Copper Banded Butterfly

jagt48 · 06-14-2005, 05:53 PM

OK, so I have an aiptasia problem that just won't go away. I have tried using Joe's Juice, but every time I use it they just seem to come back in greater numbers. I keep trying to get some peppermint shrimp, but no one has any...anywhere. I don't want to spend the money on ordering just shrimp, so I'm thinking of getting some with another order if I can talk my friend into it also. I was wondering about a copperbanded butterfly and how effective they are. I heard that they are pretty good at eating the aiptasia, but I don't know anyone who has one nor have I really even seen one in person. What are some things I should be looking for when trying to find one? Right now I have a 29 with 50 lbs of rock, various snails, hermits, brittle star, pencil urchin, mithrix crab, feather dusters, Ocellaris clown, mushroom coral, finger, acropora, torch coral, brain coral, and some hitchhiker sea slugs. Do I need to be worried about the butterfly with any of these? And if so, are there other types of fish/inverts that are good at taking care of aiptasia? Also, as for the tank, I will be moving at the end of July and putting everything into a 46 bowfront and a sump, if I can work out everything for the sump before that time. Any help would be appreciated.

Joseph

Twitterbait · 06-14-2005, 05:58 PM

the size of the tank might be a problem with the copper banded. they are also very fussy so if you can... try to get the lfs to order the shrimp in. the smaller the peppermints the better they will do at eating the aptaisia. plus you should be able to get 3 or more peppermints for the price of one copper banded.

aussiereefer82 · 06-14-2005, 07:56 PM

Agreed, a 46gal is to small for a copperband. These fish IMO are hit and miss at eating aiptasia, and even if they do eat aiptasia they can be finicky and often starve once the aiptasia is cleaned up. They can be hard to get eating prepared foods, regardless of this your tank is to small anyway.

jagt48 · 06-14-2005, 08:28 PM

OK thanks. I suppose that about wraps it up about the copperband. I was concerned that my tank would be too small, but thought it didn't hurt to ask! I have tried to have my lfs order the shrimp, but they don't seem to be able to get ahold of any, and I went home over the weekend and tried a store on the way, but apparently they just sold out of them within the past couple of days, so as of right now I am stuck. I'm not having very much luck with them because I did have two of them, but at the time I also had a CB shrimp who decided to snack on them

. I might have to take another trip over the weekend to St. Louis and try and hit a couple stores over that way.

Thanks,
Joseph

aussiereefer82 · 06-14-2005, 08:47 PM

Ring around before you go, might save you the trip. If a store has some they will usually hold them for you.

Loverotties · 06-14-2005, 11:39 PM

Tanks a little small for a copperband.

jagt48 · 06-15-2005, 12:14 AM

I actually have a friend who is going to St. Louis this weekend for other reasons...maybe I'll just have him pick some up. To tell the truth I wasn't all that upset to hear everyone saying that my tank was too small for the copperband as I've never really been one for the fish part, mostly just everything else that looks cool and doesn't dirty up the tank so quickly.

Joseph

salt creepette · 06-15-2005, 02:04 PM

my little pepe's worked great for eating aptasia...until my murderous rampaging cleaner shrimp pair took all four of them out. so, beware of adding cleaner shrimp later if you add peppermints. that said, my mother in law maintains a pair of each in her 30 gallon, and although they steer clear of each other, they are all still alive; its been a few months.