Copper Banded BF

discotu · #1 11/28/2007, 04:29 PM

I am watching a few of these at a LFS until i can confirm they're healthy and eating...the one that looks the best (on hold for me) occasionally has short spasms and his caudal fin vibrates once in a while. I was wondering if this is a sign that he's not going to make it or if it's normal behavior considering he's in a tank with a blue angel that bothers him and/or that he can see another copper banded through a clear divider next to him.

thanks!

ThrowinRoost89 · #2 11/28/2007, 07:56 PM

i learned the hard way, i didnt know it was hard to get them to eat... i tried mysis, pellets and flake

mine lasted 2 days : (

sunfish11 · #3 11/29/2007, 10:55 AM

I wouldn't get it if it has spasms. It isn't normal.

Lisa

AquaKnight407 · #4 11/29/2007, 01:04 PM

Sounds like flukes. Easy treatment if so.

sunfish11 · #5 11/29/2007, 01:48 PM

Quote:

i learned the hard way, i didnt know it was hard to get them to eat... i tried mysis, pellets and flake

Eating wasn't the problem with yours. It takes weeks for a fish to starve to death if not longer.

Lisa

MGB · #6 11/29/2007, 03:45 PM

Not neccessarily a spasm, it could be aggression towards the angel. The question is when does this occure and in what context, around other fish or when alone and relaxed. If the fish is eating well and looks fat, that's a good sign. Spend as much time observing as possible, knowing what a healthy fish should behave like unfortunately takes years of observation and experience, if in doubt pass on it. If the behavoir has a pattern, ie occurs in the same area, or around a certain tank mate, it's less likely to be a sickness and more of a reaction or display.

sunfish11 · #7 11/29/2007, 10:37 PM

When they show aggression (and mine occasionally does) they flare the dorsal and may try to poke the other fish with their dorsal. They don't twitch. I have seen twitchy fishes that spasm and they usually don't make it.

Lisa

scooter86 · #8 11/30/2007, 11:39 AM

Mine shows aggression/defense just as sunfish11 describes. It is most likely that the twitching is associated with some type of pathology.

discotu · #9 11/30/2007, 01:04 PM

thanks for the input guys! the LFS has 3 of them. Only one of them is eating right now and that's the one I have on hold. It has a bit of ich on him though so I am going to wait to see if it clears up a bit before i buy. Regardless, he's going into a quarantine tank if I buy him.

On another note, the owner says he's running copper in his system. Are copper banded BFs in any way sensitive to copper treatment?

thank again!

55gSW · #10 12/01/2007, 01:07 AM

I don't know about them being sensitive to copper but I can tell you from experience to pass on the twitchy fish! My second copperband had this weird head shaking spasm. It never lasted long, it wasn't something the fish did constantly but you would see it from time to time. The fish ate very well and was nice and fat. I tried various things to see if I could get that twitch taken care of, freshwater dips, lower salinity, UV sterilizer, garlic soaked food. The fish lasted about 6 months. Then one morning I got up and he was dead. He was fine the night before too.

The first one I had lasted only a week. This one never ate. Because of it's actions I was not terribly surprised when it died.

I won't get another one.

scooter86 · #11 12/01/2007, 10:02 AM

A bit of ich is like being "a bit" pregnant. You either have it or you don't. I would never purchase a fish that I knew had ich. There is one waiting for you somewhere that has no signs of illness.

gunslinger · #12 12/01/2007, 09:49 PM

why purchase any fish that you know is not healthy