Copperband butterfly in reef

[y2says]

I've done some digging and I've seen some tanks with copperband butterflyfish. I know as a general rule is that butterflies are not reef safe, but is it one of those cases where it's a case by case basis on what is or isn't.

 

[bentrue]

they will eat aptasia, that is a plus. i think it is a case by case thing. my LFS (very good LFS) has one in a display tank and it harms nothing.
for the most part they should leave SPS and soft corals alone, but will nip more at LPS. that is from a book, not my personal experience.

 

[y2says]

Again, I'm still trying to look for a yellow fish, so that wouldn't be too bad even though it's not quite yellow.

 

[y2says]

I don't want an angel for the fact that they may nip on corals. Also, I have a sailfin and blue tang right now and I don't want another one. I was thinking about the yellow coris wrasse.

 

[razi burney]

Copperband are on the safer side but very difficult to keep in captivity. There bright coloration is difficult to maintain. Can have one for months and all of a sudden he will be dead. Not a fish that can handle stress and water quality fluctuations but this goes for most of the butterflies.
I would rather prefer Long Nose instead of a copperband. Looks good, has all the qualities of a copperband, yellow in color and is more likely to feed a variety of food. Must feed daily in small amounts if tank is less than 1 yr old. Might not find enough on rock . ..

 

[iloveflameangel]

I had a copperband in my reef with some corals but the only thing it went after was my christmas tree rock...it seemed to like the worm-type stuff in my aquarium. Then again, not all fish of the same type act the same. Might be worth a try, I loved mine...but I have heard bad things about how long they will last in captivity.

 

[nasotang00]

The long nose yellow is a good choice. My lfs has had one in their display 150 for over a year with nothing bad coming from it. Similar to the copperband in shape and attitude but not the aptasia consumer, unfortunately.

 

[razi burney]

Worms and feather dusters will be eaten up by the copperband. I am not sure about long nose but it may do so as well. I have heard both being kept more than 2 yrs in captivity by advanced hobbist. Advanced means advanced as they are delicate.