Copperband butterfly

[gingin12]

well my copperband wont eat he is swimming at the top and is like bitting at the surface not to sure exactly
anyone have any ideas or that can help let me know
really would like to see this guy make it
or give me a call 817 676 6947

 

[bimmerzs]

@gingin12 wrote:

These are tough to get eating but it sounds like it may be having issues breathing. I am assuming your tank is fully cycled but have you checked for ammonia/nitrites. How did you acclimate it to your tank???

Cheers,

 

[gingin12]

i drip acclimate all my fish that i buy and my water checks out fine
from what i saw on the breathing issue i may loose this guy if its what happen to another guys due to lack of funds of buying the chemicals for treatment

 

[bimmerzs]

@gingin12 wrote:

Did you check for ammonia today??
@gingin12 also wrote:

What does this mean, could you clarify that statement????
Cheers,

 

[bimmerzs]

Copperband's are kinda fragile starting out. You really need to make sure they are perfect and eating in the store before bringing them home and then that is still no guarantee that they will eat once in your tank. You may have to try again if this one doesn't make it.

Cheers,

 

[gingin12]

i mean my ammonia was at 0 and nitrate and nitrite barely on the charts

 

[gingin12]

he didnt make it
so im done buying from this LFS second in a week to duy from them

 

[Rick]

@gingin12 wrote:

Are you saying you have a nitrite reading? If so, your tank is not done cycling. Your nitrites should always be zero. It is okay to have a small amount of nitrates, but ammonia and nitrites are bad. How old is this tank setup?

 

[bimmerzs]

@gingin12 wrote:

Well...there should be no ammonia nor nitrites in a fully cycled tank. If nitrites are present it's only because it was just converted from ammonia. It sounds like you either didn't let the tank fully cycle, your nitrifying bacteria was compromised somehow or very inadequate liverock...either way a cycle kicked off and your fish most likely died from ammonia or nitrite poisoning. This is not the lfs's fault so please don't blame it on them. http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/disease/p/nitritepoison.htm

Cheers,

 

[gingin12]

im pretty sure since i even took water to a lfs to get it tested right before they closed and they said im golden
and on top of that i am over filtering my tank since i have 3 filters on it

 

[bimmerzs]

@gingin12 wrote:

If you have nitrites, that speaks to the quality of your water right there. How much live rock do you have in the tank.....and 3 hob filters is not overfiltering your tank by any stretch of the imagination as proven by your nitrites.... which were converted from <u>ammonia</u>. Reef tanks thrive on nitrifying bacteria to complete the nitrogen cycle....not to be harsh but it sounds like you really should do a lot more research before buying more livestock and subjecting them to a slow suffocating death.

Cheers,

 

[Tj51]

I guess the question is, how long was the tank even up and running? Did you research the copperbanded butterfly? It is great for aiptasia but every publication I read talks about the difficulty in keeping these. As Ron and others said, it is a very fragile fish. I do have a problem with a LFS just testing water and giving the go ahead with a copperbanded without knowing how long a tank is up and running and the tank set-up. I wouldn't say don't buy from a LFS but do it wisely. If the fish had just come it, you already have a strike against you as it is in shock. Buy from a store you trust and do research on the fish you buy. Read about how easy/difficult they are to maintain, make sure your tank meets all their needs and learn the salespeople at the LFS and ask questions such as how long have they had it, is it eating ok, etc.

Sorry to hear about your loss