No more wrasses for me
- Thread starter MellowReefer
- Start date
So what's your protocol of using prazipro? Fresh water dip to reduce the number of parasites before you use PP or fat up the fish so it can stand a chance during the PP period.
I've also done FW dips where so many flukes fell off, that the fish was in shock, and eventually died. I'm not sure one can do anything in such a case.
That said, unless a fish looks to be in imminent danger of death, I don't prazi my fish until several weeks into QT. But as I said, that's no guarantee.
knight2255
New member
I'm done with mccoskers. I tried 4 times, yesterday I found the latest one dead in the sump. Looked very pale the whole 2 weeks I've had it, but ate well. I have a carpenters tho that is super healthy, will get another one of those next time.
Deinonych
New member
Old thread, but thought I'd chime in with some additional anecdotal info. I have a Filamented Flasher Wrasse (P. filamentosus) in QT with a firefish and a Royal Gramma. Last week I started the fish on Prazipro and the wrasse went into a kind of catatonic state of sorts - he swam to the lower left side of the aquarium and hovered there with a glazed look in his eyes. After a day or so, he gradually resumed actively swimming. He continued to eat normally so it didn't concern me. The firefish and RG were completely unfazed by the treatment. The wrasse visibly had flukes (a couple on his dorsal fin), and they were killed within a few hours of the Prazi treatment, so maybe he had a fairly heavy infestation that knocked him out of balance a bit.
Yesterday, I started CP treatment for the fish @ 60mg/g. Same behavior occurred almost immediately upon dosing the aquarium with CP -- back to the lower left side of the aquarium hovering with a glazed look. The same behavior continued today, although he did take a break every now and then to circle the aquarium before returning to the lower left. He is eating, but not with the same gusto as before. I did a partial WC to get the CP down to 40mg/g this evening right before lights out, so hopefully he'll improve tomorrow. Again, the firefish and RG are completely unfazed. I had a McCosker's before that went through Prazi and Cupramine without incident, so this is a bit of a surprise for me.
Yesterday, I started CP treatment for the fish @ 60mg/g. Same behavior occurred almost immediately upon dosing the aquarium with CP -- back to the lower left side of the aquarium hovering with a glazed look. The same behavior continued today, although he did take a break every now and then to circle the aquarium before returning to the lower left. He is eating, but not with the same gusto as before. I did a partial WC to get the CP down to 40mg/g this evening right before lights out, so hopefully he'll improve tomorrow. Again, the firefish and RG are completely unfazed. I had a McCosker's before that went through Prazi and Cupramine without incident, so this is a bit of a surprise for me.
MellowReefer
New member
Thanks for reviving the thread, as I have great news to share 
I didn't give up on wrasses, despite how dejected I was when I wrote this thread. I am now the proud owner of two beautiful wrasses, a McCosker's Flasher and an Orange-Back Fairy. I ended up getting them from a new LFS that has very healthy livestock. I used the tank transfer method with Prazipro. I started the Prazipro on the second transfer and also added it for the third. I used AmGuard on the second and third days of each transfer.
I will never use Cupramine on wrasses again, and may end up using the tank transfer on all new fish. I think it helps to keep water quality perfect with new fish, especially more sensitive fish, and with tank transfer they have brand new water every three days. I believe that even if you don't measure any ammonia there may still be some and when you add prazipro if there's even a trace of ammonia it may be hard on sensitive fish. So I think it's best to follow their directions of a huge water change or ammonia reducing agent before dosing it.
I didn't give up on wrasses, despite how dejected I was when I wrote this thread. I am now the proud owner of two beautiful wrasses, a McCosker's Flasher and an Orange-Back Fairy. I ended up getting them from a new LFS that has very healthy livestock. I used the tank transfer method with Prazipro. I started the Prazipro on the second transfer and also added it for the third. I used AmGuard on the second and third days of each transfer.I will never use Cupramine on wrasses again, and may end up using the tank transfer on all new fish. I think it helps to keep water quality perfect with new fish, especially more sensitive fish, and with tank transfer they have brand new water every three days. I believe that even if you don't measure any ammonia there may still be some and when you add prazipro if there's even a trace of ammonia it may be hard on sensitive fish. So I think it's best to follow their directions of a huge water change or ammonia reducing agent before dosing it.
triggreef
New member
I'm glad you tried again. Wrasses are my favorite fish and both my tanks have become wrasse heavy.
Not only that but they are very disease resistant IME, except that many are known for coming in with internal parasites.
FYI the way you did your QT is exactly how I began to do mine some time ago. I never had bad times with cupramine, I'm just impatient.
Not only that but they are very disease resistant IME, except that many are known for coming in with internal parasites.
FYI the way you did your QT is exactly how I began to do mine some time ago. I never had bad times with cupramine, I'm just impatient.
