Exquisite wrasse help please

[sponger0]

Looking for some thoughts. I recently purchased an exquisite wrasse. I quarantine all my fish and usually sucessfully have come out to become disease free.

Well I got the exquisite and got him home. The first sign was at the store. Extremely skiddish. Well over the next few days he didnt look right. Didnt sim like Im use to. Ive owned several wrasses. He didnt swim much. I chalked it up as aclcimation and shipping stress.

Well he died a week later. No sign of disease. But the swimming pattern or lack there of was a sign something else was wrong. My LFS owner, which knows alot and also I use to work for so its not "one of those" shops.

He was nice enough to replace it but said I should have had some sand. So I got the replacement home. Put a tupperware of a sand in the QT.

This one already looks better than the first. Swimming more. Eating well.

Im just afraid the same thing is going to happen. The first showen no signs of disease at all or I would have taken it as a loss.

Are these fish difficult to QT? And yes I have the top covered lol

 

[3FordFamily]

I have had several fairy wrasses over the years and I have strange observations. They're commonly referred to as "hardy". I would buy one at a time. They would hide a lot and then lay on the sand sometimes and then die without any obvious reasons.

On occasion, they will hide and slowly come out more. Occasionally they come out of this "phase" just fine after a week or so.

Here's the interesting part. My first fairy wrasse in my wrasse tank was also added alone. He went through what yours described only he didn't die. (A mccoskers flasher) After a week he was healthy as a horse. I then added a lubbocks wrasse. Very secretive and hid most of the time. Moderate lethargy phase. I then bought a solar wrasse and exquisite fairy wrasse as well. Both hid a bit for a week but were never lethargic and ate their first couple days in the tank (came out for food). Now they all school together.

I have noticed in other tanks that more than one fairy wrasse seems to work better. This is completely anecdotal I have no scientific hypothesis as to why this might be or any proof. I have guessed perhaps they are used to being in groups or they are competitive for food with one another, or perhaps similar wrasses boldly swimming around reduce their stress levels and initial fear of the new surroundings.

Anyway, in my experience perhaps 50% become hardy as a horse and the other 50% swim funny and die or lay on the ground lethargic in both cases, and die. I can keep difficult fish like achilles tang, red coris wrasse, and potters angel so that would imply that my husbandry isn't the issue! Lol

 

[R1ant04]

I'm curious as to why u were told u needed sand? Exquisite wrasse doesn't sleep/bury themselves in it....

 

[sponger0]

I didnt think the exquisite did either. But as a precaution, I did anyway. He hasnt taken to the sand at all

 

[R1ant04]

I didnt think the exquisite did either. But as a precaution, I did anyway. He hasnt taken to the sand at all

Lol, and he never will.

 

[eatbreakfast]

This situation is much more common in males and even more common in terminal males. The shipping process seems to be much harder on them and is difficult to tell that it will occur as it may take a couple of days to show signs. Younger fish generally do better.

 

[sponger0]

This situation is much more common in males and even more common in terminal males. The shipping process seems to be much harder on them and is difficult to tell that it will occur as it may take a couple of days to show signs. Younger fish generally do better.

Well this one is definately a terminal male.

So what should I be looking for? Mostly if the wrasse starts swimming and stops hiding I figure ill be ok and the fish is getting stable

 

[3FordFamily]

Keep good water params and I would actually avoid stressful noises, fast movements near tank, and even water changes until he's eating well and swimming about more confidently.

 

[sponger0]

Well he is eating good and was yesterday. Swimming quite a bit from what I could see today

 

[maikoa02]

You should be in the clear with the wrasse. I don't think they collect exquisites from deep water so you shouldnt have to worry about swim bladder issues like some other wrasse ie:rhomboids. Your first exquisite that died, did you check for flukes? Did you do a prazi bath? This is very common when it comes to fairy and flasher wrasses.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Agreed, it sounds as though you are past the danger zone, and agree with treating for flukes as well.

 

[sponger0]

Ive never treated for flukes. I guess I will this time

 

[gone fishin]

I have not had any issues with my Wrasses in QT. I always buy them as juveniles though. I enjoy watching the changes as they grow.. FWIW I have a Hoevens, Solon fairy, McCoskers, Exquisite, Pink margin

 

[sponger0]

I have not had any issues with my Wrasses in QT. I always buy them as juveniles though. I enjoy watching the changes as they grow.. FWIW I have a Hoevens, Solon fairy, McCoskers, Exquisite, Pink margin

This is the first time Ive had an issue and have put quite a few in QT.

As I mentioned before, the first exquisite IMO was damaged/hurt during collection/shipping.

 

[BleuFish]

I added an Exquisite Wrasse this morning to my QT along with two flashers. Hopefully he pulls through, hate how they lay down the first day or two.

 

[Tmarine]

Hi I have brought an exquisite wrasse and he's in my qt he hides most the time but when I peek he does come out and swim around when no one is in the room he is eating but doesn't seem to be mad for it near the night time he gets chalky patches on him and seems to be breathing quite heavy salinity 0.24 ph 8.2 nitrates slight trace not deadly but have a mini spike any reason for me to worry ?
Tony

 

[bat21]

How long has he been in there? Is your QT cycled? Check your ammonia levels.

I got an exquisite 9 days ago and his behavior in my QT has been exactly the same as you described, but I have not noticed heavy breathing. Just make sure you don't have any ammonia and that the water is being oxygenated well.

 

[Deinonych]

I have an Exquisite in QT right. Received it from LiveAquaria on 6/23. So far, it has exhibited the same behavior as indicated above - stays tucked behind a PVC elbow in stress coloration. He has eaten a little bit of mysis each day, but not with gusto. I haven't seen him actively swimming in the open so far. I'd say he's probably breathing a little more heavily than normal, but it doesn't appear to be labored.

This is my first Fairy wrasse. My others are Flashers, and they were much more active from the get go. Hoping this guy snaps out of it soon, as he's pretty boring so far. Beautiful fish otherwise - I have the Fijian variant.

 

[Tmarine]

Hi I had small levels of nitrates due to only a small qt setup I have moved him into my 150 gallon DT and he is thriving guess they don't cope well with nitrates other fish in qt seem to be fine it has now dropped guess it's helped removing a fish to produce less waste he hid for 2 days now he is everywhere eating like a pig all the best hope your little guys make it

 

[Deinonych]

Nitrates are not a concern for marine fish, unless they are exceptionally high (i.e. hundreds of ppm). Everything I have read about Cirrhilabrus spp. is that they can hide anywhere from a day to a week or more.