CopperBand Butterlfy owners

Syris · #1 12/03/2006, 11:29 AM

I know the survival rate of these is very low but I picked up one anyway at my lfs. Looked in good shape, alert, picking at bottom of holding tank. I placed him in a 20g established quarantine tank (BB with 15lbs LR)

My question is should I keep him in the quarantine tank to try and get feeding on frozen foods or place him in my sump/fuge (only a 10g fuge section) that will have more "live" foods in there?

michaeldaly · #2 12/03/2006, 11:39 AM

I am going to go againts what most people would say, I would put it in my display tank as I think quaranteening is very stressfull to the fish.

Be sure to try mysis, clam, bloodworm, brine and pieces of prawn(my fish loves this).

syrinx · #3 12/03/2006, 11:43 AM

Do not defeat the purpose of the QT tank. You set it up so other tank inhabitants would be safe from parasites etc. You could always try to seed more live food into the tank for him though. One fish is not worth the damage to the whole system. If it can`t live through QT then it isn`t a fish that would make it long term anyway.

cayars · #4 12/03/2006, 12:12 PM

A QT tank is way less stressfull to the CBB then the display tank is. Dropping the CBB into the display tank right from the get go is like giving the fish a death sentence. Maybe only 10% of them will survive doing this for any length of time.

You want to make sure the fish is healthy and eating well before you put him in your display tank. Until you get him eating well I would not move him to the display tank regardless of how healthy it looks because it will starve to death.

Also in case you aren't aware, CBB need extremely high quality water. If your water parameters aren't dead on it will probably die.

The CBB is one of the fish where the odds are stacked against you from the start. You need to be prepared for it (water quality) and you do NOT WANT TO RUSH THE FISH INTO THE DISPLAY. You need to make sure it eats well and is over the stress of capture and the multi-part transportation before being tossed in with your other fish.

easye123 · #5 12/03/2006, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by syrinx
If it can`t live through QT then it isn`t a fish that would make it long term anyway.

well im sure its a good idea, but ive never qt a fish ever, and they have alll been fine.. i agree though more that it would be more stressfull for the fish

Fishy1 · #6 12/03/2006, 10:23 PM

I've had mine about a year and a half now. I kept him in a 20 gallon quarantine tank when I first brought him home. He was eating frozen mysis at the pet store so didn't have to train him. He was in the quarantine tank for 4 weeks and then went in to the main display. He loves mysis, small pieces of squid and bananas

He eats from my fingers. now which is great. Feeding them once a day is not enough, in my opinion. They have a higher metabolism than most fish and if you want to stack the odds in favor of his survival, feed him at least twice a day..........best of luck to you....

Janey

Freed · #7 12/03/2006, 10:26 PM

How in the &$^#% is a QT tank stressful? Someone please explain this ignorance to me. Thanks.

michaeldaly · #8 12/04/2006, 08:10 AM

Small empty tank, no hiding places, probably under medication, Has to undergo a second aclimitazation to the new tank.

I am by no means saying do not quaranteen the fish if you want to, it is just my opinion that it would be more stressfull. I have never quaranteened a fish and have not yet had any problems.

dodger1v · #9 12/04/2006, 08:45 AM

Normally I would agree with the majority here and say QT everything. I think for the more delicate fish it's probably a better idea to get them into the environment that most resembles what they're used to. So unless there's visible sign of disease I'm voting for getting it into your display.

64Ivy · #10 12/04/2006, 09:24 AM

I'm on the pro-QT side when it comes to Copperbands. IMO, it is absolutely imperative to get this fish strong and eating well before putting it in with established tankmates, especially boisterous or aggressive tankmates. Provided the specimen is healthy to begin with, a few weeks spent in QT on a diet of fresh frozen shellfish, mysis soaked in Selcon, and something like Arcti-Pods, will only increase survivabilty rates during those shaky first few days of introduction.

gh0st · #11 12/04/2006, 10:29 AM

It would really depend on the QT system in question in my opinion.

If you have a small QT tank with no Filter or minimal filtration, no hiding places, no live rock, etc, I'd say as long as it's a healthy fish, it would be less stressful going right into the display system.

If on the other hand you have an awesome QT tank that rivals the display system with Live Rock and the works, then it may not be too stressful. But keep in mind that using QT systems puts stress on the fish twice, one when he is moved into the QT, once when he is moved into the display tank.

I've got to agree with Michaeldaly, with touchy fish, if you get a good healthy one and the display tank is healthy, it's less stressful to dump them right in.

Freed · #12 12/04/2006, 05:24 PM

So put it in a QT tank by itself with no other fish to pester the crap out of it and get it accustomed to eating prepared foods or worms and have plenty of PVC to hide in is stressful? This gives it a fighting chance doesn't it? Oh, I'm sorry I see what you are talking about: Throw it in a tank full of fish that want to run it into the ground to begin with because it is now the fresh meat on the block with no territory of its own to hide in and not knowing what it's going to find when it does find a spot to calm down in. Yeah yeah that's it. This will surely allow it to try to eat and feel comfortable. OK, I see the point.

deansreef · #13 12/04/2006, 05:59 PM

Does anyone else feed bananas to their cbb>????

msman825 · #14 12/04/2006, 06:23 PM

no bana's for mine. He's the amp king around this hood. great fish. QT him

gh0st · #15 12/04/2006, 06:24 PM

Shrug, everybody is entitled to their opinion.

