gregrocks79
Less talk, more rock!
Wow that's one gorgeous fish!
Leopard Wrasse Primer
- Thread starter BrianD
- Start date
Ralph ATL
Formerly mysterybox
and Thank you! These babes are among the second or first in worst survival rate among Leopards....Macropharyngodon choati then Macropharyngodon kuiteri
The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse is a highly-sought-after wrasse belonging to the genus Macropharyngodon. This small yet extremely ornamental wrasse is breathtaking, boasting the signature spotted pattern of the Leopard Wrasses. This Leopard Wrasse is a curious exception that demonstrates dentition (teeth arrangement) that differs from other Leopard Wrasse species.
Though notably smaller, the Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse shares many characteristics as larger tropical wrasse species. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse demonstrates color variations within individuals based on gender and age and also begin life as female. Initial phase Kuiter's Leopard Wrasses have an orange-red background color with bluish-white leopard spots. They also have a small black spot just behind the eye and the opercular spot dons a whitish-blue halo. As the Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse develops into an adult male, the black spot behind the eye and the blue halo around the opercular spot disappears. A green and orange circle develops around the black opercular spot and orange becomes the predominant body color.
A 50 gallon or larger aquarium with well-established live rock and a mature sand bed several inches deep is recommended. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse is a sand wrasse that burrows into sandy substrate for protection. In the wild, Leopard Wrasses inhabit sand and rubble regions near coral reefs. To best recreate this habitat, be sure to provide large open spaces that allow access to the fine sand bed. The use of a wavemaker to simulate water movement near reef zones may also be a consideration. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse will do best when introduced as juveniles in groups of three or more. It eats small invertebrates (foraminiferans and amphiopods) that grow on live rock. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse diet should include vitamin-enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin-enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other meaty foods along with a high-quality marine flake and marine pellet food.
from Kevin Kohen:
The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse is a highly-sought-after wrasse belonging to the genus Macropharyngodon. This small yet extremely ornamental wrasse is breathtaking, boasting the signature spotted pattern of the Leopard Wrasses. This Leopard Wrasse is a curious exception that demonstrates dentition (teeth arrangement) that differs from other Leopard Wrasse species.
Though notably smaller, the Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse shares many characteristics as larger tropical wrasse species. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse demonstrates color variations within individuals based on gender and age and also begin life as female. Initial phase Kuiter's Leopard Wrasses have an orange-red background color with bluish-white leopard spots. They also have a small black spot just behind the eye and the opercular spot dons a whitish-blue halo. As the Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse develops into an adult male, the black spot behind the eye and the blue halo around the opercular spot disappears. A green and orange circle develops around the black opercular spot and orange becomes the predominant body color.
A 50 gallon or larger aquarium with well-established live rock and a mature sand bed several inches deep is recommended. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse is a sand wrasse that burrows into sandy substrate for protection. In the wild, Leopard Wrasses inhabit sand and rubble regions near coral reefs. To best recreate this habitat, be sure to provide large open spaces that allow access to the fine sand bed. The use of a wavemaker to simulate water movement near reef zones may also be a consideration. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse will do best when introduced as juveniles in groups of three or more. It eats small invertebrates (foraminiferans and amphiopods) that grow on live rock. The Kuiter's Leopard Wrasse diet should include vitamin-enriched frozen mysis shrimp, vitamin-enriched frozen brine shrimp, and other meaty foods along with a high-quality marine flake and marine pellet food.
from Kevin Kohen:
jlanger
Get busy living...
Nice looking Kuiter!
I hope they adjust and do well for you.
And thanks for getting the thread back on track... Melanurus should find their own thread!
To keep it going, leopard wrasses were one of the first species of fish that caught my attention back in the mid '90s, but I didn't think I'd ever keep any.
But I stumbled upon this pair two weeks ago. They were active, fat and eating frozen brine and mysis, so I jumped at the opportunity.
They fit right in with the other fish in my system. They know when and where to go at feeding time and have no problems keeping up with their more robust tankmates.
With all of their searching and foraging for food, I hope they will keep the vermetid snail and limpet populations under control. (My sump is a great breeding ground for those.)
Just a quick pic I took.
(Very hard to get them photographed together and in focus.)
I hope they adjust and do well for you.
And thanks for getting the thread back on track... Melanurus should find their own thread!
To keep it going, leopard wrasses were one of the first species of fish that caught my attention back in the mid '90s, but I didn't think I'd ever keep any.
But I stumbled upon this pair two weeks ago. They were active, fat and eating frozen brine and mysis, so I jumped at the opportunity.
They fit right in with the other fish in my system. They know when and where to go at feeding time and have no problems keeping up with their more robust tankmates.
With all of their searching and foraging for food, I hope they will keep the vermetid snail and limpet populations under control. (My sump is a great breeding ground for those.)
