copper band

I have an aptasia problem and was wondering if a copper banded butterfly would be a good solution.  I've always liked the look of the fish and was thinking of trying one.  I did try getting some peppermint shrimp but they vanished for an unknown reason. 

Thanks now I just have to get my wife to like them as much as I.  I have had a powder blue tang for about 3 or four months now and I heard they are hard to keep as well so maybe I will have the same luck with a copperband

is the kleins reef safe??? if i remember correctly it isnt.... i could be wrong though...

 

i have a ghetto tank and my copperband lived just fine in my tank.... i think it all depends on the fish and if you get an active happy one...

I disagree with Mark, I say go copperband.

Adam

wsinbad1 wrote: Jeffras aquired a Kliens Butterfly to try to use for Majano control.  It did very little if any Majano control , but nipped at his softies and LPS.  It is now in my FOWLR tank.  He could use a friend if anyone else ends up with a coral eating Kliens.

Seriously though,
It wasn't funny!!

But it is true,
I had will's kleins for a short while. He ate everything he wasn't supposed to and nothing that he was supposed to. Be warned that any butterfly (including the copperband) can and will (Murphy's law) pick at corals and other desirables. I researched this off and on for about 2-3 months and this is what I found for aiptasia.

Butterfly's (recommended for fish only tanks)
    1. Racoon/kleins -- will be much more affective at eating aiptasia but there are no guarentees. Will eat coral polyps, Very hardy fish. Hard to catch. Will survive overnight in a sump while waiting for a new home.
    2. Copperband -- not likely to eat other corals but also not guarenteed to eat aiptasia unless starved and will not likely survive when starved (this is from my own past experience with the copperband, who was well fed with frozen food, wouldn't touch aiptasia, and still died after 4 months only after eating all my feather dusters)

Berghia Nudibanch (PM me for more information)
    1. Very hardy, exclusively feed on aiptasia, and will reproduce in captivity. They are expensive but after breeding may pay for themselves. They only feed on aiptasia and will die when the aiptasia is gone. This would be a good choice if you had a chain of people you could pass the berghia to once your tank was clean. If not then this is not a very humane route and not recommended.

Peppermint Shrimp (Absolute #1 solution)
    1. Very hardy, will eat small aiptasia, will eat frozen food, bred in captivity, pleasing to the eye but not usually seen unless at night, contributes to cleanup crew. depending on tank size you may need to buy many.

So find out where your peps went, pull them out of your overflow/sump, and buy some more. They really are a great solution. I only see aiptasia in my sump and not my tank and it is because of these guys. Just inject the largest aiptasia with a thick kalk mixture or calcium chloride (pickle crisp) mixture if you are on the lower end of your calcium measurements. They will melt away and your peps will take care of the small ones.

Jeff


Edited by jeffras