i have 3.5 years on one, 18 months on another, and 8 months on a third. i have a few reefers who i've quarantined and treated their choati that have had from 2 months to 2+ years without issue.
Leopard Wrasse Primer
- Thread starter BrianD
- Start date
eastlake
New member
Did anyone here get that chaoti? If so whoever it is should definitely post some pictures.
Swensos
New member
KKGaskin90
New member
January 12 marked one year for my trio of Blue Stars (bipartitus). I sourced them from Live Aquaria. They are in my 75g mixed reef and I could not be happier with them.
I spent over a year researching and preparing for them. I set up and cycled a quarantine tank with a deep, soft sand bed and live rock-seeded with plenty of pods. I put an air stone at the bottom of a Tupperware filled with matrix rock and ran carbon in the HOB filter. I had a wide range of food on hand from Live brine to mysis to LRS. I also had an ammonia alert badge, Powerhead, and lights set to the same schedule as my DT.
I ordered three in the hopes that 2 would survive shipping. I was shocked when I opened the bags and all three were alive, as all research showed they are notoriously prone to death during shipment. When I added them to the quarantine tank, they stayed out the first day during lights on but did not eat. They came out every day following and slowly adjusted to my lighting schedule, but it did not take long... maybe a week. I believe I did two rounds of PraziPro just in case. They started on Live brine and then started accepting mysis.
They remained in quarantine for 6 weeks before introduction to the display. The transition was very easy as they were already on the same schedule and the only tank mates were a hawkfish and Goby. After some time in the display they began eating LRS like hogs. One has taken to the Goby so much she eats nori off the clip with him.
Over a year in and no signs of any transitioning. I am so thrilled all three have survived and thrived. They are the centerpiece of the tank.
Pic from acclimation:
During quarantine:
In the display Feb 2016:
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Finally got a new pic of the trio... excuse the algae... trying to recover from a mini-crash.
In display April 2017:
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I have a harem of 4 in my tank!!! Nice fishes
January 12 marked one year for my trio of Blue Stars (bipartitus). I sourced them from Live Aquaria. They are in my 75g mixed reef and I could not be happier with them.
I spent over a year researching and preparing for them. I set up and cycled a quarantine tank with a deep, soft sand bed and live rock-seeded with plenty of pods. I put an air stone at the bottom of a Tupperware filled with matrix rock and ran carbon in the HOB filter. I had a wide range of food on hand from Live brine to mysis to LRS. I also had an ammonia alert badge, Powerhead, and lights set to the same schedule as my DT.
I ordered three in the hopes that 2 would survive shipping. I was shocked when I opened the bags and all three were alive, as all research showed they are notoriously prone to death during shipment. When I added them to the quarantine tank, they stayed out the first day during lights on but did not eat. They came out every day following and slowly adjusted to my lighting schedule, but it did not take long... maybe a week. I believe I did two rounds of PraziPro just in case. They started on Live brine and then started accepting mysis.
They remained in quarantine for 6 weeks before introduction to the display. The transition was very easy as they were already on the same schedule and the only tank mates were a hawkfish and Goby. After some time in the display they began eating LRS like hogs. One has taken to the Goby so much she eats nori off the clip with him.
Over a year in and no signs of any transitioning. I am so thrilled all three have survived and thrived. They are the centerpiece of the tank.
Pic from acclimation:
During quarantine:
In the display:
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kainic
Member
Too soon to be called a success story but recently got two leopard wrasses and they are eating well. Here are some fun picks at feeding time
The autofeeder has a mix of nls small and medium pellets and some flakes.
A few pellets drop down first and we have a chase
Most pellets however stay at the surface so the bipartitus female 'piano' first starts banging the feeding station to get a few pellets to drop down
Sometimes the shrimp gets in there and releases some pellets
Then she gets in the feeding station to get more pellets, and more pellets drop down to the other fish waiting below
Eventually, both leopards get in there
The ornatus leopard wrasse is gorgeous. Can't tell if it is a female or a male though. Do you spot the change in patterns ; perhaps she is transitioning into male
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Hi, I'm really interested in adding some wrasses to my tank, a Reefer like you (350 in my case). I see you don't have any cover for the tank. Have you ever had any jump attempt or anything similar?
I know fairy and flasher wrasses are jumpers but I don't know if a bipartitus would jump if given the opportunity.
Thanks in advance
BTW beautiful pictures
tenurepro
New member
Thanks! I'll preface by saying that I am in no way, shape or form a wrasse expert. @evolved is and he recommends a cover for wrasses in his online articles. And I think he is correct if you want to really minimize the chances of carpet surfers, then a cover is a must
I am however taking a calculated risk. I have had a canary wrasse and 2 leopard wrasses in the reefer, along with other fish that can jump, but I haven't had any jumpers yet (fingers crossed). Note that is like saying that I've been smoking 2 packs a day and my lungs are fine! Totally Anecdotal!!!
