Identify my wrasse, please.

[Kawaii]

I just picked up this wrasse at my LFS for $26 and thought he was a steal. I can't say IMO that I've seen a prettier fish for under $100, especially one that would be good for our small 29g reef tank. Could anyone tell me exactly what type of wrasse he is?

 

[bertoni]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=304

That it?

 

[Kawaii]

Ohh thanks, that looks like it is it. My only concern is that it says "experts only"..uh oh. The guy at the store said that they're moderately easy to maintain, and that it would be easier than the Coral Beauty Angel that we have which is doing fine.

 

[usmcsgt]

dont you know not to listen to what the LFS tell you, they are out to make a buck.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Kawaii- here's more info on "Leopard Wrasses":
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-07/hcs3/index.php

 

[Paintbug]

if you can get it to eat prepared foods you should be ok. they seem to be kinda like a mandarin goby, by only eating pods, live shrimp. i would start by seeing if you can get it to eat frozen mysis shrimp. if not then i would take him back. a 29g probablly wont supply it with enough pods to eat. it is a very pretty fish!! i would do what i takes to get it to eat.

 

[Kawaii]

The guy told me that it should be fine eating the bugs at the bottom of the tank for a while and that it would shortly adjust to regular fish food. Is that true?

 

[Paintbug]

i dont know about your fish but some mandarins will not eat prepared foods, flakes, frozen, etc. if they dont then they starve in a small tank.

 

[Blown 346]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6545006#post6545006 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kawaii
The guy told me that it should be fine eating the bugs at the bottom of the tank for a while and that it would shortly adjust to regular fish food. Is that true?

Not exactly true, usually fish that will only eat live foods, will only eat just that. Unles you get lucky and see that it is taking prepared foods when you feed your tank.

Most of the time they wont change over and are real picky. The best thing to do now is to do like said above. Try some forezen Mysis shrimp, It worked for my anthias, and my copperband butterfly when they wouldnt eat prepared foods.
Now they will eat almost anything I throw into the tank.

 

[Kawaii]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6546135#post6546135 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Blown 346
Not exactly true, usually fish that will only eat live foods, will only eat just that. Unles you get lucky and see that it is taking prepared foods when you feed your tank.

Most of the time they wont change over and are real picky. The best thing to do now is to do like said above. Try some forezen Mysis shrimp, It worked for my anthias, and my copperband butterfly when they wouldnt eat prepared foods.
Now they will eat almost anything I throw into the tank.

Ok I have some shrimp that I can feed to him (from looking at links I think it's a she though lol). I believe he/she must be hiding in the sand, I haven't seen him/her all day. Last night it hid in the sand for about an hour and then came out and was swimming around for a long time. When I woke up this morning it was nowhere to be seen. I thought that they usually hide in the sand at night not during the day?

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

It's normal for a Leopard Wrasse to hide for the first few days in the sand.

 

[GMAX]

live food

live food

You said you have shrimp. Is it live? Live brine shrimp may coax him to eat. If not I would have a discussion with your LFS about selling you such a difficult to keep animal. They should take him back if they are honorable.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

IME a properly imported, QT'd and healthy Macropharyngodon does not require live foods. Similar to many other Wrasses, they'll eat practically any prepared foods offered to them- including coralline algae scraped from the aquarium glass.
A decent pod population does help to supplement their diet.

 

[Kawaii]

We have brine shrimp but it's not live, it's frozen. Hopefully he/she will eat that.

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

She should. (I think it's safe to say your fish is a she.)

 

[cateyes]

THAT is a beautiful fish!! good luck with it...

 

[iceman5]

also its a good idea to ask your lfs to feed the fish to see if its eating. just my thoughts just limit the amount of fish that attack your copod population

 

[Kawaii]

update: the wrasse has been coming out from the sand every night about two hours after the lights turn off. i have put some frozen brine shrimp in and she is eating it no problem. thanks for the help, everyone

 

[bertoni]

Sounds good! I think you got a deal!

 

[Gary Majchrzak]

Switch from frozen brine shrimp to frozen HUFA enriched brine shrimp or HUFA enriched mysid shrimp. (Regular frozen brine shrimp has little nutritional value and should be avoided.)