate'¦Bob?>><Mmm, looking for more food from you likely. RMF> At this point I have to say THANK YOU for the advice available on your Site. <<A collective effort>> Without it I would not have Coppy (or probably still have Puffy, who kept getting stung on his eyes, and could find nowhere to sleep without encountering Aiptasia) and I would still have a miserable, over-run tank. I just don't want Coppy to starve to death as a result of his absolutely brilliant cleanup of Aiptasia. Having spent three hours on your Site today, again I have learned, and I am eternally grateful for the info that led me to buy Coppy and get rid of the Aiptasia...I know it is "hit and miss" as to a particular fish doing the job or not, but Coppy certainly did and I thank you for that. <<Sounds like you scored big with this particular fish>> I am about to replace my killed-off "clean-up crew", but I want to know Coppy is O.K first. Thank you, and best wishes, Janie <<Do give the glassworms a try'¦bloodworms too. EricR>> "Copperband Butterfly/Aiptasia Result And Question" and Dendro follow-ups    2/17/08 Good morning Crew. <And to you Andy... and I do have a follow on stmt. to make re your Dendronephthya pc... Please see below> I was skimming the FAQs today and read the message entitled, "Copperband Butterfly/Aiptasia Result And Question" <Please do> I wanted to share my experience with my Copper Band Butterfly. I also bought the fish to control a few Aiptasia that had started to grow in my tank, as well as because I love the fish. After denuding my tank of all Aiptasia and my LR of feather dusters and other worms, the fish stopped eating. It would simply swim around looking at the rocks for more food, but of course it had eaten all. Although the fish was interested, it refused Mysis, mosquito larvae, etc.  When in my LFS one day, I noticed that they were selling live black worms. I remembered from my fish keeping days 20 years ago that this was a staple food in many LFS. So, I decided to give it a try--I bought one of those $12 worm keepers, which works very well (has kept worms alive for over 3 weeks with daily water changes). Anyway, the minute I fed some black worms, the Copper Band was all over them and has not stopped. It seems that this (my) fish gets excited over live, squiggling critters, but not dead, floating frozen food. Your poster might want to give live black worms a try. Andy <I too have seen this ready acceptance... with some friends in San Fran's tank many years back. Re your soft coral expose... I really want to encourage your "writing this up" in first person, taking a few photos, and selling the work into the print and e-zine magazines (I will help you with the editing and submissions)... I do think that the combination of your good set-up, steady maintenance procedure, addition of the various foods you mentioned, and the purchase from TFP of a good initial specimen were/are elements of your success... and that this relating will be of interest and use to others. What say you? Bob Fenner>

Copperband Feeding - A recipe for Success - 12/13/07 Good evening Bob & Crew, <Miguel from the GWN> My thanks to you all for having built up a wealth of species specific information on your site. Brilliant stuff. I used many of the Crew's suggestions from the FAQ's in the development of my latest plan. I saw the beautiful Copperband in the LFS and actually managed to resist the "impulse purchase" temptation. I left this fish at the LFS while I read for hours about Butterflies / Copperbands on your site - prepared myself with an appropriate QT tank set-up for this particular fish and gathered up my arsenal of feeding tricks that I could use - and then went back and purchased this beautiful fish, but only after I saw him picking for food. I used an established thirty gallon tank with live rock and sand for QT in case he would prove to be tough to feed and have to stay in QT a while (I learned that on your site too). I purchased some cured rock with Aiptasia (yes people, I actually spent money on this) and placed it in the QT tank along with the Copperband. This fish was extremely shy and found a nice spot behind the LR to hide in. It took over two weeks of trying Mysis, Krill, Squid, Mega Marine (for the worms) and the Clam trick, back and forth with Garlic Guard, Zoe and Selcon before he finally started picking at some frozen Cyclops soaked in Selcon (my last prepared food trick prior to turning to live food which I was hoping to avoid). Throughout the two weeks of failed feeding attempts, this fish seemed to survive quite nicely by eating Aiptasia and picking at the live rock in the vitamin dosed tank water. He looked fine the whole time other than nicking the fatter part of his snout by, I suspect, sticking it too far into a hole in the rock. Because of the risk of uneaten food in the tank, I tested the water and did small water changes often during this time. <Good notes> Once he was eating the Cyclops, I tried the Clam trick again and he went for it. Then I started mixing in Mysis with the Cyclops, soaking in Selcon and he started eating this as well. After just a few days on prepared food this fish is eating with some enthusiasm, and both of us are looking good! One last point that I discovered quite by accident. For whatever reason, this shy fish seemed to respond to the presence of food better (noticeably, whether actually eating it or not) if the lights in the tank were ON while the lights in the room were OFF. Not being able to see outside the tank seemed to reduce the fish's stress level considerably. (Oh, and Bob, when I told you I'd even try soft music if I thought it would help, and you said that it might help ME during the QT period... I took your advice - you should post that one too!) <Will do> In all honesty, without the information available on this site I can't even imagine being able to pull something like this off, not to mention knowing enough to leave a Copperband in the LFS until I had a chance to read more, assess my chances of success and develop a feeding strategy. Still, not bad for a rookie, eh? (That's Canadian for "right"?) Hats off to the team and my fish thanks you. Mike from Canada <"What's it all aboot... algae....?" Couldn't help myself. Cheers and thanks for sharing, BobF> Copperband Butterfly and Bloodworms --   2/27/07 I am attempting to feed a Copperband. <<Can be finicky feeders>> I may have made an error. <<...?>> I thought I was prepared for this picky eater, I have about every kind of frozen food available and am trying them all, including live brine I hatched about 3 weeks ago along with baby brine hatched this week. <<Hmm...>> Then I realized the best luck people were reporting was with "Live Bloodworms", not frozen. <<My Copperband Butterfly doesn't pay much attention to the frozen bloodworms either, but it does go nuts for frozen 'glass' worms (both blood and glass worms are variants of mosquito larvae).  I've had good luck with more than one species of finicky feeder using the frozen glass worms>> I did some searching on the internet for live bloodworms and am now confused.  It seems there are two types of bloodworms.  One being mosquito larvae, the other being some sort of ocean slug.  Which is it I should be trying to get and use??? <<The mosquito larvae>> The Butterfly is about 5" long in a tank with 160lbs of live rock which I put 2 bottles of Ocean pods and 2 bottles of Tiger pods in about a month ago. <<The Copperband feeds mainly on worms (even small bristle worms) and small crustaceans like amphipods and mysids, but these are usually quickly reduced in a closed system to the point of not being able to sustain the butterfly on their own, and supplemental feeding is required>> I never see him eat.  I drilled some holes in a piece of rock and stuck Mysis in one hole, some 3/4" long krill in another and some frozen bloodworms in another.  I have no access to clams here in po-dunk, but I did get some fresh oysters and drilled a couple holes just a little larger than the Copperband's mouth in it. <<This is a strategy worth trying, though I would simply pry the shells apart and place them in the tank>> After a day I took it out and opened it, and it appears some of the oyster is gone, but I couldn't tell you if it is because the fish ate it or not. <<Try just opening the oyster and placing in the tank>> Mostly though, what type of bloodworm, and do you know anywhere on the web I can purchase live ones and have them over-nighted? <<Hmm, a quick search of the net does not produce a ready supplier...your best option may be to have a fish store special order them for you.  EricR>> DanH

