My copperbanded butterfly eats EVERYTHING!!!

[whatcaneyedo]

I've had the wretched little beastie for 2.5 years now. Right off the bat it would eat fan worms and spaghetti worms. After about a month it started on aptasia followed by frozen mysis shrimp and raw grocery store clams/mussels. After that it was all down hill. It begun eating the mouths of of my acanthastrea, trachyphyllia and lobophyllia which all had to be moved. With them gone it went after the pseudopterogorgia polyps which I moved... then it ate and killed my orange plate coral before I had a chance to stop it. At some point it even begun eating bristle worms which is fine with me. But just today I watched it take a big nip out of the mantle of my derasa! Upon closer inspection I see its been going after the derasa for some time now as there are missing bits all around the mantle. So my remaining clams are now in the frag system with all of the other coral that I had to separate.

I've been feeding the butterfly PE mysis once every day. There are only three fish that eat it in my tank and I feed a cube about the size of a regular gaming dice each time. I add a bit at a time so that nearly all of the food is consumed and not lost to the sump. Apparently this is not enough and so I'm going to begin feeding at least twice a day now in hopes that the CBB will leave whats left alone...

[zum14]

Hopefully the upped feeding will tone him down a bit. Something about a fish, especially a really nice sought after fish like the copperband butterfly, controlling a nuisance pest and have no ill effects has always sounded too good to be true to me. You must be doing something right though as the stories behind these are usually of hunger and not eating. Yours is pigging out on everything, just so happends that some of it he shouldnt be eating. Ive ordered a matted filefish for my tank for the pest control but have fears of having the same problems as your experiencing currently. Any thoughts towards this causing any of your other clam declines of recent?

[daniella3d]

Have you tried some live food? Mine was very skinny and I got him fat again with live white worms. Either live white woms or live blackworms would probably take his mind off of your coral.

Mine gobble up live white worms as if it was popcorn. I had to feed it 7 to 10 times per day to bring it back to health but it was worth it. Now I feed it 3 to 5 times per day with PE mysis and white worms.

Mine does not want to toutch aiptasia at all and it does not toutch coral.

I do not really want to start feeding it live clam or mussle because I have a crocea and I am afraid that one day he'll realize that a crocea is something eatible.



I've had the wretched little beastie for 2.5 years now. Right off the bat it would eat fan worms and spaghetti worms. After about a month it started on aptasia followed by frozen mysis shrimp and raw grocery store clams/mussels. After that it was all down hill. It begun eating the mouths of of my acanthastrea, trachyphyllia and lobophyllia which all had to be moved. With them gone it went after the pseudopterogorgia polyps which I moved... then it ate and killed my orange plate coral before I had a chance to stop it. At some point it even begun eating bristle worms which is fine with me. But just today I watched it take a big nip out of the mantle of my derasa! Upon closer inspection I see its been going after the derasa for some time now as there are missing bits all around the mantle. So my remaining clams are now in the frag system with all of the other coral that I had to separate.

I've been feeding the butterfly PE mysis once every day. There are only three fish that eat it in my tank and I feed a cube about the size of a regular gaming dice each time. I add a bit at a time so that nearly all of the food is consumed and not lost to the sump. Apparently this is not enough and so I'm going to begin feeding at least twice a day now in hopes that the CBB will leave whats left alone...

[whatcaneyedo]

Its possible the butterfly was picking on the other clams but I think I would have noticed. I watch the tank pretty closely especially if things aren't doing well. At this point I'm not ruling anything out and I've changed a few of my practices to see if the deaths stop.

I don't recall ever hearing of a butterfly ceasing to eat coral/clams after it has started. Have you? How long have you had yours again? Mine didn't begin to eat aptasia until month 2 and left all of my coral alone for basically the first year.

[daniella3d]

Mine is still young and I only have it for a month. I surely hope he'll start picking at aiptasia but when I tried to give him one he just chewed on it quickly and then spit it out twice.

Unless his taste changes, he's not liking the taste of the aiptasia.

I do have a clam and lots of coral, so hopefully he'll not eat them later on. I was told to starve the fish in order to get it to eat aiptasia, but with so much feeding, he's not interested. Maybe that's the key?

What I am wondering is if yours has started to eat coral and clam because it's too hungry? After all it did not start to eat aiptasia until you had it for 2 months, then maybe the feather worms and other pods were exhausted and that's why he started on the aiptasias. Then when the aiptasias were gone he started on something else because he's hungry. could be?

That would explain the shift in diet..he's hungry? In any case, trying to feed it more and some live worms is surely worth a try. :)



Its possible the butterfly was picking on the other clams but I think I would have noticed. I watch the tank pretty closely especially if things aren't doing well. At this point I'm not ruling anything out and I've changed a few of my practices to see if the deaths stop.

I don't recall ever hearing of a butterfly ceasing to eat coral/clams after it has started. Have you? How long have you had yours again? Mine didn't begin to eat aptasia until month 2 and left all of my coral alone for basically the first year.

[whatcaneyedo]

I've already decided to feed more often because I don't believe that once a day has been enough. I mentioned that in my first post. The freezer is well stocked with PE mysis, manila clams and mussels so I'll just stick with those. Ordering and maintaining live food is more work and expense that I don't need right now.

[The Grizz]

WOW you guys are luck in the fact that your CBB are still alive and well. I have tried 2 with zero success but would like to have one to munch on my aptasia.

[daniella3d]

ok but white worms are easy and very cheap to culture. A bit of earth and a slice of bread soaked in milk here and there. I change a bit of earth in my cultures once every 4 to 6 months. Nothing else really...no trouble.

It's your choice but just so that you know, it's not that expensive and not much work. Blackworms I agree can be expensive and lots of trouble to maintain but not white worms. I am just wondering if life food would make a difference for you in this case. Worth a consideration if everything else fail.

The Grizz, I have mine only for a month so I am still on the verdict if it will survive long term or not. He's eating well and have regained all his fat pads but until I have it for 6 months, I cannot be sure he's not affected by cyanide and will not have problem because of this. In my case livefood saved the fish because all he was eating was 3 to 4 PE mysis per day and would not eat any other food except feather worms in the aquarium (quickly gone). It was very skinny and it was not going to survive much longer. Have I not had given it live white worms I do not beleive it would still be alive. Live food saved it.


I've already decided to feed more often because I don't believe that once a day has been enough. I mentioned that in my first post. The freezer is well stocked with PE mysis, manila clams and mussels so I'll just stick with those. Ordering and maintaining live food is more work and expense that I don't need right now.