Matted Filefish or Copperband Butterfly?

[mike]

ive never owned a filefish, but i purchased a copperband about 6 weeks ago. for the first 2 weeks i didnt notice the decrease in aiptasia. after that they were disappearing nightly. i now have none. i borrow rocks with aiptasia from my lfs, copper cleans them in a day or 2.

[Murph]

just to chime in ive had alot of luck with peppermint shrimps against aptasia cheap and effective and a good addidtion to any tank reef safe i think i paid like 15 buks.

[asylumdown]

I think the secret with CBB is to make sure they're getting enough food. They're such slow and considered eaters, that by the time they decide to suck up that piece of mysis, half the time it's either blown away or someone else has grabbed it. Over time they'll figure out how to compete (most fish usually do), but I think most starve to death before they really adapt. I think people would have much better overall success with them if they provided newly arrived CBB with a steady supply of clams on the half shell. I've never seen a CBB that didn't go ape $#%& for clams, newly arrived or not, and if you drop one in while it's still on the shell, it has all the time in the world to pick at it. That's how I acclimated my CBB to prepared foods. It quickly became my favourite fish, even though mine didn't seem to even see the aiptasia I bought him to eat.

Moral of the story, using an animal that isn't an obligate feeder of something to control that something is always hit and miss. Even animals that are supposed to love the thing you're trying to get rid of might not have gotten that particular memo.

I would also say that if you've tried peppermint shrimp to eliminate aiptasia (I did once, and it didn't work at all for me), don't bother with Berghia unless you can get all the shrimp out of the tank. Peppermint's like Berghia a heck of a lot more than they like aiptasia. As do several wrasses, and possibly CBBs. That was a very expensive lesson to learn.

[Murph]

Ha ha yes those Cbbs can be a little finicky usually i would drop in a couple of unopened clams once and a while it was hilarious watching it wait for them to open lol like crack for Cbbs but mine also eats mysis like a boss as far as aptasia
Guess I was lucky with my peppermint actually I noticed my female sebae clown takin some nips at it all I know is if I buy something with aptasia it's usually gone the next day and yes lol this hobby is filled with many expensive lessons
Ahh the joy happy reefing.

[ponokareefer]

Still no sign of any aiptasia being eaten. I'm coming to Edmonton again on Thursday, so will lookout for a copperband again.

[dnalamb]

How long have you had the filefish in there? Mine took abut 3 weeks then all of a sudden I went from thousands to next to none in a week. I almost got a CBB to but now no need. It even eats the 1 inch plus size ones. Don't give up on him just give him time.

[Murph]

Still Havin probs hey give a peppermint a try jus sayin there like 15 buks there worth a try I have bought alot of coral latley with aptasia on it and now none I seem my peppermint about three am basically pinching away where it was I have zero apatasia other tankmates are fairy wrasse,sunrise dottyback,orchid dotty pair of sebae clowns which I have seen attack it as well regal,yellow tang cleaner shrimp/peppermint lots of turbos and hermits if it does not get better you may have to attack it with a syringe and pure lemon juice inject right into the mouth it's a safe way as well but when you have an outbreak of aptasia I think a crew of supposedly known eaters at least one should work lol happy reefing.