Butterfly eating issues  1/29/07 I just bought a Copper Band Butterfly 4 days ago, but it's not eating. <Very common with this species...historically speaking it's not a long loved captive animal. However, four days is nothing to panic about yet.> We have tried frozen brine shrimp. <Not a great food...doesn't have enough "substance" to it, do try some other foods of a marine origin, mysis, krill, etc. ...do search WWM re: similar experiences> I have a FOWLR 90 gallon tank. What should I do? <Is this animal already in the display, with other mates?...Adam J.>

Feeding a Copperband Hi, I have a question about the amount of feeding: usually I feed dry food that a fish could consume within 3-5 minutes. I just got this copper band butterfly fish that only accepts live brine shrimp. How much should I feed each time and how often should I feed? It's about 2.5 to 3 inch long. In the store I saw them put in hundreds of live brine. I don't want to overfeed. I need some guideline on how much live brine to feed.  <This can be an easy species to lose... especially to the ill-effects of under and non-feeding... So it's best to keep some food in the way of live rock about at all times and to offer foods that the Chelmon will take a few times a day... in practical terms, as long as the Butterfly is feeding, it can't be overfed... though your system may well be...> Also I read in your book that butterfly like clams or oysters. If the fish starts to eat that, for that size of fish, again how much (what size) of an oyster should I put in the tank? <A small one... for human consumption... it can be removed and stored in the refrigerator for later use...> Or how long should I leave the fresh oyster there? I don't want it to pollute the tank. It's so meaty that I am afraid the fish might eat too much.  <I share your concern> Some of my fish would stop eating or at least slow down after eating a few minutes. Would butterfly fish have that kind of  control? Would they eat too much and hurt themselves? <Not as much as larger, predatory species> Thank you. Jason <You're welcome. Bob Fenner>

Copperband Butterfly Hi Again Bob, Rick your reefing friend here again with a question about a Copperband Butterfly. I purchased one last weekend even though my success rate with this species has been dismal in the past. For instance, I have never seen a Copperband eat before... until this one. He seems extremely healthy and just loves Hikari bloodworms. He is currently residing in a 20 gallon qt tank on his way to my 180 in about 2 weeks if everything is okeedokee. My question is, will bloodworms sustain him during qt until he gets into the 180 with live rock. <Yes, likely so> I plan on soaking the bloodworms in Selcon every couple of days just to make sure he gets his vitamins. I really like this species and want to give him every chance to flourish. I have tried mussels, squid, clam, beef heart, flake & angel formula but he will only eat the bloodworms. Perhaps a live mussel on the half shell? <Too messy for the twenty... stick with what you're doing> what do you think. Thanks again, your advice and guidance has helped me to realize full enjoyment of this extremely satisfying and sometimes frustrating hobby.  <It is your actions my friend that have brought you to this state. My efforts are nothing> You should be very proud of the role you play in some many peoples/fishes/inverts lives. <I am happy to share in others joys, revelations. Bob Fenner> Your reefing friend Rick

Copperband BF Hello again Mr. Fenner, It has been months since I wrote you, and things in my Butterfly tank have been going very well, although I did have a very mysterious and sudden loss of a Rafflesi. He was eating heartily for months, then just one morning he was gone, no warning and no visible wounds. <This happens... a bit less so in huge systems with more than one individual...> So the empty space made room for a Copperband, a fish I have admired for years. I had one about 10 years ago, but it lasted only a few weeks. He is very timid, and my bully of a threadfin sometimes chases him, but he is eating and looks very healthy after five weeks. He grazes the live rocks constantly (no more little fan worms!) he eats live brine with gusto and no competition. (funny enough my threadfin and my punctato ignore live brine!) He will nibble on a fresh clam from the grocery store, but I think the aggressive feeding habits of the other two keep him from eating too much. <Yes> I have read on the Web in my research that this species has high nutritional requirements and brine shrimp alone will not be enough in the long haul. <This is so> This week he started taking frozen Mysis. I know that these are nutritionally better than brine, but are they enough? Do you have other suggestion for long term success? He is not taking Formula I/II at this time, but I can hope for the future! I truly love this fish as he has a grace and elegance that surpasses even other butterflies. <Keep offering different foods... perhaps consider adding a refugium/sump to culture your own... cycle in new live rock every few months...> Thank you so much for the great service you do for all aquarists. After 20 years of fish keeping, I can honestly say that no single source has increased my success as much as your Text and your Web site! <Thank you my friend. My utmost desire realized. Bob Fenner> Jim

