New Coppeband Buttterfly Fish

[Arbados]

Just bought a copperband butterfly fish and have read how difficult it is to keep them alive or even get them to eat. Does anyone have any success or disaster stories regarding this fish. What about feeding them. I read mysis shrimp? Did not eat today (frozen Brine shrimp)and read that 35% die of starvation and another 20% die within 3 months. Uh, Oh!!!! Maybe not a good fish choice, but it was so beautiful and I am very determined!! Any thoughts?

 

[wayne at home]

If you've got a lot of live rock,preferably with an aiptasia problem you're laughing, they are relatively hardy pickers. They almost never take prepared foods, though there's always a few. Very beautiful, but only for those with an old, mature , natural tank with lots of criturs, preferably soft, to nibble on constantly
You may be very determined, but if your tank doesn't match this profile (big, old, underpopulated) take it back.

 

[colesea]

Live rock is about the only way you are gonna get these guys fed. And they will graze everything off a hunk of live rock, so you'll need to replenish your live rock constantly if the tank isn't able to reculture it itself. I've very rarely had one eat in captivity, and that was live artimia naupli (aka baby brine shrimp). But artimia cannot serve as an exclusive diet. Must butterflies are actually coral polyp eaters and sponge eaters, which is why they die of starvation in barren tanks. Like Wayne said, unless you've got a super established tank with lots of mature live rock, take the butterfly back.
~~Colesea

 

[wayne at home]

I've heard of reef aquarium clubs that have a club copperband they pass around to deal with problem aiptasia anemonae attacks, but I'm sure the majority starve to death. I saw a beauty in a small public zquarium reef that was probably only 250 gallons about a month ago and that had been there for a while but this was a really well set reef.
I think they're maybe the most beautiful fish I've seen, but I've never owned one....yet.....