Sigh...I have seen this look before

[Myka]

thanks for posting up this info. Ever since the first time I read a sw book and saw a Copperband that has been my ultimate sw keeping goal - to keep a Copperband. Sounds like my goal might be a difficult one. I can't believe so many are lost. This is why many people put Copperbands on the "should not be imported" list, and tell people not to buy them so that collection and import is discouraged.

[Floop70]

I lost one 3 or 4 weeks ago as well. Probably had him for 4ish months. He was eating and doing well then one day I got home from work and found him stuck to the powerhead. He was dead before bed.

A friend of mine has had his for 3 or 4 years though... must have got lucky.

[Delphinus]

geeeez, that's so sad. I hope he pulls through, for what it's worth. But sure sounds like you may be onto something.

[Whatigot]

I hate copperbands.
Had one, did EVERYTHING for it and it still died within 2 months.
I was so crushed and upset when I saw him doing the death swim

I have the same luck with yellow headed jawfish.

I hate to kill anything, and both of these fish have made me feel like they are well beyond my abilities, and that hurts almost more than the death itself.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Whatigot

I have the same luck with yellow headed jawfish.

That's interesting...I've had the same problem. I've lost two. One was DOA, and the other didn't last 12 hours.

[fiorano]

Originally Posted by GreenSpottedPuffer

How long have you had him?

i've had him for around a year give or take a few months

[naesco]

I too have tried them without success and will not try them again.
I think that the problem with them is collecting shipping and feeding.

Cyanide is used to catch fish that are hiding in the coral. For example all cryptic wrasse like 6 lines and leopards are cyanide caught because they are so difficult to get out of the coral rock. It is best to avoid them because we know they are cyanide caught.

Mandarins are the same except that some fishers are using a stick with a prong on it to catch them successfully.

[naesco]

This is an excellent thread because the posters are being candid about their experience. Many have tried several times.

Too often, like the recent posting on wrasse, the only reefers who comment on the post are the rare reefers that have success (for example with leopard wrasse.
I have not been successful and have tried a couple of times and the authors warn that these fish are difficult to keep alive.

We should try to post our own bad experience with very difficult fish as newbies are left with the wrong impression.

[untamed]

My record with fish (in general) over the past 15+ years has actually been pretty good. However, I failed in my one attempt to keep a Copperband. Mine refused to eat anything except mysis and just starved to death in about two weeks. This is not a fish I would recommend to anyone.

[my2rotties]

Since I am a newbie at the hobby, I had no idea that cyanide caught fish die months down the road. I know cyanide kills many that are cuaght as well as other marine life, but knowing this is depressing. When our new fish are settled into their new lives, they just die.

It is sad on a couple of levels... These poor fish survive being caught and shipped, have to adjust to prepared foods, a store and then its new home. The little guy is finally doing well and they die because of how they are caught.

Then there is the hobbist whom buys these fish, watches them with pride everyday, only to lose the poor thing... Money is an issue, but I HATE losing fish since they are my pets. The first few weeks are always tense but then I never really worry beyond that. I just finished adding all my livestock, only one is questionable in surviving since she won't eat, but everyone else is loving life. The Naso that I am worried about could have been exchanged for another fish, but I can't do that to her... Bringing her back would certainly kill her at this point. Now if I get through this with her, I can't feel safe for a very long time. At least I know about this now, since a fish up and dying is a personal failure to me.

I can see fish catchers (don't know what they are called) using cyanide in their best interest in knowing they will die down the road. This keeps money in their wallets, since the supply and demand will always be there. I would most certainly pay twice as much for a fish, naturally caught any day. However I would be pretty ticked off if the fish died six months down the road anyways for no real reason.

Thanks to greenspottedpuffer for posting about this, since I had no idea...