I lost my six-line when i drained my tank to drop my sump in. He was wedged into a rock when i removed the rock and i had the rock in a seperate container than where i put my livestock. When i was putting my rock back in i found him at the bottom of the rock dead....It might of been too cold for him is what i think killed him but i don't know. I went out today just to look and found a Bluestar Lepoard Wrasse and fell in love with him. I will take pics i think he is burried somewhere?? lol Anyone have any info on these fish and personal behavior experiences with them?
New Wrasse!!
- Thread starter Cramz07
- Start date
ACBlinky
Premium Member
He's likely buried in the sand -- this is how they sleep, and also a defense mechanism. If they're frightened, leopards will dive into the substrate and only come out when the coast is clear. Sometimes they hide for days when they're newly introduced. Whatever you do, don't go digging -- let him come out on his own.
Leopard wrasses are notoriously difficult fish, mostly because they don't ship well and tend to arrive in pretty bad shape. Many refuse to eat, and some can't because their jaws are damaged from trying to bury themselves in the bag during shipping. If your wrasse is healthy, he may only eat pods from the rockwork at first. They're 'pickers' (in nature they eat things like forams and pods), and sometimes have a tough time learning that the stuff falling from the sky and floating in the water is food. My Potter's (AKA shortnose leopard wrasse) took a while to adjust; at first she just picked bits of food from the rocks and sand. I had to overfeed to make sure the other fish would miss enough for her to get a decent meal this way. Now she takes food out of the water, and will even consume nori off the clip. She hunts pods all day long between meals, so she's getting a nice round tummy, but she still has a ways to go before she's as fat as the rest of my gang. LFSs tend to keep their fish in bare tanks and feed sparingly. Combine this with their reluctance to eat right away, and these wrasses can be pretty skinny by the time they're purchased. If you can get yours eating, expect to feed a bit more food than usual for the first while, to get him back to full health.
Leopard wrasses are notoriously difficult fish, mostly because they don't ship well and tend to arrive in pretty bad shape. Many refuse to eat, and some can't because their jaws are damaged from trying to bury themselves in the bag during shipping. If your wrasse is healthy, he may only eat pods from the rockwork at first. They're 'pickers' (in nature they eat things like forams and pods), and sometimes have a tough time learning that the stuff falling from the sky and floating in the water is food. My Potter's (AKA shortnose leopard wrasse) took a while to adjust; at first she just picked bits of food from the rocks and sand. I had to overfeed to make sure the other fish would miss enough for her to get a decent meal this way. Now she takes food out of the water, and will even consume nori off the clip. She hunts pods all day long between meals, so she's getting a nice round tummy, but she still has a ways to go before she's as fat as the rest of my gang. LFSs tend to keep their fish in bare tanks and feed sparingly. Combine this with their reluctance to eat right away, and these wrasses can be pretty skinny by the time they're purchased. If you can get yours eating, expect to feed a bit more food than usual for the first while, to get him back to full health.
melanotaenia
New member
I had a pair of them for over a year in my 80 gallon reef; I never had a problem with them; they ate like pigs and they were very personable; however, ibid what was said above about burying. Everyday when I picked out the rocks for the nori, they would dash into the corners and like a torpedo they would dive into the sand. They would come back out after about 10-20 minutes.
When I first got them they were reclusive for about a week or so, but they came out every once and a while when the room was dim and no one had walked across the tank or messed with the tank for a period of a few hours. After the first week, they were out all the time except during the night when they would bury and whenever I would mess with the tank or perform water changes.
I have heard numerous stories about these fish being difficult, but I must have been lucky, because the pair I had not only got along, but were very personable, and they were the most voracious eaters of all the fish in my tank after they were established.
Give the little guy some time; if within a week he does not come out, let us know. Good luck, they are beautiful and VERY interesting fish!
I forgot to add that I had to give them up after about a year because I went back to graduate school, but from what I remember the guy I gave them to had great luck with them in his reef as well.
When I first got them they were reclusive for about a week or so, but they came out every once and a while when the room was dim and no one had walked across the tank or messed with the tank for a period of a few hours. After the first week, they were out all the time except during the night when they would bury and whenever I would mess with the tank or perform water changes.
I have heard numerous stories about these fish being difficult, but I must have been lucky, because the pair I had not only got along, but were very personable, and they were the most voracious eaters of all the fish in my tank after they were established.
Give the little guy some time; if within a week he does not come out, let us know. Good luck, they are beautiful and VERY interesting fish!
I forgot to add that I had to give them up after about a year because I went back to graduate school, but from what I remember the guy I gave them to had great luck with them in his reef as well.
awesome... I have some questions about the substrate...i have a crushed coral type of substrate but it isn't really that rocky it's more fine...i bought a 10 pound bag of finer stuff and am planning on if the stuff in my tank is too thick putting acrylic from piece to piece of some of the rock on the bottom and filling it up with the finer stuff...i havn't seen him since i put him in my tank at around 5 so i'm assuming he is buried somewhere...
Lockhartia
New member
I'm sure she's buried somewhere. Mine hid for three days before I was watching tv and turned to look at the tank and say an eyeball poking out of the sand looking at me!
I had mine in her own tank for a month at the store I was managing and refused to take her home until she was eating well. They are great little fish, and I wouldn't trade mine for the world!
Keep an eye on her and see how she's doing before you mess around with your sand. How deep is your sand bed? A good way to look for the fish is if you can see under your tank, sometimes you'll see their bodies under the sand! Good luck.
I had mine in her own tank for a month at the store I was managing and refused to take her home until she was eating well. They are great little fish, and I wouldn't trade mine for the world!
Keep an eye on her and see how she's doing before you mess around with your sand. How deep is your sand bed? A good way to look for the fish is if you can see under your tank, sometimes you'll see their bodies under the sand! Good luck.
melanotaenia
New member
I had fine sand in my aquarium, never used crushed coral, so I cannot speak for the crushed coral......they most likely like the finer sand substrates, less abrasive on the fish when they dive bomb into the substrate