MellowReefer
New member
Okay guys, I hate to take this thread back in a sad direction, but I have to share my heartbreak today, I am doomed when it comes to wrasses. I couldn't find my orange back fairy wrasse today and looked all over the tank and found him dead inside a shell with some of his scales next to it. It was a seashell that was just large enough for him to fit - would he have tried to hide in there and gotten himself stuck?? Or did he go in there to hide because he was dying already for another reason? I mean he was so far stuck up there with just a little tail sticking out, and I couldn't even get him out when I pulled on his tail, so I just threw the shell away. I only had him just over two months. He has been eating great every day including last night. I am so bummed right now.
Deinonych
New member
Well, I seem to have inherited some of your bad luck with wrasses. The aforementioned P. filamentosus ended up dying for unknown reasons - started doing the hovering/glazed look again, then gave up the ghost a couple of days later. Fast forward to my next round of fish two weeks ago. Got a P. cyaneus that seemed to be acclimating well, was eating like pig and was active. Started to see a cloudy patch on his left pectoral fin one evening, so I dosed some Maracyn Plus as a precautionary measure. Two days later - dead.
Today, I received an order from DD for another P. cyaneus along with a Tailspot Blenny (E. stigmatura). The wrasse did not look alert in the shipping bag, but I floated and acclimated as usual. When I put him in the QT, he jerked around and went to the bottom where he lay on his side breathing heavy. An hour later he was dead. Blenny is doing great and is eating.
I'm going to keep trying, but I can understand your frustration!
Today, I received an order from DD for another P. cyaneus along with a Tailspot Blenny (E. stigmatura). The wrasse did not look alert in the shipping bag, but I floated and acclimated as usual. When I put him in the QT, he jerked around and went to the bottom where he lay on his side breathing heavy. An hour later he was dead. Blenny is doing great and is eating.
I'm going to keep trying, but I can understand your frustration!
MellowReefer
New member
Sorry to hear you are having bad luck with them too. My McCosker's is still doing well as are all my other fish, many I've had for 2+ years. I'm not planning to add any new fish for a while but maybe I'll try another wrasse if it's been at my LFS for at least a week. I also wanted to get a tailspot blenny, those are so cute.
ridetolive
New member
I've never had much luck keeping flasher wrasses either. They've always come off as being really shy even around peaceful tank mates and seem to stress easily. I've had much more luck with the sand dwelling wrasses such as leopards and the halichoeres species. Good luck with your McCosker, they are nice looking fish.
Deinonych
New member
My first McCosker's was awesome - very gregarious and active. Unfortunately I lost him during a crypt outbreak over the summer. I thought getting one through DD would improve my track record, but I guess it just depends on the individual fish. The P. cyaneus I ordered was a very young male (just barely into its terminal phase), so perhaps that had something to do with his poor acclimation.
I too have a lousy track record with fairy and flasher wrasses - somewhat counter intuitively, I also seem to have better luck with leopards. Recently got a Carpenters and for the first week or so he was very active in QT and eating everything. Started prazi and all was good, then did NFP for some mouth problems on a butterfly in QT with him and, presto, he's breathing heavily on the bottom of the tank. I have moved him out of that QT into an observation tank with some live rock but he is wedged under one and not moving. Good news is the bristles haven't moved in, so perhaps there's hope ......
Crimson
Member
Wrasse don't seem to like copper and this goes for many other fish as well. I nomally dont use Cu when qt wrasses only Prazi. Also, it seems that Prazi can cause a bacterial bloom
This is what I do if I have to use cupramine:
Bio filter and maybe some floss or non copper absorbent filter.
Based on 10gal 32* drops:
Day 1: Start 1/4 dose (4 drops)
Day 2: Dose 1/4 of cupramine (now at 8 drops)
Day 3: Monitor fish if looks okay up dose another 1/2 (now at 16 drops)
Day 4-6: repeat day 1-3 (day 6 will be 32 drops)
Day 7: monitor fish and wait 21 days from this point forward.
Day 28: prep/ready fish for DT
* Regardless of drop amount I listed please go by what the test tells you and don't go past .4*
Prozipro with cupramine
Day 1: Prozi full dosage
Day 2: Monitor and feed
Day 3-9: cupramine monitor fish
Day 7: Water change.. yes water change flukes release toxins. Now bring cupramine and prozi back to pre-water change dosage. Your fish should be fine going back to the old levels. Also, mark your buckets or whatever you use to remove the qt water with Cu and don't use for your DT. Cupramine is not like other meds as it wont leave the tank (unless you use carbon or some other remover).
Day 30 Prep/move fish for DT.
Or just do two prazi treatments during QT 21 days.
IMO I think this method shocks the fish less. I just use prazi on wrasses.
