Leopard Wrasse Primer

[ca1ore]

I am ready to proclaim success with one of my MM females (the other one unfortunately carpet surfed even though I had an eggcrate top on the tank - still not sure how):

1. Purchased her at about 2 inches from my LFS
2. Against my better judgment, I did not QT, she went right into my fuge along with a resident pair of clowns
3. Fuge has a lot of GHA growth and supports an extensive pod population
4. MM went straight into the sand for about 2 days.
5. Day/night was a bit messed up for a while, but I did no adjusting of photoperiod
6. She started eating Mysis and brine almost right away; fed 10 times per day at least
7. Ate well, but very twitchy
8. Months 2 and 3, reduced feeding to 3-5 times per day
9. When converting main tank, moved her to DT
10. Initial heavy bullying from Dusky Wrasse, but only for a day or so.
11. She is far more assertive in the DT than she was in the fuge; competition from other fish has her eating a greater variety of frozen foods than before, though no interest in pellets or flake.
12. In the fuge she was always back in the sand by the midafternoon, but now in the display I see her until about 8 pm consistently.

As I find them, my plan is to try to get a Bipartitus trio.

 

[albano]

I am ready to proclaim success with one of my MM females (the other one unfortunately carpet surfed even though I had an eggcrate top on the tank - still not sure how):

IME, eggcrate is not a good choice, many fish can 'shot' right thru it, even if they look bigger than the openings!

 

[ca1ore]

That must have been what happened. I only use eggcrate over my fuge; I use a BRS frame on my main tank. Ah well, never too old to learn something new.

 

[Ralph ATL]

Thanks! Only with coral, these guys and gals move so fast, I have to keep camera moving...
They still freak out when I approach tank.....

 

[gregrocks79]

Best I could get out of like 49 pics haha

 

[Ralph ATL]

Sweet! Pretty Leopard!

 

[gregrocks79]

Thanks!!

 

[triggreef]

As I find them, my plan is to try to get a Bipartitus trio.

Liveaquaria is the best for leopards and almost always have them in stock. Bipartus at least I'm still not really sure what the difference is between those and bipartitus besides the "it".

I tried one from puppy center, as much as I love PC that fish had no chance. I have one from bluezoo and 2 from LA and I had more DOA from bluezoo. At least LA covers them for 14 days, cant beat that IMO.

 

[evolved]

Bipartus at least I'm still not really sure what the difference is between those and bipartitus besides the "it".

There isn't one. Bipartus is a common misspelling stemming from the common (mis)pronunciation.

 

[impur]

Hey guys I currently have a female bipartitus and a male geoffroyi in my 93gal cube. My other fish are 2 clowns and a Potters angel. I have been searching for my final fish and keep coming back to the meleagris.

Would 3 leopards in my 93gal cube be pushing it or would I be ok?

 

[nick12881]

Great thread. I'm looking into picking up one of these guys too.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Do you all feel that all leopards should be preventativly treated with PraziPro?

I have a pair that have been in QT almost a month, I'm debating whether or not to treat them. They have been eating since day 1 and were eating in the store. I originally had 3 but one died the second or third day - not sure why. The two remaining are pigs and seem to be doing great and slowly adjusting to my lighting schedule (feeding was hard the first few weeks because one of them was only out for a few hours each day).

Other fish in my display have not been preventatively treated, so I'm wondering if it's even worth it to preventatively treat these guys since they seem to be showing no symptoms. I know people love PraziPro but I have only used it a few times so I'm not super comfortable with it yet, and I don't want to risk these guys if I don't have to. If it matters, they are in a tank with a sandbed and LR, not a typical sterile QT setup.

 

[evolved]

Do you all feel that all leopards should be preventativly treated with PraziPro?

I feel that all wrasses should be, idealistically.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

Do you go straight to full dose? The bottle says to start with as large a water change as possible, or brand new water - how important is this? It says to turn off protein skimming - what about an air stone?

 

[SpartaReef]

I got my wrasse from a friend. So I didn't qt nor treat for anything... After temp acclimation I dropped the fish straight into the DT.

 

[evolved]

Do you go straight to full dose? The bottle says to start with as large a water change as possible, or brand new water - how important is this? It says to turn off protein skimming - what about an air stone?

It's important to start with zero ammonia, hence the water change instruction. I always do one before starting. And then yes, a full dose. You really need to do 2-3 rounds (treatments) of it too; one isn't always sufficient. An air stone is fine; a skimmer could remove medication from the water column.

 

[Ralph ATL]

I would always recommend preventable prazi treatment for all wrasses, likewise.

 

[aquaph8]

Prazi is pretty gentle, like Hunter said do at least two rounds, no skimming. I've treated my SPS tank with it a couple times now.

 

[gregrocks79]

When treating how long do you turn your skimmer off??

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

How long between rounds? Do you just re-dose at the 7 day mark, or do you do a water change, run some carbon, and then dose again in like a week?