Copperband longevity?

[ReefLady]

I love these fish, would love to have one. But not if I have to watch it die.

How long did yours last/how long has it lasted?

Any secrets? I know these fish are terribly sensitive to water quality, and finicky eaters. That was the last info I got on them. Anything changed?

Thanks!

T

 

[Montanareefer]

Well Travis I had one for well over a year and was fat and healthy. It loved mysis shrimp and my home made mush. It only ate mysis shrimp until I decided to not feed the tank for about 4 days and then dropped in some mush first and the copperband went right after it and no problem from then on...It was a very healthy fish..

I gave it back to the LFS when I tore down the reef tank...I loved that fish!

 

[Tarasco]

I remember reading somewhere that these guys can live up to 10 years, if you're lucky enough to get one that eats prepared foods. I guess it's hit or miss when it comes to getting one to eat. If you try one, you can try the typical live brine/mysis to induce a feeding response. Also, if you have a bunch of feather worms, this guy will eat all of them. But I'm sure that there are people out there that have kept them and have more advice.

 

[fidojoe]

I recently purchased one about 3 weeks ago, and its happy and healthy, altho it only seems to like blood worms, and possibly mysis and cyclop eeze, it usually eats what goes into to holes in the rocks. It comes out more and more every day. Also, I purchased a RBTA which died the night I put it in and dissolved, and nothing else was affected, including the CBB.

 

[johnlewis]

I had one for 8 months, I miss it. I lost it in the movement of my tank across the basement. I tried another one but it was just beaten up by the tangs. I might try another one in my second tank. I've had luck with all the aforementioned foods, plus lots of live rock to graze on.

 

[IshWish]

My experience with a CBB.

Won one at fish club raffle so I broke the first rule of only buy it if it eats. I already had a yellow tang and yellow goby in the tank. Both fish did not like the CBB. After about a week the yellow tang calmed down from it's real aggressive behavior but it would still chase it at least twice a day. The yellow goby never liked the CBB. I slowly got the CBB to eat frozen brine and frozen mysis. Any other food he would not eat. He would eat small feather dusters from my rock work and would constantly look for food on the rock.

My yellow goby has a M. digitata forest to live in and it is in the middle of the tank. The yellow goby would not let the CBB go past him so the CBB only stayed in one half of the tank.

After two months I woke up to find the CBB dieing and very weak. I'm guessing stress from the yellow tang and yellow goby and starvation did him in.

They seem to be timid feeders so this should be one of the first fish in the tank to make sure they are eating fine and used to getting feed. I added my CBB last and I think it could not compete with the yellow tang, hippo tang, six-line wrasse, and other fish for food.

 

[Woodstock]

I have had mine for close to a year now and it's very healthy and queen of the tank! I still spoon feed it several times a day. I of course made sure it would eat before I purchased it. I can't have certain corals in my tank because it will nip/eat them but I prefer the CBB anyway! It has grown quite a bit since this picture was taken:

 

[ReefLady]

Woodstock, what corals does your CBB nip?

Steven, sorry to hear about that. I'm amazed that your cute little clown goby would be so aggressive!

Here's a pic I took of Steven's killer goby in his digitata patch:

 

[Woodstock]

Travis, it will "pick at" the following ... candy canes, snails, and clams. She even eats the "feelers" between the urchin's spines . But honestly, she is a lot better behaved than my powder blue tang was! The powder blue would take chunks out of my frog spawn, and xenia almost constantly. HTH

 

[JeepersReefers]

10 years... thats a long time.

Are they knowen to mess with zooanthids at all?? I have a serious aptasia out break in my 46g and was hoping that a CBB would at least help me in the fight against the aptasisa onslaught. About 3-4 new aptasias appear every few days. I can’t seem to kill them fast enough.

 

[Brucey]

Trav . . . . I've had two.

The first I had for 6 months and was big / fat and healthy. Never touched my corals and I have similar ones to woodstock has. Then, one day, it just stopped eating and 3 weeks later, completley emaciated died.

I replaced it 4 weeks ago with a CBB that ate in the shop but never ate when I got it home. It lasted two weeks and died.

I will not be buying another one.

I feed all types of frozen (mysis, brine, artemia, mussel, plankton, squid), and live brine but it wouldn't tempt it. Real shame

 

[cheeks69]

CBB's are very difficult to keep because of their feeding habits and because of shipping related stress. If you get one please make sure he's eating, it was very difficult to see mine die a slow death because it refused to eat no matter what I feed him. What I noticed is they're very methodical eaters and are easily intimidated by other more aggressive fish at feeding time.

I certainly would not recommend them for aptasia control.

http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/6279/ArticleCopperbandAiptasia.html

Here's my ex CBB:waa:

 

[Brucey]

Originally posted by cheeks69
I certainly would not recommend them for aptasia control.

Very good point
Brucey

 

[LisaP]

Hi all,

I've had my CBB for just under 15 months now and so far so good. He/she is a very good eater and doesn't nip on any of my corals or clams, a truely fantastic fish. :snshne:

Regards

Lisa

 

[Woodstock]

Beautiful photos Lisa!

 

[cheeks69]

Great Pics LisaP !!!

 

[livingreef2004]

i had my cbb for about 8 mos it ate with no problems from the very first night was healthy and fat and one morning i came out and it was dead on the bottom of the tank i was very upset they are real beauties to watch in a reef tank

the only thing it ate in my tank was my feather dusters it totally wiped them out gl if you get one they're great fish

lots of personality like a blenny

 

[64Ivy]

To Travis and all those who love but have had difficulties with CBBs, you may want to give thought to accquiring a Muellers Copperband from Austrailia. I've had mine nearly a year now and it's been an absolute delight; eradicated my moderate Aiptasia problem in three days (in a 500g tank, mind you), moved effortlessly onto a diet of PE Mysis and whatever it can pick from the rocks, and never looked back. The only problem is that they're very hard to come by. The Marine Center (where I got mine) may only have them available three or four times a year. If you can find one though, jump on it.

By the way, I started mine eating clams, oysters, and mussels in quarantine.

 

[Big E]

I second 64Ivy's suggestion.............got mine from MC also. I'm also closing in on one year old. He eats scallops, shrimp, mysis, clams.

Although these are hardier, I believe thats it's very important to QT these fish & get them eating prepared foods. Without the choice to feast on live rock they will accept alternate foods more readily. They also have to learn to eat out of the water column.

Another trick is to tie food to a rock so they can pick at it.......more natural for them at first..........again with no competition in a QT tank.

I believe you have to stock your tank around the CBB. In other words any bullies have to be ejected. You gotta aleviate any stress to delicate fish like these.

I hand feed mine alot also because he just isn't quick enough to compete with his tankmates. I always make sure he gets his share.

 

[Maxx]

Good looking fish folks. I've never kept them, but have always wanted one. IMO the single biggest trick to keeping almost anything is getting a healthy specimen to begin with. Sposedly the Australian CBB's (Not talking about the Mullers like 64Ivy has, just the normal CBB from Australia), generally have a better track record in captivity than the philippine caught.
Here is a link to the thread on CBB's where 64Ivy describes how he acclimated his. I feel that acclimation is the second part of making sure you've got a fighting chance w/ these.
64Ivy, thanks for detailing how exactly you did this, definately helpful.
Nick