Leopard Wrasse Primer

[iamwrasseman]

Hey Andy
yup, i would imagine that he would act the same way with the color changing through out the day and probably with mood changes in a way . i wouldn't worry about it unless the color change comes with some scales falling off or infection .it sounds like yours changed right back to normal which was probably normal . i have never read anything on this and truly don't know if it is normal scientifically but mine has been doing it for years and you have seen yours this way so i would assume that its not a problem .
they are one of the more spectacular leopards and very good tank mates in my piece of the ocean .

 

[curlykid]

hey wrasse man, do you know if leopards eat flatworms? I just got rid my flatworms and just wanted a fish to get any that pop up occasionally.

 

[iamwrasseman]

usually not from what i have heard . i have never had any flatworms to see them in action but i do know that coris wrasses will but they are somewhat boisterous in a reef setting . also the melenarius wrasse has been one that will always chomp them up .

 

[blumoon reefers]

Hey guys! Love the beautiful leopards in here! I wanted to know if a kuiter's leopard wrasse would be okay by itself in a year old 30 gallon aquarium by itself with 25 lbs of LR, and 3 inch sandbed. I'm ready to order a 1" one from live aquaria. In about 4 months the contents will be moved to 80 gallon lagoon tank. I imagine it won't grow more than an inch in that time, so i figure it will be fine. Is this setup okay for the little guy? I read that these are also the smallest of the leopards, so i'm sure he could grow old in the 30 gallon. I also run a very large amount of carbon and phos-ban on the tank, along with bi-weekly 20% water changes, so water quality is normally very stable. I'm sure some people may disagree with this, but i repeat, it is being moved to an 80 gallon in a few months.

Hi curlykid - I have had a kuiter's wrasse in my tank for almost a year now. He is a beautiful fish and always the one people notice first because he does not look like your typical leopard wrasse. I watched him at my LFS for about 3 weeks to make sure he was healthy and eating. Mine has been eating everything from day one in my tank. He eats nori, frozen and pellets. Mine is about 4 inches and I have not noticed him growing very fast (just getting fatter). Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about this very beautiful fish.

 

[curlykid]

wow, apparently people are having a lot more luck with these little guys than others. thanks for sharing.

 

[Yurivd]

a week back i got a macrophargynodon cyanoguttatus from a mauritius shipment is any one keeping one how hardy are thy

 

[iamwrasseman]

Yurivd ,they are tough and need very small food to eat if they are under 3" . what size is yours and is he eating yet ,if so what is he eating ? they are very beautiful and i have had two in my life ,one died within a few days and the other was great for a year or more until he jumped out of my tank .that's when i really began to catch on to having the tank covered extremely well .

 

[Yurivd]

Yurivd ,they are tough and need very small food to eat if they are under 3" . what size is yours and is he eating yet ,if so what is he eating ? they are very beautiful and i have had two in my life ,one died within a few days and the other was great for a year or more until he jumped out of my tank .that's when i really began to catch on to having the tank covered extremely well .

He is 7cm (just under 3inch)
He must be eating pods my tank is 2 years old with 100kg (220 pounds) live rock
he is showing interest in flaks

 

[Troy the Nomad]

hey wrasse man, do you know if leopards eat flatworms? I just got rid my flatworms and just wanted a fish to get any that pop up occasionally.

IME, it's hit or miss. my current leopard does eat them.

 

[iamwrasseman]

good information ,what type of leopard and size if you don't mind me asking . just wondering for future reference as i would much rather have a leopard in my tank than most others .

 

[Troy the Nomad]

good information ,what type of leopard and size if you don't mind me asking . just wondering for future reference as i would much rather have a leopard in my tank than most others .

Macropharyngodon meleagris

She's about 4'', had her around 3 years? Not sure if she still does as I haven't seen any fw in a long time

 

[curlykid]

4 foot? I think you meant 4". haha, that would be a big leopard.

 

[Troy the Nomad]

4 foot? I think you meant 4". haha, that would be a big leopard.

:crazy1::crazy1::crazy1:

 

[iamwrasseman]

curly just for your edification and technically speaking 4" means four inches as i think you have misread what the nomad wrote . not a big deal as we certainly know 4' "four feet" is just a tad larger than most leopards .
now can we continue ?

 

[prodman]

I have an ornate leopard from DD. I added it straight to display and it was eating within 10min of being in the tank. Fast forward a few days, I noticed some unsettling behavior in my other fish that I had been down playing and felt a trip back to QT was in order. I pulled all the fish from the display including the leopard. I have the leopard in its own cycled QT with sand. He eats in there just fine. This not how I planned on things working buts it what I have for now. Do you think it will be ok for a few weeks considering he is eating prepared so well?
Thanks

 

[Aqua-Mauritius]

a week back i got a macrophargynodon cyanoguttatus from a mauritius shipment is any one keeping one how hardy are thy

yuri don't be surprised if it eats other kind of smaller food.....I think cyanoguttatus is a bit more hardy than the normal divided leopard wrasse. Like the divied leopard wrasse they will also clean ur sand bed....:wavehand:

 

[iamwrasseman]

keep us posted on the progress in the QT as he very well may be okay with it .i have not had good results in a QT with most leopards myself .

 

[Yurivd]

yuri don't be surprised if it eats other kind of smaller food.....I think cyanoguttatus is a bit more hardy than the normal divided leopard wrasse. Like the divied leopard wrasse they will also clean ur sand bed....:wavehand:

My gem tang killed the leopard wrasse
But at least i got a mutch nicer wrasse now

 

[Matt G]

Update to say that I still have 3 of the peacocks, all still showing female colouration. My leopard which initially took an interest in them is ignoring them completely.

Still waiting on the LFS to get in potters and choati as I am ready to try again now.

Might also look to add this to my armour when it becomes available, Reef Nutrition Mysis-Feast (you can read about it on reef builders) to see how they take to it.

 

[iamwrasseman]

the choati's should be abundant soon as they seem to be available in the fall here which is aussies summer . the potters are hit and miss but seen quite often here but in very limited quantities . i hope you get them and they do very well in your aquarium !
the reef nutrition Mysis-feast is something i have not heard of but its a great company and i would only expect that its good "stuff" for your swimmers .