Animal-World > Marine Fish > Marine Butterflyfish > Copperband Butterflyfish

Copperband Butterflyfish

Beaked Coralfish ~ Beaked Butterflyfish Family: Chaetodontidae

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Chelmon rostratus Photo © Animal-World: Courtesy David Brough

   Getting a Copperband Butterflyfish is like choosing from a box of fine chocolates, each is a unique individual and though there are clues, ...you won't know exactly what you've got until you have it!

   The Copperband Butterflyfish, also known as the Beaked Coralfish is one of three species in the Chelmon genera, all of which are noted for having longer beaks. This pretty butterflyfish is commonly available and is reasonably priced. However it is delicate and the ease of keeping this species varies from one fish to another. Some will be easily adapted and maintained while others refuse foods and perish. The best success in keeping this species is in choosing a healthy well fleshed out individual, avoiding any that look emaciated. It is reported that those from Australia may do better than those from other areas, possibly reflecting methods of collection and transport, and they usually cost a bit more.

   The Copperband Butterflyfish can do well with a variety of other less aggressive species in a fish only community tank. It is aggressive towards others of its own kind and possibly towards other Chelmon species. It will usually be fine with other butterflyfish species but an occasional adult may become aggressive. Keeping this butterflyfish in a reef environment however, is a judgment call. Success will depend on what other types of reef inhabitants you are keeping, as well as your individual Copperband Butterflyfish's tendencies. They are not generally coral feeders, but may nip at the polyps of large polyp stony corals...and they enjoy polychaete worms.

For more Information on keeping marine fish see:
Guide to a Happy, Healthy Marine Aquarium

Dream Aquarium Build your own aquarium. The Coolest and Funnest Screensaver in the World.

Status:
   These fish are not listed on the IUCN Red List.

Description:
   The body of the adult Copperband Butterflyfish is silvery white overall with four vertical orange bands on the side, each with a blackish edge. The first passes through the eye and the last is obscured on the top and bottom. The dorsal and anal fins are white, edged in yellow with a bluish submarginal line. The body bands extend across the fins and there is a black ocellus in the upper portion of the last band that has a bluish white circle basally. The caudal fin is whitish fading to translucent, and there is a vertical black line on the peduncle with an orangish band just behind the black. The pelvic fins are orange with a vertical white bar centrally.
   Juveniles are very similar but the ocellus on the dorsal fin is larger, and the orange bars are more conspicuous with each edged by black.
   The Copperband Butterfly is very similar in appearance to its close relative the Margined Butterflyfish C. marginalis. As adults these two species can be differentiated by their color pattern, however as juveniles they are virtually identical. As the Margined Butterflyfish matures, the narrow mid body bar disappears and the ocellus becomes obscure. It is thought that these two species may hybridize in areas where they co-occur.

Length/Diameter of fish:
   Adults reach 7.8 inches (20 cm), but most specimens available are are less than 5 1/2 inches (14 cm).

Maintenance difficulty:
   Keeping the Copperband Butterflyfish varies between the individuals. Some will quickly accept fresh and frozen foods and be easy to maintain. Others will refuse to eat initially, but may be enticed to eat live foods offered in a way that simulates their natural feeding environment. Yet still, other individuals will refuse foods entirely and ultimately perish. Juveniles tend to accept various foods and so can often be more adaptable to aquarium life than adults.
   Many of the Chaetodon members are often very colorful and attractive to aquarists. Unfortunately some of them are rather difficult to keep for a long period. Some are exclusively coral eaters, and sometimes they suffer from “ich” (white spot disease) and other infectious diseases.They can be treated successfully with medical care or copper drugs, but some species hate sudden changes of water including PH, temperature, or any drug treatment.
   The Copperband Butterflyfish will often suffer from Lymphocystis. Many can be treated successfully with medical care or copper drugs, though severely infected specimens will not survive.
   In the wild a cleaner wrasse (Labroides sp.) will help them by taking parasites from their bodies, however these wrasses are extremely difficult to sustain in captivity. Alternative fish such as Neon Gobies (Gobiosoma spp.) can help them by providing this cleaning service in the home aquarium.

Diseases that Marine Butterflyfish are susceptible to:
Marine Ich(white spot disease), Marine Velvet, Uronema marinum, and Lymphocystis

Foods:
   Though the diet of the Copperband Butterflyfish is not currently documented, they are believed to feed heavily on tubeworms and small crustaceans. In captivity some will quickly accept fresh and frozen foods and be easy to maintain. Others will refuse to eat initially, but may be enticed to eat live foods offered in a way that simulates their natural feeding environment. Bloodworms pushed into rocks and corals, or live clams and black mussels with their shells cracked open have been reported as successful for these. Yet still others will refuse foods entirely and ultimately perish.
   Offer a variety of meaty foods, dried flakes, prepared frozen foods, and tablets. Vegetables like lettuce or Japanese Nori (Asakusa-nori) may also be favored. Offer various foods quite frequently at first. Feed it at least twice a day. If it is a tiny juvenile, food should be provided frequently in small quantities, three or four times everyday. Once it is successfully acclimated it can become a fairly hardy fish, but for how long is unknown.