Paul B method:
Forget all the above, feed your fish live food and or it's normal diet (no flakes or pellets). Keep all your fish in a constant breading stress free condition.
Good luck
-Paul (not Paul B)
This is what I do if I have to use cupramine:
Bio filter and maybe some floss or non copper absorbent filter.
Based on 10gal 32* drops:
Day 1: Start 1/4 dose (4 drops)
Day 2: Dose 1/4 of cupramine (now at 8 drops)
Day 3: Monitor fish if looks okay up dose another 1/2 (now at 16 drops)
Day 4-6: repeat day 1-3 (day 6 will be 32 drops)
Day 7: monitor fish and wait 21 days from this point forward.
Day 28: prep/ready fish for DT
* Regardless of drop amount I listed please go by what the test tells you and don't go past .4*
Prozipro with cupramine
Day 1: Prozi full dosage
Day 2: Monitor and feed
Day 3-9: cupramine monitor fish
Day 7: Water change.. yes water change flukes release toxins. Now bring cupramine and prozi back to pre-water change dosage. Your fish should be fine going back to the old levels. Also, mark your buckets or whatever you use to remove the qt water with Cu and don't use for your DT. Cupramine is not like other meds as it wont leave the tank (unless you use carbon or some other remover).
Day 30 Prep/move fish for DT.
Or just do two prazi treatments during QT 21 days.
IMO I think this method shocks the fish less. I just use prazi on wrasses.
Paul B method:
Forget all the above, feed your fish live food and or it's normal diet (no flakes or pellets). Keep all your fish in a constant breading stress free condition.
Good luck
-Paul (not Paul B)
Last edited:
Deinonych
New member
I've stopped using copper and instead use chloroquine phosphate. It's very gentle on fish, and it only has to be dosed once. For incoming fish, I do two treatments of Prazipro for 5 days each, followed by chloroquine phosphate for 4 weeks - 10mg/l for general preventative quarantine, 15mg/l if there are signs of infection. After 4 weeks, remove CP using carbon and Polyfilter, then observe for 2 additional weeks.
MellowReefer
New member
Why do I keep updating this thread? It's so sad. Only a month after my last post about the McCoskers doing great, one day for no reason he was breathing heavy and laying on the bottom, next day I couldn't find him anywhere. He was eating great, no one was picking on him, I don't know why he died. I have been resigned to the fact that I will never buy another wrasse as long as I live. Please people, talk me out of it, I don't want to be the cause of any more wrasses dying!!!
I thought I had given up on my dream of keeping wrasses, but I see pictures of people's tanks with their beautiful, happy wrasses and I just can't help but wonder if my luck could finally turn around? Maybe I need to try one from Divers Den instead of my LFS?
All my other fish are in perfect health, many for over three years now. I recently added two dartfish and they're pretty but they stay in the back corner so I don't see them much.
I thought I had given up on my dream of keeping wrasses, but I see pictures of people's tanks with their beautiful, happy wrasses and I just can't help but wonder if my luck could finally turn around? Maybe I need to try one from Divers Den instead of my LFS?
All my other fish are in perfect health, many for over three years now. I recently added two dartfish and they're pretty but they stay in the back corner so I don't see them much.
Deinonych
New member
I seem to have broken my bad luck streak with wrasses. I have two flashers that are doing exceptionally well - a P. cyaneus that I've had since late February, and a P. mccoskeri that I purchased back in early September. The P. cyaneus is definitely the boss of the tank, but they both get along fine.
One thing that has changed in my QT protocol is that I no longer use chemicals for crypto prevention. I only use tank transfer now. Seems to have improved mortality considerably for new acquisitions.
*knocks on wood*
One thing that has changed in my QT protocol is that I no longer use chemicals for crypto prevention. I only use tank transfer now. Seems to have improved mortality considerably for new acquisitions.
*knocks on wood*
MellowReefer
New member
The last two were the only ones to survive QT, and I used TTM and one dose of Prazi. Both ate well and looked great in QT. The ones I tried using cupramine on, even with a gradual dose over 5 days, didn't tolerate it at all. If I try again I will probably do only TTM and maybe skip Prazipro if I get them from Divers Den.
What type of tops does everyone have? The one thing I was considering is that I read where someone said that glass/acrylic tops could be dangerous if wrasses jumped up and hurt themselves more on a hard top versus netting/mesh. I have a covered acrylic tank with only an inch of clearing above water level. Wonder if they jumped and hurt themselves?
What type of tops does everyone have? The one thing I was considering is that I read where someone said that glass/acrylic tops could be dangerous if wrasses jumped up and hurt themselves more on a hard top versus netting/mesh. I have a covered acrylic tank with only an inch of clearing above water level. Wonder if they jumped and hurt themselves?
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