leopard wrasse qt

[lucidheights]

so i purchased a leopard wrasse that will get here tomorrow. i have a qt tank that has been setup for about 2 years and is stable as could be. I know wrasses need sand to dig in and can damage their mouths in the absence of of it, but there is no way he will go straight to my dt. My qt is bare bottom so i was planning the Tupperware filled with sand trick but thought of something else. Do you think its possible to line the bottom of my 20g qt with enough filter floss to cushion any attempts by the wrasse diving into the glass and hurting its mouth. I plan on using cupramine incase of disease and would rather leave the sand out of the picture.

 

[skibum9884]

That is an interesting idea. I am QT'ing a Halichoeres Wrasse currently and have a tupperware container full of sand which it sleeps in. I think with leopards it may be a good idea to line the bottom with filter floss. Certainly couldn't hurt, but I would be sure to clean it regularly so it doesn't fill with detritus.

 

[lucidheights]

do you treat with copper? i'm wondering what kind of effect the sand will have on the copper concentration. I know it absorbs it, but i'm sure the sand will have a max level of saturation where it will no longer affect the water. It's just an annoying scenario of having to constantly monitor the level of Cu, but if i have to i will. Hopefully someone can chime in here and tell me they tried the filter floss with success!

 

[rayn]

NO COPPER!!!! I had a leopard wrasse in QT for two weeks of observation with one other fish. Other fish got ich so I treated with cupramine. Wrasse died two days later, that's when I found out they don't tolerate copper.

I know about the one fish per QT rule, but I needed to at the time. Search for leopard wrasse primer, big thread about it.

 

[lucidheights]

yea i've read most of it, but a lot of stuff is still up in the air about these fish. I've read many instances where copper is successfully used and many where it led to the death of the fish. I know it's a gamble qting this guy and even more of a gamble to use copper, but i am adamant about qt now-a-days, and believe in prophylactic measures.

 

[LargeAngels]

I use Cupramine on all wrasses using a sand bed and never had an issue (leopard, anapses, etc.) I use sand in the QT and just monitor the concentration and add Cupramine as needed.

 

[skibum9884]

do you treat with copper? i'm wondering what kind of effect the sand will have on the copper concentration. I know it absorbs it, but i'm sure the sand will have a max level of saturation where it will no longer affect the water. It's just an annoying scenario of having to constantly monitor the level of Cu, but if i have to i will. Hopefully someone can chime in here and tell me they tried the filter floss with success!

I haven't added Cupramine yet, but do plan on it. I know it's absorbed by the sand, but will work hard to monitor the copper level. As for using cupramine, Halichoeres are generally much hardier than leopard wrasses, so I'm not concerned with my fish, but would be VERY careful with a leopard.

 

[rayn]

I lost mine at the .2 level. Really the first dose did it in. I even had rock in there for hiding that I figured would soak up some copper.

 

[lucidheights]

so a little update to this for anyone interested. I decided on placing a sand filled dish in my qt and luckily my leopard wrasse has used it as his home. No filter floss needed. So far he has received the half dosage of cupramine and seems to be doing fine. Today i fed him a mixture of formula 1 and 2, mysids and bloodworms that i grinded together a while back. To my surprise he ate the tiny grounded food on the first try. Hopefully he makes it.

 

[EllieSuz]

Why not keep the fish in QT for observation and only medicate if symptoms appear that warrant it? I don't quite get the school of thought that medicates automatically in QT. I've put all my fish in quarantine and in only one instance did it become necessary to use copper. The rest of the time they spent their eight weeks in the quarantine tank and then right into the display and I have never had one sign of disease in my DT.

 

[MCCOOL]

I use Cupramine on all wrasses using a sand bed and never had an issue (leopard, anapses, etc.) I use sand in the QT and just monitor the concentration and add Cupramine as needed.

+1

I ended up just putting sand in my QT (the leopard made a mess of the Tupperware sand in a hurry). It definitely absorbs a little copper, but with testing, it's easy to correct. My leopard handled the cupramine just fine, of course, I let him settle in and start eating well before starting the treatment.

 

[lucidheights]

Why not keep the fish in QT for observation and only medicate if symptoms appear that warrant it? I don't quite get the school of thought that medicates automatically in QT. I've put all my fish in quarantine and in only one instance did it become necessary to use copper. The rest of the time they spent their eight weeks in the quarantine tank and then right into the display and I have never had one sign of disease in my DT.

prophylactic medication is the only way i do it nowadays. I'm a big tang lover so it is very important for me to eradicate any forms of disease during the qt process. I used to do it the way you do, but ich sometimes hosts on a fish without any physical signs. At this point, hundreds of dollars of fish later, i can't see myself taking any chances.

 

[lucidheights]

I ended up just putting sand in my QT (the leopard made a mess of the Tupperware sand in a hurry). It definitely absorbs a little copper, but with testing, it's easy to correct. My leopard handled the cupramine just fine, of course, I let him settle in and start eating well before starting the treatment.[/QUOTE]

is the leopard in qt now or is it already in the DT?

 

[MCCOOL]

She has been in the display for almost a year now.

 

[lucidheights]

nice, i hope to have your good fortune. How long did you keep her in copper btw?

 

[MCCOOL]

she was in copper for about 3 weeks, the whole Qt process was about 2 months though. Mine has been pretty easy to care for, taking to prepared foods almost immediately. I think the key with leopards is just starting off with a healthy specimen.

good luck

 

[iamwrasseman]

although the copper is being used it can be lethal to many leopard and tamarin wrasses . i have had great success with importing them directly into the display tank as stress is their biggest enemy . yes the copper treatment may work but it does add considerable stress to an already stressful situation than many wrasses simply cant tolerate .yes the ability to get a healthy specimen is the best chance that we have of getting them to survive in our piece of the ocean .

just my 2 pennies though

 

[steelhead77]

Leopard Wrasses are one of the most delicate Wrasses you could buy. They do NOT ship well and from what I understand about 50% die in shipment or shortly after arrival. I would not put this fish in QT. Mine went directly in my DT and I have 4 tangs. I certainly would not QT and treat with copper. I think you will be fortunate if he makes it out of QT.

 

[lucidheights]

i believe this wrasse to be one of the few healthy specimens to make it through shipping alive and well. She has immediately taken food and learned where to dig at night. Copper has had no ill effect thus far, but keeping my fingers crossed. I am well aware of all the risks attributed to the quarantining of this fish and have chosen to do so on behalf of the well being of the fish that exist in my display today, all of which went through two months of quarantine before reaching the dt.

 

[iamwrasseman]

steelhead77 does have it right for the majority but it sounds like you have a strong one that is taking to QT and copper both better than most .i wish you the best and do keep us posted with the progress please .