My new copperband Hi Bob, I saw you at MACNA and really enjoyed your informative lecture I was one of the few teens there).  <Ah, yes> Anyway, I am calling upon your advice as a ex collector/exporter/importer for nutritional needs of my new fish. I was planning on waiting a couple of weeks before buying my copperband butterfly so I could establish more detritivores but I stopped by the LFS today and they had the copperband I had my eye on for a while. I talked to my friend the manager and confirmed the fish had been there 3 weeks and that is was collected in Fiji by a professional collector. I watched him eat some brine shrimp, he didn't eat many pieces, just a few. My friend explained that they were not used to eating in the water column and that they are foragers by nature.  <Mostly, yes> I have been keeping clowns, damsels, and Chromis for about a year and a half in reefs and wanted to step up to rarer, more needy fish. Anyways, I bought the healthy fish. I believe the main problem with Chelmon rostratus is feeding, correct?  <Hmm, more often with rough handling, transport from the wild... but a lack of feeding, nutrition through this journey as well certainly> If so, what would be the best diet for my newest favorite fish? All I have right now is brine that is soaked in some nutrient stuff that I got free at MACNA. I have about 9 species of Macroalgae that I could offer. I was thinking about formula 1 or fresh clams. A mix of these sounds best to me, and you? Also, please mention some other foods that could be fed to offer variety. oh yeah, don't worry I am quarantining this fish in an environment with plenty of live rock. <Chelmons will learn in time to accept most all prepared, fresh and frozen foods... should they survive the first few weeks in captivity. Do try offering what mix you can of all food types... and with enough live rock, other fishes eating about it, your specimen will learn to accept foods even from your hand. Be chatting my new friend. Bob Fenner> thank you Andrew

Copperband Butterfly Fish Just wanted to thank you for the question and answer pages. I read them often.  <Ah! Hope they're as much fun for you as myself> My question is about the feeding of my Copperband Butterfly. I have a 120 gallon tank with live rock and other fish. This fish has been in my tank for one week. It ate all my feather dusters the first night, which is fine with me. I have been providing a number of different foods including: flakes, formula 1 & 2, brine shrimp, fresh minced shrimp, blood worms, and even a half opened oyster. The only thing it will eat are the blood worms. I watch this fish forage all day. Will I be able to satisfy it's tummy and end it's search for food?  <Yes... this sounds like a "good" specimen... Keep offering it a variety of frozen, fresh foods... it will soon be "eating out of your hand" (in actuality)> I feed the whole tank 2-3 times daily. Are there any types of plants or animals I can purchase for the Copperband to pick at?  <"Live Rock" in general, mysids (frozen/defrosted, live...), the formulated foods on the market. You'll soon see. Bob Fenner> Thanks for your time! -Becky

Getting Copperband to eat... Hello Robert (and friends), <Steven Pro this evening.> I just have a quick question regarding my Copperband butterfly. I've read your FAQs about them and I've tried them all, but can't seem to get my copperband to eat. He's one of the only fish I've gotten through mail order, because of the great deal I got. He is about 5-6 inches, in really nice shape. He just won't eat. I have tried several flake foods, frozen (formula I and II, angel formula, bloodworms, tubeworms), live brine shrimp, life Mysis shrimp, fresh mussels, fresh clams, fresh regular shrimp, stuffing algae strips into crevices. I have even tried garlic (Kent marine) drops soaking the food. Some of it he will look at, but he doesn't ever go up to it and at least pick at anything. I know they are real picky eaters, but I figured he would at least try something. All he picks at right now is my live rock, the red star fish, and the giant feather dusters. Specifications: -Size: 55 gallon -Lighting: 4-35 watt PC lights -Temp: 80 -Gravity: 1.023 -PH: 8.2-8.4 -Ammonia: 0-0.25 -Nitrates: ~20 -Filtration: Live rock, overflow to sump (floss filter, bio-balls, sponge filter), 15-watt UV filter. -Live Rock: only about 65 Lbs. (so far) -Corals: none yet (maybe a mushroom or two) Do you have any additional tricks that will maybe get this guy interested in food? He did clean out that Aiptasia. <Try a freshwater mussel. They will die and open up in saltwater. They are a good feeding stimulant for finicky Butterflyfish. After he has finished the mussel you can try stuffing the shell with various formula foods. Also, see if he won't eat bloodworms.> Thanks, Monty :-) <You are welcome. -Steven Pro>

Re: Chelmon rostratus Hi Bob. Thank you for the reply. Through all my searches including books I have on fish there is very little information on the Copperband butterfly fish. <Lots of "general" information on most Butterflyfishes... not much ecology, nutrition, disease... et al. work on individual species> I followed your link for long term care on these fish this is the page that I found in my searches on info which gave me the idea of emailing you. <Mmm> I am interested in the way that this fish pairs up and if males change to females or they start out in life as male and female. <No sexual change as far as I know... determinate. Do occur in pairs seasonally over their range> This info would help in knowing the best way to get a pairing of male and female. <To raise a few individuals in a very large (hundreds plus) gallons system, starting at three or so inches standard length.> So far no luck in getting this information. Thanks again. Martyn Hulyer. <Perhaps you will be the person to compose a monograph on the biology of this species. Bob Fenner>