There are a lot of diy cover options for the reefer, so you can set one up. I am on the fence because I like the top down view when feeding the tank. I also think there are also some variation in the propensity of different wrasse species to jump. While all wrasse can jump, some species are much more prone to take to the air than others. Another factor is tank dynamics and the fish in my tank are mellow; no bullying or chasing. So I am not too concerned about jumping right now, but that may change if I notice any changes in behavior. If you are planing to keep rare or hard to keep species, then definitely get a cover.
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OrionN
Moved on
I also had the Yellow Banana wrasse in the past in open tank and have no problem with them jump out.
I think we need to worry about wrasse that go air-born if chase, and wrasse with spawned behavior that swim straight up in courtship and spawn. These are the wrasse that are at risk for jumping out.
I think we need to worry about wrasse that go air-born if chase, and wrasse with spawned behavior that swim straight up in courtship and spawn. These are the wrasse that are at risk for jumping out.
eastlake
New member
I guess mines just a weirdo then :lmao:
Ralph ATL
Formerly mysterybox
Sorry, but I disagree 100%!!! Oh my!!! Please have a screen top or window screen top on all of your fish, ESPECIALLY all wrasses including Anampses, Halichoeres, Macropharyngoden, AND ALL wrasses and fish!!!
Wrasses jump!!! And evolve learned everyone from me, lol. Wink
OrionN
Moved on
?????
You disagree that my three M. meleagris did not go carpet surfing in the last three years?
You caught me. I don't have carpet in my fish room. However, none of my Meleagris go cement surfing either. Please reassure, I do have cement in my fish room. I can take a picture of the floor if you want to see it.
I just wonder, who's on this thread have a Leopard Wrasse go carpet surfing (without other wrasse or fish chasing him). Fish jump into the overflow box does not count. IMO, fish follow the flow when they look for a way out of a tank. Often this led them to jump into the overflow box. This is not the same as jump out of a tank.
My tanks never have cover. I have lost very few fishes now and then due to carpet surfing. Rarely if ever, this happen out of the blue. I don't keep any wrasse other than my Leopard wrasse trio.
You disagree that my three M. meleagris did not go carpet surfing in the last three years?
You caught me. I don't have carpet in my fish room. However, none of my Meleagris go cement surfing either. Please reassure, I do have cement in my fish room. I can take a picture of the floor if you want to see it.
I just wonder, who's on this thread have a Leopard Wrasse go carpet surfing (without other wrasse or fish chasing him). Fish jump into the overflow box does not count. IMO, fish follow the flow when they look for a way out of a tank. Often this led them to jump into the overflow box. This is not the same as jump out of a tank.
My tanks never have cover. I have lost very few fishes now and then due to carpet surfing. Rarely if ever, this happen out of the blue. I don't keep any wrasse other than my Leopard wrasse trio.
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eastlake
New member
I have a male potters and a female meleagris both are at a mature size around 4". The first two times I found her in the overflow the potters wasn't in there yet and there was no visible signs of aggression from any of the other tank mates and I watch quite a bit for that kind of stuff. After I added the potters they were together for 5 or 6 months before the potters started to chase her vigorously and that's what has accounted for her jumping into the overflow these past couple times. She has been in there for about a month now getting fat on the pods that are safe from the rest of my fish with 2-3 supplemental daily feedings, but I digress. I'd be so much happier if the ending up in the overflow was a result of spawning rises.
tenurepro
New member
@OrionN - I don't think @Ralph_ATL was questioning your observation; obviously, you and we know that your Leopards didn't jump. But just because they haven't jumped till now, doest mean that they will never jump.
So here is a little bit more of my thoughts on this. I don't really think that fish are either jumpers or not jumpers... way too binary. I think of fish have a 'probability' of jumping for any given day; this probability depends on species (some species of fish/wrasse have higher probabilities of jumping than others) and tank environment / scape. We can probably all agree that most fish can in theory jump, so the probability of jumping is almost always not zero.
If the probability of jumping is greater than zero and substantially high. (say 10% a day), then it is inevitable that the fish will jump given enough time, and that a cover is absolutely needed to keep the fish alive in a tank.
