# ReefBuilders Article Keeping butterflyfish in Reefs....



## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

I found this article while having my morning cup of coffee. I love Butterflies but have mostly kept away from them since I heard dreaded stories of them eating corals. I even heard lots of broadsweeping misinformation about my favorite Butterfly the Copperband.

Anyway have a read, it hopefully will help us make informed choices when it comes to these fish.

Keeping butterflyfish in reefs: What to look out for and what to avoid

http://reefbuilders.com/2013/10/29/keeping-butterflyfish-reefs-avoid/


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## kamal (Apr 21, 2009)

Thanks for the link, good read and a group of fish I always loved too


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## sooley19 (Jan 7, 2009)

well that answers my question and concerns for getting one because i love them and i have wanted one for a while and this definatley makes my decision so much easier.. amazing read up on the buttefly fish


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*thanks*

have always liked these but have always shyed away from them , would be interesting to try with caution of course .....
thanks again fury for the read .


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

I've had great success with Copperbands and they have been model denizens of my reef aquarium.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*question ???*

hey .... how do your butterflies get along with your other fish , just curious will do some further research ... thanks again


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

tom g said:


> hey .... how do your butterflies get along with your other fish , just curious will do some further research ... thanks again


I have had only one at a time in the DT but both got along well with the other fish no problem. These fish are very lively in the tank, by far my favourite fish so far.

The two biggest challenges you will face is 1) obtaining a healthy specimen due to the way they are captured. 2) getting them to eat as they will refuse flakes and most likely even frozen foods.

I have had 100% success feeding live black worms as their primary/sole source of food without any issues to their long term health. If you search on RC, you can find posts that discuss black worms with respect to the CBBs. My latest CBB eats PE Mysis, so I only feed him LBW once every couple of weeks or so. I have also observed my CBB decimate feather dusters, pods and Aiptasia. They apparently love clams as well so be warned.

HTH


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## Bayinaung (Feb 24, 2012)

That's awesome article man. I like butterflies. Now I know I can get one of those butterflies I like in my DT. 

Hey dude, educate us - how do you culture black worms? makes me squirm, but I'm all ears


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## fury165 (Aug 21, 2010)

Forget culturing, go to Dragon Aquarium in Mississauga or aquapets in Scarborough and get two large portions of the worms. (They run like 6-8 dollars for two portions) Get a air pump, tubing , air stones and two plastic food containers with lids.

Put about 2 inches of RO water in each container and split your worms between the two containers. Drop the air stones in the containers and you are set to go. Check the water EVERY DAY when you first introduce your stock, the worms need air or else they will drown. If the water is turning brown, that is due to die off, empty the container, clean and refill with fresh RO water. Never add salt water! I never feed them, and after a while I only change the water every week or two. 
Key is to keep water level ~2in, aerate well, don't over crowd and change water as soon as it starts to turn brown. Doing it this way the worms last months, although they will loose mass in the process. 

HTH


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