Just a quick pic I took.
(Very hard to get them photographed together and in focus.)
triggreef
New member
Just an update my 3 in quarantine are doing pretty good. They seem to be happy with the pe mysis now and I must have fed them a dozen times today. They are eager to grab some food each time too. I just ordered another batch of pods and amphipods from r2g to keep the population up, but I know there are still plenty in there because I see them chase one down here and there when I feed the mysis.
I'm going to give them a few more days in the prazi and then move them to my display. I'll be so happy to keep all 3 doing well.
Interesting I really seem to like the black leopard more than the others right now. She is very graceful.
I'm going to give them a few more days in the prazi and then move them to my display. I'll be so happy to keep all 3 doing well.
Interesting I really seem to like the black leopard more than the others right now. She is very graceful.
Ralph ATL
Formerly mysterybox
Nice looking Kuiter!
I hope they adjust and do well for you.
And thanks for getting the thread back on track... Melanurus should find their own thread!
To keep it going, leopard wrasses were one of the first species of fish that caught my attention back in the mid '90s, but I didn't think I'd ever keep any.
But I stumbled upon this pair two weeks ago. They were active, fat and eating frozen brine and mysis, so I jumped at the opportunity.
They fit right in with the other fish in my system. They know when and where to go at feeding time and have no problems keeping up with their more robust tankmates.
With all of their searching and foraging for food, I hope they will keep the vermetid snail and limpet populations under control. (My sump is a great breeding ground for those.)
Just a quick pic I took.
(Very hard to get them photographed together and in focus.)
that's a great pic for a quickie! good luck! :thumbsup:
Ralph ATL
Formerly mysterybox
triggreef
New member
Very much like a tamarin but smaller spots and they are goldish colored near the dorsal fin.
I tried to get pics but my cell sucks, and I have also been leaving the glass on the QT with algae to help them not see their reflections which seems to have worked.
here's pics from their arrival but I already posted these a couple pages back...
???? You think that they see their reflections on clean glass?
triggreef
New member
Thats what they say, the reasoning for constant pacing on the glass.
I had some pacers in the past that did not make it. So far these 3 are not pacing. So I'll let the glass be dirty for a bit. Some have said to put a towel over the tank to stop the pacing.
triggreef
New member
Unfortunately I guess I spoke too soon. I lost one of the meleagris and the black one today. Pretty bummed. They were eating mysis well up to yesterday and today they lay on the sand breathing heavy. I even re upped their pods and live brine a couple days ago too.
the meleagris that died had a giant bloated looking belly like it was going to explode. That came out of now where too. I almost wonder how effective prazi really is.
The 3rd one continued eating well today and I moved him to my display with the others.
the meleagris that died had a giant bloated looking belly like it was going to explode. That came out of now where too. I almost wonder how effective prazi really is.
The 3rd one continued eating well today and I moved him to my display with the others.
MIKE NY
Two Decade club
and when he grows up He will look like this
he is about 4.5" and is the King of the all my Leopards my the tank..not alllowing any of the other species of Leopards to turn male
big difference in only a couple of months...
EMUReef
New member
one of my pair of
Macropharyngodon kuiteri
[img
]
IMG_3070crop by mysterybox10, on Flickr[/url]
IMG_3056 by mysterybox10, on Flickr[/QUOTE]
Gorgeous fish. I had a male i believe awhile ago and it died on me a couple days later. :/
gregrocks79
Less talk, more rock!
triggreef
New member
My 2 meleagris and one bipartus are all still doing well. I'm upgrading them from their 72 to a 200g within a week or so. Just looking for a couple ideas to make the transition as smooth as possible.
The monkey wrench is that the 200g is going in the same spot as the 72g and tying into the existing sump, so there will be no cycling on the tank swap. I have a running and empty 155 bow front that I'm going to have the parameters matched perfectly on for the swap, so all my LR and corals/fish will go in there for the duration (which should only be a few hours). There is no sand in that tank aside from a tupoware container full.
I'm wondering if I should leave it so they bury in that and then I can just move the tupoware to the new tank once its up and running? Its bad enough I will have no choice but to go looking for them to move them into the temporary tank.
Any thoughts/suggestions/tips for catching them and hopefully limiting stress?
The monkey wrench is that the 200g is going in the same spot as the 72g and tying into the existing sump, so there will be no cycling on the tank swap. I have a running and empty 155 bow front that I'm going to have the parameters matched perfectly on for the swap, so all my LR and corals/fish will go in there for the duration (which should only be a few hours). There is no sand in that tank aside from a tupoware container full.
I'm wondering if I should leave it so they bury in that and then I can just move the tupoware to the new tank once its up and running? Its bad enough I will have no choice but to go looking for them to move them into the temporary tank.
Any thoughts/suggestions/tips for catching them and hopefully limiting stress?
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