copperbands may be the best reef butterfly but by far are not the best
butterfly. I had one for a while before it died. They are so easy to kill,
even from GBR and Fiji. Do you have clams? They cannot be trusted w/
clams, Daniel Knop has a good article on how his copperband ate like 5
clams. They are IMO one of the worst aquarium fish in terms of hardiness, I
would not reccomend one to anyone, however, if you want to get one, there is
only one place I would consider. Inland Aquatics, these guys are
professionals, they quarantine their butterflies for 6 weeks, get them
trained on aptasia, and offer them at a reasonable price(59.99). Sorry to
sound like an add but I have spent alot of money at Inland, and never been
disapointed.
IME
Andrew
----- Original Message -----
From: "Shane Clays" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 11:15 AM
Subject: RE: Butterfly fish
> Butterfly fish have a poor survival rate in aquariums. The general
consensus
> is that they have pretty specific diets, and no one is sure what each
> species eats specifically. So, the problem is getting the food they need
to
> eat to survive long term. It is confusing, because the fish eat, but still
> die. They seem to starve to death, even when they are eating. It is
because
> they are not eating the right foods.
>
> That being said, the copperbands seem to be the best choice of butterfly
> fish for the aquarium. From what I have read, they are the easiest to
> acclimate, and if offered a varied diet, seem to have a decent survival
> rate. They ARE tough to acclimate to a new tank, and often get so
stressed,
> secondary infections set in, but once acclimated they will do okay. The
key
> is to feed them a highley varied diet and use a quality vitamin such as
> selcon.
>
> One thing to consider, is that copperbands love aptasia anemones. Now,
this
> goes against the grain of almost every aquarist on this list, including
> myself, but those with copperbands might be doing them good by introducing
> rocks with aptasia anemones on them every couple of weeks. That is a food
> source which closely mimics what they are thought to eat in nature, and
may
> help them stay healthy and happy for a long long time.
>
> FWIW
>
> Shane C.
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> > Sent: Monday, October 29, 2001 4:38 AM
> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > Subject: Re: Butterfly fish
> >
> > I have a copperband in one of my 120 gal reef tanks that has been there
> > for
> > about 4 months. He is doing well. I have always heard that they will eat
> > corals, but so far, he has not bothered mine.
> >
> > GR
> > Coral Reef Express
> > ________________________________________
> >
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