Copperband Butterfly isn't Eating what it's Supposed to (Aiptasia) Bob, <<Actually, JasonC doing the do while Bob is away diving.>> I've just purchased a Copperband for my reef tank. He's less than 2.5" and constantly searches for food and picks at the rock but he has no interest in the Aiptasia. He's housed in a 36x18x18 tank with LR & LS and has a small Tomato Clown, a Banggai, a Blue Damsel and a Purple Firefish for tank mates. No one is harassing him. There are soft corals and some inverts in the tank. <<ok so far...>> Should he eventually become interested in the Aiptasia or does this disinterest happen occasionally. <<I would think so, sure - how long has it been in there? Probably still adjusting to your system - new surroundings.>> Either way, he's beautiful! <<They are, aren't they.>> What can I feed to supplement the Copperband's diet? <<Try a little of everything you've got - Mysis, brine, etc. Also check the FAQ's on the copper-band: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chelmonfaqs.htm >> Thanks for your time, Tony <<Cheers, J -- >>

Copperband Bob, I purchased a small Copperband about 2 1/2 to 3 weeks back for the purpose of controlling Aiptasia. I also think they are beautiful fish. This Copperband, however, never touched the Aiptasia. He constantly searched for food among the live rock and was very active. The Copperband died a couple of days back (probably starved). Any guesses as to why he wouldn't eat the Aiptasia? <Other than "this just happens" no... It seems some Chelmon are "eager Glass Anemone eaters", others could care less... Most Copperband Butterflies are lost as you describe> I will most likely purchase another and try again but I would appreciate your insight. <Please read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chelmon.htm the FAQs, links beyond. Life to you my friend. Bob Fenner> Thanks, Tony

Chelmon rostratus Hi Bob. I am from England U.K. I have a 1500g connect 16 tank SPS coral propagation system set up in my garage that has been running for 1.5 years now. <Some experiences!> I have been having problem getting rid of Aiptasia's of a few types I have tried many of the things recommended peps Kalk in many methods and a few other things with out to much success. I thought if I got a Chelmon rostratus and put it into one of the tanks that has frags in I could place a few Aiptasia infested rocks into this tank and if eaten remove the rocks back to the other tanks and add a few more rocks etc. <Worth trying> The tank size is 72"x30"x15"H it has a 1" depth Aragamax sand bed with at the moment 200 2" discs with a selection of SPS corals growing on them a few sand area's free of frags with ten pieces of liverock positioned so that the Chelmon rostratus can swim in amongst the rocks. The tank has a lot of water movement and turbulence and the ends have lower water movement and lighting is 3 BLV 400w HQI MH 10k 4" above the water surface. Water parameters or very good temps range depending on summer or winter between 26C to 29C There is a high diversity of critter infauna natural plankton etc. The Chelmon rostratus has been in this tank for 2 weeks it has been eating the naturals critters in the tank plus I have fed it Mysis shrimp brine shrimp it has been eating the tube fan worms and has just started on the Aiptasia and is very bold now and not timid as it was the first week. I feed golden pearls and brineshimp to my frags and stock corals as well but this is when the lights are out I also from time to time grow my own phytoplankton and rotifers and brine shrimp to give extra live food for the corals. There is also good diversity of algae's mainly different turfs on the rocks. I also have Spirulina and mixed flake and pellets that I feed my Centropyge loriculus and Zebrasoma xanthurum which are in my lounge tank which is 52"x24"x30"H. Any comments about any thing you may feel about the above info my cause a problem for this fish would be helpful. Questions. (1) Is this a good environment for this fish. <Yes, sounds fine> (2) Could I add a second Chelmon rostratus to this tank or would they fight can they be paired up how do you get male and female if they did not get along I have 15 other tanks I could put one into one of these. <Your system is large enough where two would likely be fine> (3) Any tips of the best way to care long term for Chelmon rostratus. <Please see: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/chelmonfaqs.htm and the articles on butterflyfishes about this> (4) Is there any chance I could add a Chelmon rostratus to the lounge SPS coral aquarium which is 52"x24"x30"H and the fish are Centropyge loriculus and Zebrasoma xanthurum been in there for nearly three years. <Yes... if the current fishes "give the Chelmon a chance", don't attack it outright, it should acclimate to this system much as the one in your coral farm> Or would there be too much problems with this due to territory but they never venture to the top half of the tank. Thanks for any advice. I am new too keeping fish except for the two I have had for 3 years and feel I would like too keep a few more than two fish now as I have learned a little about corals I can now learn more about keeping fish and even attempt too breed some (I wish) <Maybe soon, my friend. Bob Fenner> Martyn Hulyer

