A very bad ROOKIE mistake

[a1hilde]

I have been doing well over the past year with my tank. I am learning a lot along the way however, recently I made a very bad mistake and need help with a decision to make. I made an impulse buy a few days ago...............

I had a hawk fish that jumped when I recently added more live rock. Instead of buying another one I was duped into an impulse buy by the LFS. I went against my knowledge about researching and ended up buying a Hawaiian cleaner wrasse. Dumb. I know. After getting him home and seeing he wasn't eating I then did the research and now realize he will die.

My question is, should I return him to the store and get something else? On one hand he will die anyways at the LFS and I figure he might have a better short term life in my tank? On the other hand I could exchange him for a copper band and use him to take care of my Colony and Aiptasia anemones. I want to do the right thing but I think either way this poor fish is going to wind up dead. I am leaning towards exchanging him for a copper band. Thoughts? :headwalls:

 

[skinpuppi]

You can try to get it to eat cyclopese. You of my friends has had his for 6 yrs by feeding it that.

 

[a1hilde]

Wafer, frozen, or does it matter?

 

[Daleo]

I've had best success with frozen. They dry form is messy and doesn't sink IME

 

[a1hilde]

I guess it cant hurt to give it a shot

 

[njudson]

Make sure you read up on the Copperband before you do any trade. Likely to trade a non eat for a non eater if you aren't careful.

 

[RobE]

I have a friend who has the fattest cleaner wrasse I've ever seen. He feeds mysis and nls pellets and it eats everything, it even pulls pieces of nori off and eats that. I would defiantly say keep it and try I'm sure it's better with you than the store.

 

[skinpuppi]

frozen

 

[jjk_reef00]

If you are keeping wrasses you should have a cover for your tank because they will eventually jump. If that one doesn't make it there are a number of beautiful hardy reef safe wrasses.

 

[a1hilde]

I have a custom egg crate cover i am hoping that works and i picked up some frozen pe mysis and cyclopese today as well. We shall see how it goes.

 

[Toddrtrex]

One thing you should keep an eye on --- they have a tendency to annoy the heck out of the fish in the tank, trying to endlessly clean them.

It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen.

 

[inigomontoya]

I have seen them and nearly bought but researched and passed. That said, they are a very cool looking fish and since you have it sounds like some have had success. If it works that is a pretty fish.

 

[a1hilde]

I can't tell if he is eating but I have watched him day and night to watch his behavior and noticed the following:

-as noted above I can't really tell if he is eating. (Feeding mysis and cyclopese)
-I have witnessed him cleaning the Yellow Tang briefly a couple of times however.
-During the day he seems to be forced to one side of my tank by his co-inhabitants
-He goes around my power head in circles seemingly all day long. round and round and round.
- At night he hides in my live rock
~It's weird how he goes around that power head though. He is relentless and does it pretty fast. I wonder how he doesn't get tired. That can't be good anyways.

 

[a1hilde]

oops