What Do I Feed A Copper Banded Butterfly Fish

Tasher80 · 10-06-2006, 06:13 PM

I purchased a copper banded butterfly fish today. The fish store has had him or her don't know which for over a month. I have watched it eat a few times. I even put my hand over the top of the tank and the butterfly came up for food. I have lots of frozen mysis shrimp to feed. Is there other food that would also be good to feed?

One more thing. I do have a mandarin in my tank. Will the butterfly fish compete for food?

Geoff · 10-06-2006, 08:54 PM

feed the butterfly anything that it wants to eat. they are very difficult to get to eat prepared foods. they will however clean your tank out of the small feather dusters though.

mysis shrimp seems to be the most common prepared food that they will eat though, so that is a good starting point.

it will not compete for food with the mandarin. the copperband tends to eat polyps, like aiptasia (if you are lucky). they also like small worms, hence the reason they will clean a tank out of feather dusters.

G~

Casey · 10-06-2006, 08:58 PM

Try to get some live black worms if you can they love them and make em nice and fat and healthy good luck with him.

Tasher80 · 10-06-2006, 09:06 PM

He likes Mysis shrimp. I just fed him a bunch of frozen mysis shrimp and he ate like a pig. Thats one of the reasons I bought him. He eats prepared food. I just wasn't sure if all I fed was mysis if it was good enough. I didn't want him to be eating but not getting enough. Kind of like if you feed brine shrimp. Nothing in it. Thanks for the help. When he gets settled in a little I'll take some pictures. Hes really nice looking. How do I tell if its a boy or a girl???

Geoff · 10-06-2006, 09:44 PM

mysis are better than brine as a food. it is a good idea to try other things every now and then to get it a varied diet, but hopefully there will be enough things in the tank for it to nibble on to finish off its nutrient content.

great job finding a CCB that eats prepared foods!!

G~

whatevva · 10-07-2006, 04:40 AM

Quote:

they also like small worms, hence the reason they will clean a tank out of feather dusters.

Thanx for the head's up, Geoff! I've always wanted one of these, but it sounds like it would WIPE OUT a Christmas tree rock!

Loverotties · 10-07-2006, 06:19 AM

Don''t feed them copper tone or copper pennys!

DebsSisterFlo · 10-07-2006, 10:14 AM

oh congrats! They are one of my favorite fish... here's a pic of a copperband in my friend Mike's tank. I wish I oculd have one... can't wait to see pics of yours!

Tasher80 · 10-13-2006, 02:12 PM

I finally got a good picture of my copper banded. I wish the glare wasn't there but hey I take what I can get some times. All those white things are mysis. I had just fed him he was gobbling them all up.