Copperband revisited Hi Bob! Hope you enjoyed your trip!  <Yes, but the return has been exasperating!> You may remember me as the guy with the urgent situation with the copperband, fish died of some mysterious illness and soon after a clownfish in another tank got the same disease and perished. I was (stupidly) sharing live rock from tank to tank and he probably caught it that way. Anyway, I am going to try a copperband again as my big tank looks like an Aiptasia corn field, <Good/bad visual...> although I am tempted by the Berghia nudibranchs for control. I have talked with Morgan Lidster of Inland Aquatics (great guy) and it seems they have excellent Copperbands. He gets them eating, trained to eat Aiptasia, from Fiji, and they are held for 6 weeks at his facilities.  <A very good company, fine fellow, great practices> Pretty much everything I could want in a copperband or any fish. They are pricey ($59.99) but I think its worth it to have it quarantined and eating. <Of a certainty, yes> However, he likes to use trained raccoon butterflies instead. Will the raccoon outgrow my 55? <In time, yes> Will he eat my clams and SPS when the Aiptasia are gone? <Possibly... the smaller the tank, the greater likelihood.> I also want to know what to do with the fish once I decide which one, after 6 weeks at IA, does it really need any additional time in my q tank?  <Would at least do a prophylactic dip/bath: http://wetwebmedia.com/dips_baths.htm> Also, what should I be doing to keep it from succumbing to the same mysterious illness of my last one? <Please read through the WetWebMedia.com site re "Livestock Selection", "Quarantine"... and the many sections on individual species, groups listed under "selection, general to specific", Tank Troubleshooting, The Three Sets of Factors that Determine Livestock Health...> Here are some tank specs: 55 gallon Perfecto: 2 x Hagen 802 2x MaxiJet 1200 on natural wave strip 4" DSB with detritivores from IPSF, teeming with life- 90 pounds Premium Aquatics Live rock 2 x 55 watt PC lights AGA overflow estimate 300-400 gph 30 gallon sump: Turboflotor skimmer w/ Rio 2100, 600 and tetra air pump 2 Tronic heaters large refugium with 5-7 types of Macroalgae, Stomatella snails, copepods etc Live stock: 2 tank raised percula clownfish 30 Nassarius snails 6 Strombus snails 8 turbo snails 6 Trochus snails 6 Nerite snails 1 2" fighting conch 1 4" queen conch many amphipods/ copepods/ isopods many polychaete worms many Stomatella varia snails many Aiptasia, ARGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! salinity: 1.026 ph: 8.0 ammonia: 0 nitrite: 0 nitrate: under 10 It has been about a month since the copperband died and the clowns have all been happy and fine, except at night when they are very weird. Only the clown in my nano reef has died, which could of just been stress from a new DSB. What do you think of a Chelmon rostratus or marginalis in this setup?  <S/b fine> When I upgrade to 2 x 250 HQI then I will have many clams and SPS corals, hopefully the fish will let these alone? <Would go with lower wattage MH, maybe 175s... and only experience will tell, Bob Fenner> thank you for your time, Andrew

Copperband Butterflyfish, Chelmon Feeding Stimulation, Success Hi, <Hello> Really great website and very helpful. I have read you are very weary of introducing Chelmon rostratus because of its poor survival rate. I thought I might add a positive note by saying that I have purchased a specimen 6 months ago to put in my reef tank. At first I was worried sick that he wasn't eating anything, but it appeared healthy, if a little thin. That's why I got tempted to buy it... you know how it is. Well, I read somewhere that it might be tempted by whole mussels. <Yes. Among other places: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/BFsBestWrst.htm> I went to the local market and got some fresh ones and I put them in. He was eating like a pig as well as my Chaetodon rafflesi that I purchased a week earlier and that only rarely took a bite at live brine shrimps. I couldn't believe my eyes. Now I only pop a couple of mussels in in the morning and evening enriched with vitamins for about 20 min.s and they have a feast. They are completely healthy, and nicely plump. The rafflesi is slightly less sociable and he hides a little when I go near the tank with food (only for about 10 seconds), but the Chelmon looks at me and gets to the usual place where I drop the food. I couldn't believe how simple it would be! Hope this information helps other 'compulsive' buyers like myself. <Me too> Nothing could be more simple. Massimo Redaelli, Brighton, England UK <Thank you for relating your success. It will save innumerable losses and heartache. Bob Fenner>

Copperbanded Butterfly Fish (Chelmon rostratus) Hi, I have currently purchased a healthy clean 3inch Copperband butterfly, and introduced him with 1 regal tang, 1 ocellaris clown, 1 potters angelfish, 2 crabs and 2 cleaner shrimps. My tank has excellent water quality, and some live rock.<sounds good> I attempted to feed him using some of the Kent marine garlic treatment on the brine shrimp, but he didn't take a nimble. Can you give me any information about this species, and any tips when it comes around to feeding? <well I would try different methods...don't feed brine shrimp, instead try feeding with Mysis shrimp, krill, maybe even silversides (my semilarvatus used to love them) and flake food. Also you can try Life Line green or red (herbivore and carnivore food). I would just try every food type possible in order to get this some what difficult species of fish to begin eating. This is what it took for my golden moray to start eating.. persistence is the key my friend. Good luck and if you have any other questions/problems just email me back. IanB> Thanks a lot, regards Darrell

Copperbanded Butterfly Fish 11/3/03 I have a 3inch Copperbanded butterfly fish, and curious of the amount of muscle chops I feed him, which are about 5mm/5mm. Could you recommend a certain daily amount of which I can feed him, <hmm... hard to say. But 2-3 small feedings (1/8th teaspoon?) daily are needed for most such passive species Much more than just muscle meat too... it will die of a deficiency if you limit yourself so. Add Mysid shrimp, minced krill and Pacifica plankton for example> as I don't want to loose him though underfeeding, but please bear in mind my other fish do eat these as well as flakes and brine shrimp. Thanks Regards Aaron. <some experimentation is indeed in order here. Do review Bob's feeding protocol and excellent homemade fish food recipes in the classic title, "Conscientious Marine Aquarist" by Fenner. Anthony>

Copperbanded Butterfly Fish (Chelmon rostratus)  Hi,  I would just like to say that my Copperbanded butterfly is eating.<good> I thought, because he loves to nip and tear at the feather duster I'll put the muscle strands from the whole muscles in the tube. At first he didn't seem interested,  but after a while he came up and sniffed it, and once the dwarf angelfish began to nip at it a pull it out, he shot for it a eat the whole thing which is about 2 inches long!<nice> And the butterfly fish is only 3inch. And now when I feed  him the muscles, he's straight for them. I am very pleased with this, and I hope it helps other owners of this fish <thanks for the information and good luck with this fish, IanB>  Regards Aaron. 

