Mental1
New member
I decided it was time. I have lost quite a few in the last year and have not added many. When I was moving my reef from a 65 to a 180 a couple of years ago, I had a LFS hold a big monti for me. Well, he ended up infecting me with fw. I used a melanurus wrasse to eradicate them in my 65g lion tank which worked very well. I have tried various wrasses in the 180 to get rid of them. Exit is not an option because the system is so big and I think the hidden population is potentially enormous resulting in terrible pollution of the system.
So I read that someone had great luck with a temminki fairy wrasse getting rid of FW and DD has had them. So I was pondering getting one and knew that I had to add it either with or before a males Scott's fairy. I also really miss my Scott's Fairy and wanted another but really wanted a female too so that my male would keep his colors and DD has had several females which I also rarely see. I have also been drawn to the Maldives fuzzy lions. So there was the trifecta. Last Thursday I bought all three fish from DD.
So of course I had to work from home on Friday. :celeb2:
The box came at about noon time and I quickly opened it. My plan was to temp acclimate and see how they were doing. The wrasses to go in the QT and the lion right into the lion tank. As I pulled the layers of plastic off, one of the wrasses looked really bad. Both of the bags the wrasses were in were loaded with poo. One did look like it was moving but I decided to temp acclimate both. Then I put the lion in to temp acclimate too -- turning the lights off. So after about 15 minutes I opened the bag with the worst looking wrasse in it and my worst fears were confirmed, the temminki was DOA. That made it all the more imperative to get my little female Scott's out of the bag and into the QT ASAP. I reach in and cupped her in my hand and put her into the water. She spiraled down to the bottom of the tank and lay on her back breathing so hard I thought she would explode. Bummer.
Then I went up to the lion. I felt that the trip must have been horrible and the best thing was to get him out ASAP. So same thing (well, I did not cup him in my hand) but got him right into the tank. Again, right to the bottom.
At different points I thought both fish were goners. The Scotts was in what I called the arched back death pose. Breathing very heavily, color absolutely horrible. Friday was a rough day. The fuzzy was just trying to hide, very black and breathing very slowly.
Saturday I decided to see if the wrasse would eat. After Friday night I expected to find her dead but nope -- she was okay. AND -- she ate! Wow. But I did see some ich on her. I decided not to do any ich treatment other than really good food and water quality. My system has ich in it so it is better to get their immune systems strong. But I could not find the fuzzy. Finally I found him jammed in between a rock and the overflow looking terrible so I pushed him out of where he was.
Today I soaked dried mysis in vitamins for the wrasse and duh, added vitamin c to the water. She is looking awesome. Another day or two to get her strong and she will go into the DT. Unbelievable given what she looked like on Friday. Strong little bugger. The fuzzy -- could not see him very well this morning but this afternoon -- found him in a corner and actually looking back at me. He may make it. Tomorrow I will add some shrimp to the tank and see if he will eat. It will make the fu happy anyway.
A long story I know but boy the travel is tough on these poor little fishies. The temminki was beautiful. I always feel bad and sad when I lose one.
So I read that someone had great luck with a temminki fairy wrasse getting rid of FW and DD has had them. So I was pondering getting one and knew that I had to add it either with or before a males Scott's fairy. I also really miss my Scott's Fairy and wanted another but really wanted a female too so that my male would keep his colors and DD has had several females which I also rarely see. I have also been drawn to the Maldives fuzzy lions. So there was the trifecta. Last Thursday I bought all three fish from DD.
So of course I had to work from home on Friday. :celeb2:
The box came at about noon time and I quickly opened it. My plan was to temp acclimate and see how they were doing. The wrasses to go in the QT and the lion right into the lion tank. As I pulled the layers of plastic off, one of the wrasses looked really bad. Both of the bags the wrasses were in were loaded with poo. One did look like it was moving but I decided to temp acclimate both. Then I put the lion in to temp acclimate too -- turning the lights off. So after about 15 minutes I opened the bag with the worst looking wrasse in it and my worst fears were confirmed, the temminki was DOA. That made it all the more imperative to get my little female Scott's out of the bag and into the QT ASAP. I reach in and cupped her in my hand and put her into the water. She spiraled down to the bottom of the tank and lay on her back breathing so hard I thought she would explode. Bummer.
Then I went up to the lion. I felt that the trip must have been horrible and the best thing was to get him out ASAP. So same thing (well, I did not cup him in my hand) but got him right into the tank. Again, right to the bottom.
At different points I thought both fish were goners. The Scotts was in what I called the arched back death pose. Breathing very heavily, color absolutely horrible. Friday was a rough day. The fuzzy was just trying to hide, very black and breathing very slowly.
Saturday I decided to see if the wrasse would eat. After Friday night I expected to find her dead but nope -- she was okay. AND -- she ate! Wow. But I did see some ich on her. I decided not to do any ich treatment other than really good food and water quality. My system has ich in it so it is better to get their immune systems strong. But I could not find the fuzzy. Finally I found him jammed in between a rock and the overflow looking terrible so I pushed him out of where he was.
Today I soaked dried mysis in vitamins for the wrasse and duh, added vitamin c to the water. She is looking awesome. Another day or two to get her strong and she will go into the DT. Unbelievable given what she looked like on Friday. Strong little bugger. The fuzzy -- could not see him very well this morning but this afternoon -- found him in a corner and actually looking back at me. He may make it. Tomorrow I will add some shrimp to the tank and see if he will eat. It will make the fu happy anyway.
A long story I know but boy the travel is tough on these poor little fishies. The temminki was beautiful. I always feel bad and sad when I lose one.