Like I said, it depends on many factors.

Would I toss a Copperband striaght into a tank with Triggers, Puffers, Damsels, or other aggressive fish? No.

Would I feel comfortable doing the same with a peaceful tank that has been rock solid for years and a Copperband that is in perfect shape, and eating at the LFS. Sure Would.

My main beef with the "QT every fish every time" logic is it doesn't work for every fish. Some fish will die if put into the typical QT system.

Most people have woefully inadequete QT systems for the fish they are trying to house, even temporarily. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people complain about the 12" Naso Tang that didn't make iit out of their 15 gallon filterless barren QT tank.

Now on the other hand if you have a 55 gallon QT tank with it's own filter, plenty of hiding spots, a nice stable environment etc, then by all means, QT the fish.

msman825 · #16 12/04/2006, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gh0st
Shrug, everybody is entitled to their opinion.

Like I said, it depends on many factors.

Would I toss a Copperband striaght into a tank with Triggers, Puffers, Damsels, or other aggressive fish? No.

Would I feel comfortable doing the same with a peaceful tank that has been rock solid for years and a Copperband that is in perfect shape, and eating at the LFS. Sure Would.

My main beef with the "QT every fish every time" logic is it doesn't work for every fish. Some fish will die if put into the typical QT system.

Most people have woefully inadequete QT systems for the fish they are trying to house, even temporarily. I can't tell you how many times I've heard people complain about the 12" Naso Tang that didn't make iit out of their 15 gallon filterless barren QT tank.

Now on the other hand if you have a 55 gallon QT tank with it's own filter, plenty of hiding spots, a nice stable environment etc, then by all means, QT the fish.

this is what makes the CBB hard to keep i think. people abuse great fish too. I love mine

Freed · #17 12/05/2006, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gh0st
Would I feel comfortable doing the same with a peaceful tank that has been rock solid for years and a Copperband that is in perfect shape, and eating at the LFS. Sure Would.

OK, so you are saying bring the fish home from the LFS, dump it in the main tank and kill all the fish with ich or velvet or some other disease that you brought with the fish? SHRUG.

Orchids · #18 12/05/2006, 07:55 AM

I picked up a CBB 2 weeks ago and it is only in the past few days I feel as if it will survive. It is picking at stuff and is swimming around nicely. There are a few spots for it to hang and hide.

We'll see. I know 2 weeks isn't long, but the fishes body language and attitude have improved each day. (I added the previous sentence so I would not get the obligatory reply reminding me that 2 weeks is not long term survival.).

gh0st · #19 12/05/2006, 10:15 AM

Having a UV Sterilizer on the display , plus choosing healthy, feeding livestock pretty much eliminates most risk of disease wiping out a tank.

And whats to prevent Ich or Velvet from breaking out when you stress the fish again right after it's finally adjusted to life in the QT system and you yank him out and move him AGAIN?

I said it before and I'll repeat it this last time, it depends on the circumstances. Most tangs I wouldn't put straight into a display system, most others I would unless they are a bit shaky to begin with.

Freed · #20 12/05/2006, 10:35 AM

You obviously have much to learn about this hobby.

staticx · #21 12/05/2006, 10:35 AM

Why cant people just agree to disagree. some say no qt and then people chime in and call them ignorant. People like that need to get off there high horse and let other people have there own opinions, that is what this board is for. If you dont agree with what siomeone says, fine . But no need to call them ignorant. This board is a place to discuss opinions and shared experiences. If you dont agree then fine state why you do not agree but no need to call names.

Freed · #22 12/05/2006, 10:36 AM

I never called anyone ignorant.

Shoestring Reefer · #23 12/05/2006, 11:32 AM

He's in the QT already, so make sure he has hiding places, and leave him be!

I didn't QT mine, but I got it from another reefer that I trust has clean fish. In fact, I have bought most of my recent fish that way. If I was to buy from a LFS, I'd QT a cbb.

Why try to get it to eat prepared foods? I never understood that. Clams at the grocery store aren't expensive.

Orchids · #24 12/05/2006, 12:06 PM

You may not have called anyone ignorant, but your reply was strongly suggesting it.

"How in the &$^#% is a QT tank stressful? Someone please explain this ignorance to me. "

I do not QT my fish. I have had tropical or marine tanks for almost 30 years. It may or may not be a good decission, but it works for me.

Just because something works well for you doesn't mean someone else that does it differently is wrong.

Freed · #25 12/05/2006, 12:25 PM

Ignorance is in the dictionary please look it up yourself. There is a difference between the two words ignorance and ignorant. You are obviously ignorant of the two meanings.