Getting Copperband butterfly to feed - clam trick 3/28/04 I have a Copperband Butterflyfish in a 10g QT tank w/LRLS.  I've had him for two days.  I cannot get him to eat food that I offer, however he is eating off the LR - many critters on the LR.  I have offered Mysis & Brine shrimp, Formula 1 and Blood Worms.   <please resist using brine shrimp for most any purpose... a barren/hollow food. The Mysis are very good though... Pacifica plankton too. Most any other meaty food of marine origin if minced small enough> Not interested.  Is the LR sustaining him?   <helpful but not fully (too little)> What else can I try to offer? It still has a few weeks to go before going into the main tank. Thanks, Dennis Nolan <one of the best tricks for getting these fishes to feed is to get a live freshwater clam from the pet store (or food/grocery store). Rinse it well and drop it into your marine aquarium (you may want to notch the back hinge to get it to open faster). It will begin to die and open within 1-3 days. As the clam purses open, the butterfly is irresistibly tempted to stick its nose in there. After it has eaten all of the clam out... stuff the clam in future days with the frozen meaty foods of your choice. The association/habit will have been made with the clam shell. It will wean off of/ignore the clam shell in time. Anthony>

Imagine This: A Picky Copperband Butterfly!  I have a Copperband BF in a 20g QT tank. It is clear bottom w/1 ornament for cover. It's been in QT for almost 4 weeks. I have been treating w/CopperSafe from day one. The slight case of Ick has cleared up and has shown no signs of reinfestation for the past four days. The fish seems to be in very good health and looks very clean.  <Glad to hear that!>  The only thing that this fish will eat are live black worms. I have tried live clams, Mysis shrimp, formula 1, flakes & red worms. It does not want anything to do with any of it. The funny thing is, I had it in a 10g QT for the first two weeks and was able to get it to eat the Mysis and red worms after one day. After putting it the 20g,(I wanted this fish to have more room for QT), I have not been able to get it to eat anything but live worms for the past two weeks. Your suggestions for getting this fish to eat something else would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks again, Dennis  <As you are discovering, these guys can be a bit finicky, in regard to their dietary preferences and eating habits. In my experience, one of foods that seems to work as an "interim" menu item to wean the fish off of live stuff is frozen blood worms. Although not of marine origin, they seem to have a flavor that attracts many butterfly fishes. Another fine frozen food that I have used for this purpose is Hikari "Mega Marine Angel", which, although targeted for angelfish, has ingredients such as tubeworms, etc., and is extruded into little "worm like" pieces. Still another idea is to add a small piece of fresh live rock into his tank, to see if he will start "grazing" a bit. Other people have thrown in an Aiptasia-infested rock in the hope of "training" the fish to acquire a taste for these nasties...and it does work! Whatever you do, don't stop trying...keep utilizing different foods until you provoke this fish into eating something different! Good luck! Regards, Scott F>

AIPTASIA CONTROL Dear WWM Crew, I recently purchased a Copperband Butterfly in order to control an exploding population of Aiptasia in my 437 gal. tank.  The fish has taken care of the problem but has, to my surprise, killed all my Nassarius Snails.  Apparently the Copperband assumes that the trunks of the snails protruding through the substrate are worms. << I've seen many butterflies go right up and eat snails that were on the glass and rocks.  He may be confused, or maybe he isn't (just taking advantage of the situation). >>  I had about 100 of these snails before adding the Copperband.   What can I add to the tank that will keep my sand bed aerated but will not be eaten by the Copperband. << Bristle worms?  Sand sifting gobies?  Hmm, not sure what I would recommend.  Certainly micro fauna of copepods are the best. >>   How many Peppermint Shrimp would I need to keep the Aiptasia under control in such a large tank?  << I'll just throw out a number... 10?  That is what I would try. >> Thanks, Ron Allard <<  Adam B.  >>

Serving A Butterfly Buffet (A WWM Reader Shares His Technique) Hi gang: <Hi there! Scott F. with you today!> I'm a big fan of copper banded butterflies. . . but lost one several years ago when first setting up my system due to its 'shy' nature at feeding time. <An all to common occurrence, unfortunately> Essentially, it got out-competed for food by pretty much everything in my tank. A few months back I acquired another one. . . determined to find a way to see this one through. While he was in quarantine, I bought one of those plastic 'worm feeder' cones with a suction cup mount commonly used to feed blackworms to discus. Since the as-acquired-from LFS form has tiny slits allowing the tips of the worms to poke through (allowing any fish to feed and giving no particular advantage to a butterfly) I cut/opened a small 'vertical' slot big enough for him to get his 'nose' through just above the bottom of the cone. . . and no more than 1/4" high. By feeding him only in this feeding station, he was trained to it by the time I put him into my community tank. . . and now I can feed him worms, Mysis. . . whatever. . . in a way that doesn't allow the other fish to muscle him away from his dinner plate. Over time, he's even become (constructively) territorial about his feeding rights with respect to this setup. A final do-it-yourself note: If your tank (like my acrylic 60 gal.) has wide internal top-braces that ring the top and preclude suction-cupping the ring to the tank's side walls. . .then cement the top edge of the ring-the-cone-gets-suspended-from to the underside of the acrylic lip/top of the tank (allowing room to insert/extract the feeding cone for cleaning) along the edge of the top brace. With the hood in place, the whole rig is barely visible. Chuck <Well, Chuck, on behalf of WWM readers everywhere, I  thank you for sharing your innovative solution! I'm sure that other Butterfly enthusiasts will benefit from this tip! Your unselfish sharing is what this site is all about! Regards, Scott F.>

