Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse care?

[PaxRoma]

he is the most mysterious fish in my tank, very stealthy and I have never seen him eat. Frankly I have no idea how he survive all this time. I see him maybe 3-4 times a day, more often at dusk.I don't really see him nipping at any coral or clams so I think he is reef safe.

 

[trinidiver]

I have the yellow banded possum and he is always in and out of the rockworks. Dont know myself what he eats but he is always picking at the rocks. Maybe its live brine shrimp or very small critters. He moves around the tank not even bothered by the other fish. Never saw him bother any corals, inverts or even my feather dusters.

 

[Tethered_Limbs]

my tanaka comes out against other more aggressive tank mates to snag the first mysis out of the turkey baster. never aggressive but doesnt take any crap either

 

[TauReef]

My Possum Wrasse absolutely loved mysis, bloodworms, and the meaty bits from Rod's food. It would go after that stuff all day. It was very peaceful, easily bullied, and quite skiddish for the first few months. After the first few months it would speed around the tank near the rocks looking for pods. I even saw it eat a few flatworms too. I had it for 3 years until a tank break down which it did do well with. One of my favorite fish of all time.

 

[TauReef]

its WYSIWYG but he faded much in color I guess because he hasn't been feeding.
thanks for the encouragement guys. I guess Ill wait and see

I noticed that this fish also changes color depending on it's mood and time of day. It is very pale during lights out and when it is stressed.

 

[greengeco82]

I wanted to bring this thread back... Has anyone had one with another wrasse? Do you think they would do well with a 6-line?
I have had mine for about 2 months now. I thought he was dead for the first 3 weeks. Now I see him mostly at the pm. He doesnt eat my food, but is always picking at the frag racks and rocks.

 

[Jeremy1988]

I had a nigropinnata for about a year before it jumped through a tiny opening. Very cool, no nonsense kind of fish. Very cryptic except at feeding time. I read they are cave dwellers in nature and pretty much live in the live rock. I don't have any aggressive fish that would have kept it hidden.

That's a beautiful fish you got there. Good luck. Makes me miss my little bug-eyed friend. Cheers.

Getting one in a few month...what was your situation where he jumped out? Did you have a canopy?

 

[Fish Biscuit]

I wanted to bring this thread back... Has anyone had one with another wrasse? Do you think they would do well with a 6-line?
I have had mine for about 2 months now. I thought he was dead for the first 3 weeks. Now I see him mostly at the pm. He doesnt eat my food, but is always picking at the frag racks and rocks.

They both eats pods, I don't think it would work.

Depending on tank size a fairy or flasher would be ok, use an acclimation box.

 

[PaxRoma]

Getting one in a few month...what was your situation where he jumped out? Did you have a canopy?

I just want to give an update to my original post. The pygmy is still alive and well in the tank. I never see him feed. I get to see him once or twice a day dashing from one rock to another.

 

[jalisco]

Figured I'd add my obersvations... in a bare bottom qt with a few chunks of live rock I had tanakas and yellow banded. Both became hand fed within a few days out braving a white spotted filefish, helfrichi firefish, dracula goby, yasha goby, blaze clown, darwin clown and royal gramma. After 4 months in qt the tanaka became the third fish in the dt behind the helfrichi and yasha. The dt has way more hiding places and the tanaka no longer recognizes me, feeds from my hand or eats frozen or pellets. When the yasha and helfrichi come out to eat frozen or pellets, the tanka wakes up and feverishly goes around eating all the pods I propogated for a future ruby red dragonette.

My yellow banded is still in qt waiting for these guys on the lower end of the totem pole to establish themselves in the dt. The yellow banded still gets excited to see me each day and still feeds from my hand. The tanka sneaks from shadow to shadow, crevice to crevice and completely abandoned the big personality it displayed in the bare bottom, over crowded tank where it was hand tame in less than 48 hours.

 

[CoralNerd]

Yeah, Tanaka Pygmy Wrasse are not going to be out swimming in your face in a dedicated tank however you do see them all the time cruising. Mine comes out to eat with the crowd of 20 fish. It's a very cool wrasse just don't get aggressive wrasse to go with them.

 

[Jeremy1988]

Yeah I have had mine for over a year now...they don't really stay out in the open like Coral nerd said...but they kind of do swim in and out of places and sort of hover for a little bit then usually make a move back into a rock or something. I also think that the more peaceful of a tank you have the more you will see them. Mine during feeding time kinda like Jalisco said has to "wake up"...I pipet feed my tank...not spot feed but sorta I guess to keep bio load down....so I just take the pipet and hold it in the water for maybe 10 seconds and when all the other fish start realizing whats going on they "wake up"...they are really slow fish though...probably the slowest I'v ever seen. I mean at a full on dart there not even fast at all.

There also cool bc like Coral Nerd said they don't really get bothered by other fishes though or bother them...there really quarky and have strange manerisms and swimming behaviors imo....but I love them...there also a bit pricy...usually 70 does most ppl agree...and ordering online not the best shippers!

 

[jalisco]

Fascinating lil fellas. Jeremy did you quarantine yours? I am amazed at how tractable they are in qt (pvc hiding spots and a few pieces of live rock in bb qt). In a matter of hours they eat from my hand, come to the glass when you "pet" it with your finger and eat mysis, spirolina brine, reef caviar, pellets and rods... yet when I put them in dt they don't know me and only eat the gd pod population I propagated over the past 6 months in hopes of housing a ruby red dragonette.

 

[Jeremy1988]

Fascinating lil fellas. Jeremy did you quarantine yours? I am amazed at how tractable they are in qt (pvc hiding spots and a few pieces of live rock in bb qt). In a matter of hours they eat from my hand, come to the glass when you "pet" it with your finger and eat mysis, spirolina brine, reef caviar, pellets and rods... yet when I put them in dt they don't know me and only eat the gd pod population I propagated over the past 6 months in hopes of housing a ruby red dragonette.

Hey Jalisco, yes I did quarantine mine...in a 10 Gallon for 3 months....12 weeks (life cycle of MOST ick strains....that we know of). I am sending you the link to 2 of my Youtube vids . One when he was in quarantine along time ago! And a very recent one. The most recent on will help u understand there feeding behaviors and how they act in a peaceful tank...I cannot vouch on the semi to more aggressive tanks. I think this video will help u and give u a better "gauge" of how you need to feed him...try a pipet...they can be skittish for a while, and yes there good pod eaters...unless you have a huge pod population and at night you can see lots of them scurrying I would be very leary of getting a dragonet. However thats a whole another story.

The first link is the wrasse feeding in my 90 gallon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPRqXXQPEt0. The 2nd one is General information and a spot light video on them. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkWR2OSYlNY&t=8s. The 3rd one is him as a toddler way way back when. Dang I have had him right at a year, time flys! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brXGs-ODRE4. My videos are pretty detailed...I think they will help you a lot and being able to see how IMO a happy and relaxed Wrasse like that should be behaving with others...

 

[PaxRoma]

A little update: still have the Tanaka Pygmy so its almost 8 years now and I never see the critter come out at feeding. The only time I see him is when he darts in and out of rocks during sunset. I guess he's doing alright eating rocks.

 

[jalisco]

Mine is out and about all day now and comes to the glass when I touch it. He just took more time to readjust to the new tank. Love watching him weave in and out of crevices.