Even if the probability of jumping is really low, say, 1% a day... it doesn't mean that the fish will never jump. Given enough time, rare events will occur (think of people winning the lottery, or getting struck by lighting... it happens, but it is rare). When we are dealing with such low probabilities, then it is totally conceivable to see how some reefers can keep the same species in an open top without them ever jumping, while others having them jump a few times... (just like some people win the lottery while most don't; you can't argue that just because you didn't' win the lottery, that nobody wins the lottery; also, you can't argue that if you win the lottery, that every one will win the lottery)...
so it is just a matter of knowing the species you plan on keeping, their propensity for jumping, and how much risk you are willing to take with your fish. Think of a cover as insurance... you buy health insurance and car insurance, but you probably wouldn't want to buy lighting-strike insurance. If you want to guarantee no jumping, then a well fitting / well constructed cover is absolutely necessary. For some species, the probability of jumping can be low enough, that is very conceivable that you can keep them in an open top tank for a long period of time without any incidents... just keep in mind that rare events can and do happen given enough time.
So here is a little bit more of my thoughts on this. I don't really think that fish are either jumpers or not jumpers... way too binary. I think of fish have a 'probability' of jumping for any given day; this probability depends on species (some species of fish/wrasse have higher probabilities of jumping than others) and tank environment / scape. We can probably all agree that most fish can in theory jump, so the probability of jumping is almost always not zero.
If the probability of jumping is greater than zero and substantially high. (say 10% a day), then it is inevitable that the fish will jump given enough time, and that a cover is absolutely needed to keep the fish alive in a tank.
Even if the probability of jumping is really low, say, 1% a day... it doesn't mean that the fish will never jump. Given enough time, rare events will occur (think of people winning the lottery, or getting struck by lighting... it happens, but it is rare). When we are dealing with such low probabilities, then it is totally conceivable to see how some reefers can keep the same species in an open top without them ever jumping, while others having them jump a few times... (just like some people win the lottery while most don't; you can't argue that just because you didn't' win the lottery, that nobody wins the lottery; also, you can't argue that if you win the lottery, that every one will win the lottery)...
so it is just a matter of knowing the species you plan on keeping, their propensity for jumping, and how much risk you are willing to take with your fish. Think of a cover as insurance... you buy health insurance and car insurance, but you probably wouldn't want to buy lighting-strike insurance. If you want to guarantee no jumping, then a well fitting / well constructed cover is absolutely necessary. For some species, the probability of jumping can be low enough, that is very conceivable that you can keep them in an open top tank for a long period of time without any incidents... just keep in mind that rare events can and do happen given enough time.
OrionN
Moved on
Just to work out the numbers, I have 3 Meleagris Leopard wrasses for 3 years, that is roughly 3000 fish-day (3285 to be exact) and no jumping. If one of my fish jump out today, according to my experience the risk for Meleagris to jump is about .03% per day, not anywhere near 1 percent.
That is if my fish jump out today. I just don't see it happening.
I do not keep other wrasse species, even though they are very beautiful because I do not have a cover on my tank. I am not saying that fish, or wrasses do not jump. They do, but a happy Leopard wrasse is highly unlikely to jump out. This is because the escape rout of a Leopard wrasse is dive for the sand. That is why my Leopard wrasse do not ended up dry out on the cement for the last 3 years.
That is if my fish jump out today. I just don't see it happening.
I do not keep other wrasse species, even though they are very beautiful because I do not have a cover on my tank. I am not saying that fish, or wrasses do not jump. They do, but a happy Leopard wrasse is highly unlikely to jump out. This is because the escape rout of a Leopard wrasse is dive for the sand. That is why my Leopard wrasse do not ended up dry out on the cement for the last 3 years.
tenurepro
New member
Leopard Wrasse Primer
Actually @OrionN, even with prob of 0.03% of fish jumping per day, it is still pretty dicey to keep this fish long term (5 years). See model below; I wrote a much longer post on this model in the main fish thread so check out the details there. It's based on binomial probabilities. If you look at the fig. The chance of having a 0.03% per day fish not jump for 5 years in an open top tank is about 50%. In other words. Half of the people that attempt to keep this fish in an open top tank will be successful (like you), making you think that they are not jumpers, while the other half of reefers that try to keep this fish for that long will fail, leading them to think that the fish is a jumper. Both view points are valid in light of the model. I don't want to hijack this thread with my model so you and other can chat on my fish jumping thread! Cheers !
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Actually @OrionN, even with prob of 0.03% of fish jumping per day, it is still pretty dicey to keep this fish long term (5 years). See model below; I wrote a much longer post on this model in the main fish thread so check out the details there. It's based on binomial probabilities. If you look at the fig. The chance of having a 0.03% per day fish not jump for 5 years in an open top tank is about 50%. In other words. Half of the people that attempt to keep this fish in an open top tank will be successful (like you), making you think that they are not jumpers, while the other half of reefers that try to keep this fish for that long will fail, leading them to think that the fish is a jumper. Both view points are valid in light of the model. I don't want to hijack this thread with my model so you and other can chat on my fish jumping thread! Cheers !
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