What do you feed a Copperbanded Butterflyfish? Hey what's up> I am typing to talk to  you about a copperbanded butterflyfish. I am getting one tomorrow. I would like  to know the things I need to do to acclimatize it. << Okay, well first, don't get set on buying one tomorrow.  It is better to ask these questions well before hand.  To acclimate the fish, I would recommend floating the bag for 20 minutes, then gently scooping him out of his bag, and putting him in your tank. >> and what is its feeding  habits. and one more thing what is it sensitive to. <<  That was the question I was waiting for.  They are finicky eaters, and the key to their success is live rock.  So I only recommend buying one if you have a thriving reef tank, and I would also feed them mixed seafoods. >> thanks so  much. << You're welcome, and be careful, Blundell >>

Copperband & Aiptasia Hi all. <Hi George, MacL here with you today.>  Would like to add a Copperband to my 1-year old 160. <Lovely fish.> My tank has 150+ pounds of live rock that is not stacked against the wall so there is access to all surfaces. <Sounds great.> I can see many amphipods and small brittle stars, Aiptasia too, which is why the desire for a Copperband. Would you expect there to be enough natural prey to sustain a 2-3 inch Copperband or would I have to supplement its diet? <Some Copperbands won't eat Aiptasia and sometimes they will eat any type of anemone just to caution you.> If supplementation is necessary, should that begin from the start or will it need to be a bit hungry to develop an appetite for Aiptasia?  <George you don't mention whether you have other fish in your tank that you are feeding anyway. If you do, I think you'll find the butterfly will eat some of that as well. If not, keep a close eye on him to make sure he's eating Aiptasia and if not then definite supplementation.  Just as a caution you should know that they might possibly eat or nibble on other corals. MacL>Thanks, George - WWM Kudos - Hi Bob, <JasonC here in his stead.> Just wanted to drop a line to you to say thanks for all the great information on keeping saltwater fish. Because of your website I finally decided to give a Copperband butterfly a try in my reef tank. I have been keeping saltwater fish for over 15 years with moderate to great success. I read the FAQs about Copperbands and gave one a try. A good friend owns a large pet shop here and he got me a real nice fish. That was a month and a half ago. The Copperband has been in my reef tank for about 2 weeks ( after quarantining him ) and he has become buddies with my purple tang, of all fish, and comes the front of the tank whenever I come near. Never thought I would have this much success with a Copperband. Let's hope that I can maintain this fish long term. <Indeed.> I used Mysis shrimp to get him feeding but now he eats anything I put in the tank. I think people need a reliable source of information to be successful. Experience has shown me that pet shop owners tend to have conflicting ideas about the needs of saltwater fish, which is why this type of site is so important to fishkeepers. So thanks again for such a great website. I highly recommend this site to fishkeepers of all types. Rob M. -  Syracuse, NY <Thank you for the kind words. Cheers, J -- >

Copperband not doing Well My Copperband seems to be on the way out. He's sitting on the sand, seems to be unable to keep his balance, tips over then rights himself. I don't know what else to do. I've partitioned the tank so with glass so the butterfly won't be bugged by my tang. I've had the butterfly for over a month now, it seemed to be doing good, eating lots of clam and very responsive. Don't know if it was collected from the Philippines, could this be an after effect of cyanide? I didn't think fish collected would live this long. <Tristan, I'm sorry to hear about your Copperband, a truly beautiful fish. Regardless of what some books or articles may tell you, the Copperband is not easily kept without a good diet and excellent water conditions. You didn't mention any white spots on the fish so I'm assuming disease isn't the culprit, so that leaves diet and water quality remaining. Copperbands need lots of live rock to graze on. Other food supplements should be soaked in a vitamin solution such as Selcon or VitaChem etc. I don't believe clam alone is going to do it for this guy. Ten % weekly water changes are also a must. Before making any other butterfly purchases, make sure you can furnish what these fish need to survive in a closed system. Good luck and again, sorry about your Copperband. James (Salty Dog)> 

Marine Roulette Anyone? We all know how awesome the WWM crew is - and so do they - that's why we all come back here! <They told me there was free beer! You mean there isn't? I'm outta here!> Enough said. What's odd is that so many of us have learned what we know of the marine hobby right here and by reading the works of WWM authors - yet so many of us insist on learning the hard way.... <Heeeeee! Human nature... my fave species> For example, I have an overstocked 75 gal mixed reef and have never quarantined so much as one thing... The system has been up and running for over a year and I've watched the dreaded white spot signs of Ich teeter-totter between the fish's favor and the parasites favor. Had never had a serious enough outbreak to warrant pulling all of the fish out for treatment or letting the tank go fallow.... 'til now.... <Doh!> Hadn't seen any signs of Ich for close to six-months, so in my infinite wisdom what do I do? Add a "King-O-Ich" Hippo Tang. Well the pendulum quickly favored the Ich and I end up with a major breakout. Fortunately I had a 55 gal. sitting around looking thirsty so I tear the rockwork apart and catch the fish.... Yellow Tang, Hippo Tang, Royal Gramma, Two Ocellaris Clowns, Copperband Butterfly, and a Flame Hawkfish. They're being treated with Cupramine and for all those who've had trouble measuring this, the Seachem kit seems to keep a good handle on the copper levels.  <They do have good products>  Did I keep a sponge in the 75gal display to use in case of an treatment emergency such as this? Of course not.... <Doh times two~!> So I'm changing significant amounts of water every other day to keep ammonia as low as possible. Livestock seem to be progressively doing better - but I'm concerned about the Copperband. He hasn't hardly eaten any provided foods since we got him. He seemed to pick off the rocks rather than touch anything we fed... Problem is - their obviously aren't any rocks in the hospital tank - and I've yet to see him eat a thing. <Try a small "bivalve"... clam, cockle... opened up... these are almost irresistible to Chelmons... even stressed out ones in tiny volumes and copper> It's been 8 days since he was admitted to the hospital. Before this Ich outbreak began, we had already been planning on a move into a 180, which is about another month out. We had purchased 40 lbs of additional live rock, which is curing in Rubbermaids. My question is this. ( I know - Finally) The new live rock in quarantine will be cured about the time that the copper treatment comes to an end, and hopefully the hospital tank has completely cycled. Yet I will still be weeks from moving into the 180 - so the fish will remain in the hospital tank until the move. The only thing in the hospital is PVC material (nothing Calcareous). <Natch... as it would absorb the copper...> For the betterment of the environment, can I add cycled live rock to the cycled hospital once the copper is removed with water changes, PolyFilter, and carbon? <Yes> Or should I not add anything copper sensitive since the tank has been exposed to copper. <A small amount of precipitated copper is not a big deal> I had read somewhere (don't know the validity) that the tank seals will act like a sponge and leach copper even after it is testing zero and believed removed.  <Very, very little... in most cases/scenarios> Obviously, the best thing would be to not get into this situation, but.... In light of the fact I am, what would be the best way to proceed? And yes, lesson learned... From now on apply the generous sharings of knowledge from those in the know.... Thanks, Brad. <Better to move the Copperband elsewhere after two weeks treatment... with larger, more stable setting... try Mysids (live if you can get them)... soaked in Selcon or equivalent... Do pH adjusted freshwater dip the fishes enroute... Bob Fenner> 