Maintenance:
   It swims freely, spending a good deal of its time in the open water but also needs larger decorations that provide many places for retreat where it may hide or keep motionless. Frequent water changes are not necessary, rather normal water changes at 10% biweekly or 20% monthly are fine. Sudden massive water changes can cause trouble.
   For more information see, Marine Aquarium Basics: Maintenance

Aquarium Parameters:
   The tank needs larger furnishings like table corals, or lots of rock/ corals with many cracks and crevices where it can hide or keep motionless. This is especially necessary for juveniles, but is also important for adults.
Minimum Tank Length/Size:
   A minimum 70 gallon (265 liters) or larger.
Light: Recommended light levels
   It is best kept under the normal lighting conditions, but can also be kept under very bright light as long as some dimly lit spaces are provided.
Temperature:
   This species lives in tropical areas. Temperatures between 73 -81° F (23 - 27° C) will serve them well, but temperatures higher than 86° F (30° C) or below 69° F (21° C) would not be good.
Water Movement: Weak, Moderate, Strong
   Water movement is not a significant factor. It can tolerate a rather strong flow but slow-moving water will be more favorable.
Water Region: Top, Middle, Bottom
   It is quite active and will swim freely in the open water, but it also spends time hiding in cracks and crevices where it will lie motionless.

Social Behaviors:
   Keeping the Copperband Butterflyfish in a reef environment is a judgment call. Success will depend on the individual fish as well as what types of reef inhabitants you are keeping. In his excellent book, Angelfishes & Butterflyfishes: Reef Fishes Series, author Scott W. Michael says that many of the soft corals with the exception of some of the zeniids, clavularids, and zoanthids can be fine, and also many small polyped stony corals though it may nip on the large polyped stony corals. A pro to keeping it in a reef tank is that some individuals will munch on those pesky Aiptasia species, the glass anemones. A con to keeping it in a reef is that polychaete worms are a favorite (and natural) food, and it will most likely have a heyday with them. Many aquarists report that when kept well fed, their Copperband Butterflyfish doesn't bother any of their reef species.
   It can do well in a large fish only community tank that is well decorated with large furnishings such as table corals where it can rest and lie motionless. It is a not an overly aggressive fish, but it is territorial and will be aggressive towards other members of its own kind, and sometimes other butterflyfish in its same genus, Chelmon. Not-so-aggressive angelfish like members of Centropyge, Apolemichthys, Genicanthus, Chaetodontoplus and Pygoplites can be good tank mates. Smaller, non-aggressive fishes like cardinalfish, gobies, tilefish, sometimes other species butterflyfish, fairy basslets, fairy and flasher wrasses, etc. also are good candidates as tank mates.
   It may not do well with large or aggressive fish. Seeing it dart into hiding is a good indication that it is feeling threatened and the situation may need to be remedied with one of the fish being removed. The large and rather territorial angelfish, Pomacanthus and Holacanthus should be avoided as should most damselfish species. Small but very territorial fishes like dottybacks should also be avoided as well as such fish as basses or scorpionfish, even if they are small.

Sex: Sexual differences:
   No sexual difference is noted for this species. Butterflyfish species studied up to this time indicate that these fish are gonochoristic, meaning that each fish is either a male or a female and they do not change sex.

Breeding/Reproduction:
   This species has not been cultivated in captivity. Marine butterflyfish have not reportedly been spawned successfully in captivity. There are, however, reports of some success in rearing wild collected larvae of some of the corallivorous butterflyfish. It is hoped these captive reared fish will be adapted to accept aquarium foods, and thus broaden the species selections that can be sustained in captivity.
   For more information see, Marine Fish Breeding. 

Buy Copperband Butterflyfish From LiveAquaria.com

Availability:
   The Copperband Butterflyfish commonly available at retailers. Most are smaller than 5 1/2 inches (14 cm), but juveniles less than 1 1/2 inches (3 cm) are rare. Most are moderately priced fish that are mainly shipped from the Philippines and Indonesia, they start at about $20.00 USD. Specimens from Australia cost a bit more, starting at about $50.00 USD.

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Latest Comments
I have not had my butterfly fish long and it seems fine with all my other fish. Sometimes it chases my blue tang around but does not attack any of the fish. I think it might have white spot and there are lots of medicines to treat this, but they dont get it as much as tangs. Jamie 2007-08-12
yes yes, this butterfly fish is good. it eats everything, it isnt aggresive, it swims everywhere, and ive had it for 12 years. Liam 2007-01-22

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Author: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Additional Information: Clarice Brough, CFS