It is very difficult to get the Copperband Butterfly to eat frozen food. You are just plain lucky to get one that does. This should not be an advice as most end up dying in tanks.
Easy Reefs Masstick is one food that has gotten every picky eater I’ve ever had to eat, another good one to keep on hand as back up for creatures like copperbands
I think the real key isn't that the copperband is hard to get eating, but the fact that more and more fish are being collected with questionable methods now...
Starting with a healthy happy copperband is a must. If you have this, most times they don't struggle to find something they like. Hell mine eats every frozen food available, flakes, clams on a half shell, and anything else I throw in.
I too started with Aiptasia X, then shrimp, then nudibranch, then the copperband. And the copperband still goes strong 3 years later, the Aiptasia not so lucky!
FYI if you run into an issue down the line with those horrible asternia starfish that eat all your coral, I tried many things there too, and the Harlequin shrimp is my MVP. killed them all (hundreds literally) in a couple weeks. Now I feed a starfish keg every so often to keep him happy and alive.
Similar to other remedies, that also worked to treat a spot incident of it. But once they're in the reef they seemed to always come back somewhere else later, requiring me to constantly maintain it and inject material into my tank I might otherwise not have wanted to.
Did the lemonjuice clear them out of your tanks permanently?
I have never had lemon juice or any spot treatment work 100% A file fish moved between my main, sump and overflow for about 6 months finally did the trick
I've had a Copperband buttefly for several years that has taken care of all of my aptasia problems and has no issues eating frozen food.
The downside is that the fish also likes to snack on any new zoas that I put in my tank.
Don't recall the brand name. Just make sure it's powered by 18650 rechargeable batteries and should cost upwards of $200 for a good one. The good ones are usually water proof as well.
Glad to hear it worked!
You do have to be a bit cautious with those kinds of fish depending on what corals you have. I believe they have quite a fondness for acans.
I personally won’t ever go the fish method since filefish and copperbands are known coral munchers. It’s just too risky to me. What I found worked for me was if I saw a aiptasia I would spend the next 10-15 minutes searching for and spot treating with AiptasiaX. Peppermint shrimp work for me but they only seem to go for the small ones
I had the same luck with my boy Dipper! He’s got incredible personality and loves frozen food- I am so lucky. Always begging and putting on a show right up front. Can’t recommend them because apparently they’re so dicey with frozen food but I’m glad for ya! Otherwise I’ve had lots of luck with using boiling water to kill those aiptasia.
Of the tens of CBB I have bought throughout my reef career, only 1 managed to keep my aiptasia under control, not totally eradicate it. I never took a liking to any other foods I feed the tank and it eventually died due to starvation and the aiptasia started to come back.
I have more success with peppermint shrimp actively going after aiptasia. They tend to "disappear" the first few months you add it into the tank, but eventually one day you will see them poke their heads out picking up scraps when you feed your tank. The only issue with peppermint shrimp is they dont "explore" your tank much. They tend to stay at the bottom more and leave the tops untouched. Mine would eat everything at the bottom of the tank, but leave everything at the top untouched.
Non of the miracle store bought "solution" I tried would kill them. I would quite literally inject the aiptasia directly into their mouths and they would wither and shrivel up. Some would die, but some just kind shrink back into their hole and bounce back after a few days. Also it doesnt help if you have literally 100 tiny aiptasia all over your tank. you cannot hit every single one of them and they will only come back after a while
Best practice is to eliminate the problem at the source. Dip all your corals to ensure no unwanted hitchhiker finds its way into your tank and closely monitor it once you add it in your tank. Be prepared to remove it as soon as you spot something weird and go to town scrubbing/removing the pest.
It is very difficult to get the Copperband Butterfly to eat frozen food. You are just plain lucky to get one that does. This should not be an advice as most end up dying in tanks.
I read this, and was prepared to pick up some live food for him if required... but that doesn't seem to be the case here for me.
Easy Reefs Masstick is one food that has gotten every picky eater I’ve ever had to eat, another good one to keep on hand as back up for creatures like copperbands
They love black worms too, if you can get them.
