Rosy Scale Fairy Wrasse Still Hiding

[EasyEd77]

I purchased a Rosy Scale Wrasse on Sunday and it is still hiding in my rock work. I saw him yesterday and he was wedged in an awkward sideways position but was moving and breathing. I checked the same spot a couple hours later and could not find it at all. My tank has a cover so It didn't jump. Is it normal for a wrasse to hide this long?

 

[snorvich]

Tank size? Other inhabitants? Acclimation process?

 

[EasyEd77]

75 Gallon Tank stocked with:
-2 false perc clowns
-1 yellow coris wrasse (smaller than 2.5 inches)
-1 yellow watchman goby
-1 tiny longnose hawkfish (added Sunday doing fine)
-1 flasher wrasse (added Sunday doing fine)
-1 Rosy scale wrasse (added Sunday hiding)

To acclimate I shut the lights off and floated the bags with the fish for 1 hour and 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes of floating I added a little less than 1/4 cup of my tank water every 10 to 15 minutes.

 

[pinnatus]

I would like to comment that adding 3 new fish at the same time in a lightly stocked tank invites a new mini-cycle. That is, before adding the new fish, the tank was in equilibrium with its current bio-load. In your case, 4 small fish. You then added 3 new fish, essentially doubling the bio-load. It takes some time for the bacteria population to grow and meet the new demand, which will possibly allow the ammonia and nitrite levels to rise. The bottom line is that you should go easy on adding fish maybe only adding 1 or at worst 2 at a time. Of course, once you have a bunch of larger fish, say 10, adding a new fish or two will only increase the bio load by 10-20%, much easier for the tank to recover from the change.

That being said, wrasses can and do hide a lot at first when being introduced to a new tank. Plus they often come from around the world, and may not be on the same time schedule as your tank (jet-lagged) and it takes time for them to adjust. So I would say that your wrasse may well be fine, give it some time, and best of luck.

 

[snorvich]

75 Gallon Tank stocked with:
-2 false perc clowns
-1 yellow coris wrasse (smaller than 2.5 inches)
-1 yellow watchman goby
-1 tiny longnose hawkfish (added Sunday doing fine)
-1 flasher wrasse (added Sunday doing fine)
-1 Rosy scale wrasse (added Sunday hiding)

To acclimate I shut the lights off and floated the bags with the fish for 1 hour and 30 minutes. After the first 30 minutes of floating I added a little less than 1/4 cup of my tank water every 10 to 15 minutes.

You need to test SG of the bag water and your tank. Some vendors ship at 1.025 while other ship at 1.019. Depending on the difference, your acclimation may take longer. For temperature acclimation you only need 15 minutes of floating. As another poster mentioned, you may have added too much to your bioload too quickly. But as he also stated, wrasses can hide for a bit.

 

[EasyEd77]

I purchased the fish from a reputable LFS not an online vendor. The store specializes in reef fish and coral. I did not confirm their salinity. However, I am confident that it is around 1.025 since that is what the water they sell is maintained at. It is definitely a good suggestion to double check so the next time I purchase anything I will do just that. I will also take the suggestion of one fish at a time to heart. I am hoping that when I get home from work the wrasse will be out.

 

[pinnatus]

And don't discount what I said about "jet-lag" - these fish come from the other side of the world, and wrasses in particular will dive into the sand when it is time for them to sleep. Mine usually "goes to bed" a half hour or so before the lights go out on my tank, which means they are on an internal clock rather than reacting to light or dark. So, his schedule may be completely opposite of what you have him on now, and it will take time for him to adjust. Maybe a lot of time. So his "hiding" may actually be him just sleeping...

 

[bradleyj]

IMO, It is normal for a fairy wrasse to hide for a few days in its new environment.
I may also suggest that in the future if you purchase another fairy or flasher wrasse, you get yourself an acclimation container to house them in for a few days . This way you can see how they are doing, and also see how the other fishmates react to the newcomers.

 

[EasyEd77]

Good suggestion and an even better reef tank! All I can say is wow...