Copperband Butterfly (Chelmon rostratus)

KahluaZzZ

KahluaZzZ

Superstar Fish
#1
Jun 12, 2004
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#1
Hi everyone. Does anyone has/had this fish ? I am interested in purchasing one, but i wanna know if anyone has experience with it. Can it be mixed in a 55 gallons ( <kinda small? ) when there's a big yellow tang around ( 2 stressed fishies ). I don't care if it eats apitasia ( duh ) and feather dusters, but is it true that it can eat polyps sometimes when not satisfied with the food*?
 

1979camaro

1979camaro

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#2
Oct 22, 2002
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#2
it is true that it can eat polyps...in fact that is its preferred diet if i recall...generally speaking they do not do well in captivity and I think putting it in with a tang in a 55 would be a bad choice...personally i would pass
 

S.Reef

S.Reef

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#4
Dec 1, 2003
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I would be worried about the Yellow Tang. Once established Yellows can be very aggresive. I have seen them kill Pearl Scale butterflys, Lemon Butterflys and so fourth. Copperbands arent the hardiest anyways.
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#6
Oct 22, 2002
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#6
A much better choice. Copperbands aren't very hardy and don't like shoddy water too much. They also get fairly big and are pretty active. They don't really tend to go after polyps i.m.e though
 

KahluaZzZ

KahluaZzZ

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#7
Jun 12, 2004
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My water params are getting better. Algaes are going away, cyano almost over. Tnx Ro/Di and your help guys. So i guess a copperband could live in there.
I think now that my tang's gonna be the biggest fish in the tank. Will buy small ones.
 

SALTY WATERS

SALTY WATERS

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#9
Feb 6, 2005
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#9
I pulled this info off of www.liveaquaria.com

Copperband Butterflyfish
(Chelmon rostratus)
Quick Stats
Minimum Tank Size: 50 gallons
Care Level: Difficult
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.020-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 8"
Color Form: Orange, White, Yellow
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Diet: Carnivore
Compatibility: View Chart
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Chaetodontidae

The Copperband Butterflyfish, also known as the Beaked Butterflyfish, Beaked Coralfish, or Orange Stripe Butterfly, has a long, narrow nose and mouth used for hunting into crevices and holes for food. The Copperband Butterflyfish has yellow-orange vertical bands with a black edging. It has a false eyespot on the rear of the dorsal fin. This is a difficult fish to mistake for any other.

It is best housed in very large reefs, or in peaceful community tanks. It should be kept singly, not with conspecifics or similar butterflyfish, and should not be kept with any stress-inducing fish. Caution should be exercised if housing these fish in a reef aquarium. They may pick on invertebrates, especially anemones and feather dusters. They are an excellent fish when used to control aiptasia, or glass anemones, in the reef aquarium.

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.
 

S.Reef

S.Reef

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#10
Dec 1, 2003
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Hmmm...fish that are reef safe/peaceful/not shy...how about a nice Square Anthias? or maybe a big Fairy Wrasse. Bright and very nice center pieces.
 

S.Reef

S.Reef

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#13
Dec 1, 2003
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#13
No, not all of them do. The Lyetail Anthias are an example of one that need a lot of swimming space. Unless you have a very big tnk it is recommeded that you keep only one.
 

SALTY WATERS

SALTY WATERS

Large Fish
#14
Feb 6, 2005
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#14
dbacksrat How do you figure the info on liveaquaria.com is biased, let alone "extremely"? They give good quick stats on fish and other marine life that is in know way trying to mislead anyone into buying them; just straight forward factual info. I've found this site quite helpfull when looking into many fish and corals that I am interested in for my tank.
 

1979camaro

1979camaro

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#16
Oct 22, 2002
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#16
i agree with dbacksrat...a lot of times their information is misleading and innacurate...things which they imply will be easy to keep often are not so and their compatability recomendations are often flat out wrong...i think he is just trying to make sure people do some other research too
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#17
Oct 22, 2002
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#17
I think Liveaquaria isn't bad for recs, but there tank size recommendations are always a bit low.

A copperband is always going to be tough in a newish tank , or for beginners. I don't think they're especially difficult to feed but they are superfussy on water quality, and any problems will manifest themselves as hunger strike. Plus they are jsut big for a 55. The best ones to get are Aus ones, but they always come in bigger than Indonesian or Phillippino. And even if you get them to feed , you have to keep going with a good variety or I suspect like some others they'll just die after 6 months anyway.
I have a single bicolor bicolor ( I think) anthia. I think most anthias do well singly or in big groups. Small groups (2 - 5) don't seem to do well as what they don't tell you is how aggressive they are, and not just amongst themselves. Plus you need to feed them very, very often from a refugium or with cyclopeeze or similar. Of course some are just desparate to keep anyways such as tukas, being hard to feed, reliant on excellent water quality and also they tend to ship very badly, and come out of the process doomed
 

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