Melanurus wrasse??

[Guygettnby]

i did alot of research on this fish before buying it and i noticed alot of people saying the fish would vanish to the sand as soon as you add it to the tank. after adding this fish it stayed out in the open for about an hour until my wife turned the halides on. since then it has been in hiding for going on 4 days now. the last time this has happened to me with any wrasse i have owned was a leopard wrasse. only problem was the leopard wrasse never came out again.

now lastly i am in need of a water change. i have noticed something wrong with a few of my corals in the last 2 days. so i want to do a water change abit early. i usualy do it on the weekends, but something is just not right with the way the corals are acting. so the water change is a needed thing right now.

1. will doing a water change affect the wrasse or scare it even more to where it never comes out or dies? i will of course stay away from the sand as much as i can. but i am kind of spooked because of the leopard wrasse i had.

2. how long would you actually wait until you go on the hunt for the wrasse? really would prefer him not to just die and decay in the sand bed. i know they have been reported to go missing for weeks at a time.

3. i have heard thru my research that these wrasse will come out at night and hide/sleep during the day. something about thier internal clock being off?? wierd but i guess it is possible. i mean the fish was out and active at the fish store. so i know he was healthy before i bought him. but is this possible and is there a method to remedy this?

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

Mine was like yours,added to the tank it swam around until lights out.It didn't reappear for about 2 days.I think with time it will get adjusted to your light cycle.They are more hardier than a leopard wrasse.hth

 

[evolved]

1. No

2. I wouldn't at all. There's no time-frame you can put on this, and if you disturb it while it's still alive, you greatly hurt your odds by stressing the fish more.

3. Time and patience. It would take you a few weeks to adjust your night/day if you traveled to the other side of the world.

 

[Guygettnby]

So basically I need to just try and leave him alone... Wish my stand was open on the bottom so I could at least see if he was alive.

 

[blacklab75]

Patience is the key. My Melanurus hide for a few days before emerging and turning into the ultimate hermit crab killing machine. My electrics didn't stand a chance he would flip them over and suck them out of their shells. He was one fish i couldn't trade in fast enough.

 

[SNAKEMANVET]

wow my don't mess my hermits.I know all fish are/have differant personalties.That would suck.

 

[Guygettnby]

Well he came out today for a little over an hour then went back into the sand. He was very active and picking at the rocks while he was out. Very aware, acting cautious and shy. My potters angel did harass him abit but I doubt that is why he vanished again. Hopefully it won't take as long to come out again, but at least I know he is alive now.

Oh yea and he did manage to almost take a nice sized turbo snail off the rocks too.

 

[gweston]

I have two. They were extremely skittish when first in qt. I started with low light and minimal activity after a slow acclamation. They also hid mostly for a few days, but I fed mysis somewhat stealthily at the start. In a week they were out an about mostly.

Now they are both colorful fatties. One is friendly. The other not so. They didn't pair so are now in separate tanks.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[rgentry123]

Patience is the key. My Melanurus hide for a few days before emerging and turning into the ultimate hermit crab killing machine. My electrics didn't stand a chance he would flip them over and suck them out of their shells. He was one fish i couldn't trade in fast enough.

+1 mine was a demon. Ate my entire cleanup crew and really had some bad algae issues as a result. Beautiful fish but I would never buy another.

 

[RJT]

I had two. They were 3in+ each, not sure if they paired but they lived together for a year with no problems. Had to get rid of them because they liked to eat clams. Didn't bother the snails or hermit.

 

[KCombs]

I have a recently aquired pair in a 30G quarantine; both are out swimming before noon and eat like pigs...after 12 only one is out and by 7pm both are gone.....