Marine Roulette Anyone? avec James' Response We all know how awesome the WWM crew is - and so do they - that's why we all come back here! Enough said. What's odd is that so many of us have learned what we know of the marine hobby right here and by reading the works of WWM authors - yet so many of us insist on learning the hard way.... For example, I have an overstocked 75 gal mixed reef and have never quarantined so much as one thing.  The system has been up and running for over a year and I've watched the dreaded white spot signs of Ich teeter-totter between the fish's favor and the parasites favor. Had never had a serious enough outbreak to warrant pulling all of the fish out for treatment or letting the tank go fallow 'til now.  Hadn't seen any signs of Ich for close to six-months, so in my infinite wisdom what do I do? Add a "King-O-Ich" Hippo Tang. Well the pendulum quickly favored the Ich and I end up with a major breakout. Fortunately I had a 55gal sitting around looking thirsty so I tear the rockwork apart and catch the fish.... Yellow Tang, Hippo Tang, Royal Gramma, Two Ocellaris Clowns, Copperband Butterfly, and a Flame Hawkfish.  They're being treated with Cupramine and for all those who've had trouble measuring this, the Seachem kit seems to keep a good handle on the copper levels. Did I keep a sponge in the 75gal display to use in case of an treatment emergency such as this? Of course not. So I'm changing significant amounts of water every other day to keep ammonia as low as possible.  Livestock seem to be progressively doing better - but I'm concerned about the Copperband. He hasn't hardly eaten any provided foods since we got him. He seemed to pick off the rocks rather than touch anything we fed. Problem is - there obviously aren't any rocks in the hospital tank - and I've yet to see him eat a thing. It's been 8 days since he was admitted to the hospital.  Before this Ich outbreak began, we had already been planning on a move into a 180, which is about another month out. We had purchased 40 lbs of additional live rock, which is curing in Rubbermaids. My question is this. ( I know - Finally) The new live rock in quarantine will be cured about the time that the copper treatment comes to an end, and hopefully the hospital tank has completely cycled. Yet I will still be weeks from moving into the 180 - so the fish will remain in the hospital tank until the move. The only thing in the hospital is PVC material (nothing Calcareous).  For the betterment of the environment, can I add cycled live rock to the cycled hospital once the copper is removed with water changes, PolyFilter, and carbon? Or should I not add anything copper sensitive since the tank has been exposed to copper.  I had read somewhere (don't know the validity) that the tank seals will act like a sponge and leach copper even after it is testing zero and believed removed. Obviously, the best thing would be to not get into this situation, but.... In light of the fact I am, what would be the best way to proceed? And yes, lesson learned... From now on apply the generous sharings of knowledge from those in the know.... <I don't think you would have a problem putting the live rock in the QT once you filter out the copper. I would try one thing for your Copperband. Get some Cyclop-eeze in the pump bottle. I'm thinking that will trigger him into eating. It's great stuff. Good for corals....my Percs love it and really colored up nice. James (Salty Dog)>

Butterflies that won't eat.. Marina offers a Tip to Induce Feeding Hi Bob, <Mar> You and James answered the same query re: Copperband not eating in qt (Marine Roulette?). When working at the LBAOP (coral lab, acclimation and tropical quarantine for said lab) there were several "special" q/t setups. One was for the butterflies. On their regular q/t menu was bloodworms. I saw many, many difficult species being induced to feed *while* being treated with copper (though, they have an actual LAB there) on these things. When they hit the saltwater they *really* start wriggling, and I swear, if you had a hook and line attached to them you'd be fishing out butterflies. They would eventually be weaned onto krill, minced clam, and a few other meaty foods before going into display.  Marina - missing the smell of the skimmers.. <Thank you for this... Please do post. BobF> - Another Copperband Butterfly Question, More Follow-up - My Copperband is eating frozen Mysis shrimp, Spirulina and vitamin enriched brine shrimp and freeze dried brine shrimp. Can it survive on this diet?  <I'd like to see you ditch the brine shrimp... doesn't matter what's it's enriched with, it still is the dietary equivalent of a diet potato chip with olestra. If you could, try to get some meaty seafoods in there... some krill, mussel, shrimp, squid... would all do well by this fish.> Thanks again, Larry
<Cheers, J -- >

Butterflyfishes for  Marine Aquariums Diversity, Selection & Care New eBook on Amazon: Available here New Print Book on Create Space: Available here by Robert (Bob) Fenner