Leopard Wrasse Primer

[RokleM]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15589740#post15589740 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RokleM
Well, I think it's officially time to say R.I.P. to my male bipartitus. It looks like just the above, and was one of the largest I've seen at or over 6" for some time.

I got him many years ago at about 3-4", and he quickly grew to the large tame monster in my tank. I haven't seen him for a week, and he's never been gone for more than a day. I know he definitely had some age to him. I think he took that final sand dive and never came back.

Well, he's back :lol:

I thought I saw him VERY briefly earlier last week, but it was just a flash. I caught him out while just the actinics were on and got him feed.

I THINK my smaller female (I assume) is starting to get aggressive. I don't know if she senses it's time for the male to move on, senses something wrong, it's just that time for her to change. There was some slight chasing going on while the actinics were on, which is a surprise since they've lived together for years. It's also surprising that the male, which is HUGE, isn't standing up and is backing down and hiding.

Bigger issue is, what to do now since it's almost impossible to catch either of them without breaking down the tank and removing all the sand.

 

[Troy the Nomad]

Well, that (mostly) great news!

edit- Maybe a small rescape could help...

 

[Ralph ATL]

HELP! HERE! please

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1702878

 

[McSassy]

I've had mine for a few weeks now. She adjusted to the tank pretty quickly, but refuses to adjust to my light schedule. Goes to sleep around 6 PM every single day. She's absolutely ADDICTED to krill, but eats everything else nicely and is foraging and surfing the wave all day.

Here are a couple pictures

 

[Ralph ATL]

nice fish! I miss my bipart!

 

[blumoon reefers]

Hey....can someone help me identify this guy?

TIA

 

[gflat65]

The blue spot on the gill makes me think of Macropharnygodon kuiteri.

 

[blumoon reefers]

I googled it and found a picture that was similar but the coloring and the shape of the head was different. Very close though...maybe just a different coloration?

Thank you.

 

[iamwrasseman]

yes they have alot of variations for each wrasse and some look quite different than others but at the same time quite similar . thats why they sell online fish" what you see is what you get " so you know exactly what they will look like .

 

[blumoon reefers]

Thanks. Whatever he is...he is a beauty and is very happy in my tank. I have had him for about 3 weeks now and he is very much the boss!

 

[iamwrasseman]

oh that is a Kuitier for sure ,i have no doubt about that . does he come out in the open for you or does he often hide ? i had one and he was a big hider ,never really acclimated well and always was in hiding . didnt make it past a few months . your s looks awesome and i wish you the best . goodluck !

 

[blumoon reefers]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15692361#post15692361 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by iamwrasseman
oh that is a Kuitier for sure ,i have no doubt about that . does he come out in the open for you or does he often hide ? i had one and he was a big hider ,never really acclimated well and always was in hiding . didnt make it past a few months . your s looks awesome and i wish you the best . goodluck !

Thanks for the encouragement! Yes, he is always out in the open unless he decides to sleep in and then he gives me a small heart attack.

I watched him at the LFS for like 3 weeks before I finally pulled the trigger....I call him "my limit fish".....you know, what my limit is to spend....hubby told me never to spend more than x amount of dollars on a fish. This guy was one penny less!

I think I am in love with wrasses.....he is by far the best fish in my tank!

 

[Ralph ATL]

Have you treated him for worms yet? Prazi?

 

[blumoon reefers]

No. Should I? He doesnt seem to be suffering from anything. Very active, always out, eats great. Comes right up to the front when I go to the tank. Food is always prepared with garlic, vit C and selcon. And he eats from the nori clip as well.

I have had him for 3 weeks and he was at my very good LFS for 3 weeks before that.

 

[Ralph ATL]

I would read through this thread, and you will have your answer! Yes, I would.

 

[Ralph ATL]

FYI: All my fish are looking great after a 6 day metro/focus treatment.

 

[iamwrasseman]

prazi pro is a must and mystery thats cool good luck with that little bugger !many time wrasses and for that matter fish dont show any signs of infestation or disease and then one day they are dead . we dont really have a way to do really finite testing to find the cause of death so we think we failed when manytimes its the fish being killed by a disease . anything that you can do to prevent this helps as long as we dont stress the fish because that in itself also will be the demise of him too . just my 2 cents

 

[Memeber007]

I have 2 leopards in 75g reef tank. One I've had for over a month, and one I just got. Both are eating frozen foods. The first one looks a bit thin(same as when I got him). Is prazipro 100% reef safe? I am afraid of using it in my reef... Is there any type of frozen food for internal parasites that I could use instead?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[iamwrasseman]

jungle jim makes a pellet food that is small enough for a wrasse to eat ,but they will have to be forced to eat it . so imo if you starve them till they eat the food it is much worse than prazi pro . most of us on this tread have used prazi and had no ill effects whatsoever . it is harmless to all reef inhabitants and its the best method of getting pariquizine into their bodies . trust me it wont hurt a thing except the parisitic worms in your fish .or you can be safe and purchase the food but they will refuse to eat it unless you starve them . another way to get the food into them is to thaw some mysis and put the dry pellets into a cup with the mysis and "mush "it all together then feed that to them .
good luck
Dave

 

[JDABS]

I picked up this Leopard wrasse about 3 weeks ago. The first week I didn't really see her at all as she dove into the sand about 30 seconds after putting her into the tank. I did not QT her. She has slowly been coming out more and more. She now comes out when the main lights come on around 11:30am and she goes to bed around 6pm or so. She's been a blast to watch and I've learned a ton from this post! Thanks Mysterybox for leading me to it.

Right now she's eating frozen, pelets and she grazes on the rocks! She's still not straying too far from her home though. Here are a couple of pics I snapped today.