Dead loepard wrasse

[rpc07]

I think my wrasse has passed away despite eating frozen blood worms soaked in garlic guard everyday and showing no signs of stress, injury or sickness. The question I have is since these fish are sand dwellers I'd assume he passed away under the sand where the clean up crew will most likely not get to him. If I can't find him in the sand is it a huge issue? The tank is around 55 gallons total volume.

I really hope this isn't the case but he wasn't looking so good yesterday morning ( half buried in the sand and and breathing heavy) and that was the last time I saw him, all the other fish are acting normal and are not showing any signs of stress.


Any help is appreciated.

 

[snorvich]

Never go into the sand after leopard wrasses. History of fish?

 

[Pericyte]

I have never had a leopard wrasse, however, assuming you have a decent size clean up crew (and your sand is not 10" deep), they will probably get to him. You may consider getting a few nassarius snails. They are great sand sifters and scavenge, just to keep your sand bed clean.

If you are still worried, do a big water change.

But! Definitely keep an eye out for him, and check your overflow box, I have had a couple fish jump into an overflow.

 

[rpc07]

Never go into the sand after leopard wrasses. History of fish?

I don't plan on digging for him I just let him do his thing. I have had the fish for around 5-6 weeks, the first 2 days he buried himself in the sand but after that he was always out swimming. Took him about a week to start eating with the rest of the pack but ever since then he has been a good eater. I would feed nls pellets, ocean nutrition algae flakes and frozen blood worms all he would eat are the blood worms but he ate them well.

I have never had a leopard wrasse, however, assuming you have a decent size clean up crew (and your sand is not 10" deep), they will probably get to him. You may consider getting a few nassarius snails. They are great sand sifters and scavenge, just to keep your sand bed clean.

If you are still worried, do a big water change.

But! Definitely keep an eye out for him, and check your overflow box, I have had a couple fish jump into an overflow.

My sand bed is around 3" on average and I do have a good mix of a clean up crew so hopefully if he doesn't make it they can get to the body but first and foremost I hope he makes it.

 

[block head]

I recently had a similar experience. Tiny Leopard was doing great at a local lfs that dabbles in salt water . He was there 6 months nd eating well. I took him home 2 rounds of prazi pro. 6 weeks of observation. great eater, zero signs of distress. Watched him eat, woke up next day. Dead. Fish looked fat and healthy. Fins and tail perfect. Was going to add him to display tank. He was doing so well I stalled. Poop happens. Have no clue what happened

 

[ca1ore]

Tiniest members of the CUC (aka bacteria) will make short work of any fish body.

 

[ca1ore]

Tiniest members of the CUC (aka bacteria) will make short work of any fish body.

 

[rpc07]

Sadly my loepard did not make it. Came home from work and he was half sticking out of the sand. I was able to remove him from the tank.