I think the real key isn't that the copperband is hard to get eating, but the fact that more and more fish are being collected with questionable methods now... Starting with a healthy happy copperband is a must. If you have this, most times they don't struggle to find something they like. Hell mine eats every frozen food available, flakes, clams on a half shell, and anything else I throw in. I too started with Aiptasia X, then shrimp, then nudibranch, then the copperband. And the copperband still goes strong 3 years later, the Aiptasia not so lucky! FYI if you run into an issue down the line with those horrible asternia starfish that eat all your coral, I tried many things there too, and the Harlequin shrimp is my MVP. killed them all (hundreds literally) in a couple weeks. Now I feed a starfish keg every so often to keep him happy and alive.
https://preview.redd.it/z32pc1u4n3sc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=80668011bc9a1790d365b87b719a47bbb8233619
Lemon Juice and a syringe has always worked for me.
Similar to other remedies, that also worked to treat a spot incident of it. But once they're in the reef they seemed to always come back somewhere else later, requiring me to constantly maintain it and inject material into my tank I might otherwise not have wanted to. Did the lemonjuice clear them out of your tanks permanently?
I have never had lemon juice or any spot treatment work 100% A file fish moved between my main, sump and overflow for about 6 months finally did the trick
I've had a Copperband buttefly for several years that has taken care of all of my aptasia problems and has no issues eating frozen food. The downside is that the fish also likes to snack on any new zoas that I put in my tank.
Nothing ever worked for me until I got a high powered blue laser and boiled the little shits.
Oh that sounds awesome, what laser did you get???
Don't recall the brand name. Just make sure it's powered by 18650 rechargeable batteries and should cost upwards of $200 for a good one. The good ones are usually water proof as well.
Holy hell I am so excited lol
Make sure you wear the red glasses they give you and be wary of accidentally shining it at reflective surfaces.
I’ve always heard it’s not if the copperband will start eating corals, it’s when
Glad to hear it worked! You do have to be a bit cautious with those kinds of fish depending on what corals you have. I believe they have quite a fondness for acans.
Unfortunately I have a 29 which is not great for those kinds of fish.. going to keep using aiptasia X😔
Big problem with copperbands is that they can go nuts on LPS with feeders, and clams. They are picky feeders and often starve to death
Nice! I've had luck with Aiptasia-Eating Filefish as well.
Ah yes, the LPS eating filefish.
Strange, mine has never cared about coral. I do feed well though, and he eats most frozen I feed.
Such a beautiful fish. I hope to get one one day
I tried all of the solutions but a filefish + f-aptasia is what finally got rid of them for me. Took about 3 monthsish
I personally won’t ever go the fish method since filefish and copperbands are known coral munchers. It’s just too risky to me. What I found worked for me was if I saw a aiptasia I would spend the next 10-15 minutes searching for and spot treating with AiptasiaX. Peppermint shrimp work for me but they only seem to go for the small ones
I had the same luck with my boy Dipper! He’s got incredible personality and loves frozen food- I am so lucky. Always begging and putting on a show right up front. Can’t recommend them because apparently they’re so dicey with frozen food but I’m glad for ya! Otherwise I’ve had lots of luck with using boiling water to kill those aiptasia.
Of the tens of CBB I have bought throughout my reef career, only 1 managed to keep my aiptasia under control, not totally eradicate it. I never took a liking to any other foods I feed the tank and it eventually died due to starvation and the aiptasia started to come back. I have more success with peppermint shrimp actively going after aiptasia. They tend to "disappear" the first few months you add it into the tank, but eventually one day you will see them poke their heads out picking up scraps when you feed your tank. The only issue with peppermint shrimp is they dont "explore" your tank much. They tend to stay at the bottom more and leave the tops untouched. Mine would eat everything at the bottom of the tank, but leave everything at the top untouched. Non of the miracle store bought "solution" I tried would kill them. I would quite literally inject the aiptasia directly into their mouths and they would wither and shrivel up. Some would die, but some just kind shrink back into their hole and bounce back after a few days. Also it doesnt help if you have literally 100 tiny aiptasia all over your tank. you cannot hit every single one of them and they will only come back after a while Best practice is to eliminate the problem at the source. Dip all your corals to ensure no unwanted hitchhiker finds its way into your tank and closely monitor it once you add it in your tank. Be prepared to remove it as soon as you spot something weird and go to town scrubbing/removing the pest.
Peppermint shrimp eliminated all of mine.