Pinging Matt, Re: Ptereleotris grammica

[Len]

Hey Matt, you still have these fish? I am getting one soon. I've always loved how they look and decided to get one instead of another Helfrichi pair (which I may still end up getting ). Any tips, etc?

 

[Anonymous]

Where do you find your fish?

 

[Anonymous]

Len I'm sure he'll make a great addition to you system after he comes out of quarantine. What size tank do you use for quarantine by the way?

 

[Len]

It's about 8 gallons over the sump.

Ranger,
All over the internet, but lately, fishman at liveaquaria's WI facilities (not DS from LA) has been my main source. There's cheaper, but he's reliable. I've never received a fish in bad shape from him. He does the quarantining there too (at least 2 weeks ... he refuses to ship me any fish before this QT process even if I ask ). But I still do QT (most of the time ) just in case.

 

[Anonymous]

Perfect, that's about all I've needed in recent history, I just make sure I buy young fish.

 

[Anonymous]

Ugh. I hate to say it but they're probably NOT a good addition to your system. You'd be best off sticking these in a dimly lit tank with a nice sandy bottom, low traffic area, and with super passive tankmates like firefish and gobies. They're much more fragile, shy, and difficult to feed than any of the other Ptereleotris spp.

Mine hid nearly all the time, except when I fed them. They didn't come out to eat for around 2 weeks IIRC. I kept them with a small solar fairy wrasse, slightly larger bathyphilus fairy wrasse, Wetmorella wrasse, Pseudocheilinops "pink sixline" wrasse, and a blue striped pipefish in a 50. The tank was lit with a 250 W halide. For whatever reason, they never got comfy. Maybe it was the light, maybe it was the tankmates, I dunno. I had them around 8 months or so (?), and fed them 3 times a day with cyclops and mysids. They'd just pick at food, never became bold about it. They both just got skinny and stopped eating. I hope you have better luck.

 

[Len]

Thanks Matt. Sorry to hear about that. I sincerely hope mine does better. I've always loved how this fish looked and was hoping it would behave like my Helfrichis did (surprisingly bold in the tank).

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Matt. Sorry to hear about that. I sincerely hope mine does better. I've always loved how this fish looked and was hoping it would behave like my Helfrichis did (surprisingly bold in the tank).

Do you have a refugium, or could you set one up on the fly?

 

[Len]

I have just the small QT tank but no fuge. I do have a large acrylic container which can mount inside the tank that I could try keeping it in.

 

[Anonymous]

(googles quickly) Wow, that is a pretty fish!

 

[Anonymous]

I have just the small QT tank but no fuge. I do have a large acrylic container which can mount inside the tank that I could try keeping it in.

Eh, sounds like a hassle.

You have fine sand right? If it's not too difficult I would consider just creating a small microhabitat for him--a burrow with a flat rock propped horizontally over the sand, and a dark cave that he can feel safer in. Try not to disturb his area at all for the first week or two if possible.

 

[Len]

I have fine sand and LOTs of dark caves, including some huge enclosed areas that no other fish seems to want to go into.

 

[Len]

I got it and it was beautiful for the 10 seconds I got to see him. He's been in hiding for about 48 hours now, but I can see where it is. I hope it comes out. When I feed my fish, it stirs inside its cave but never dares to poke out yet. My yasha gobies were also this shy too but finally started coming out a week after introduction.

 

[bleedingthought]

Len, what's your current fish list now?

 

[Len]

I was just asked that this morning Here's what I posted in the collector's forum:

3x Cirrhilabrus roseafacia (one big male, one female, and one small male that is getting smaller .... reverting?)
3x Pseudoanthias bimaculatus (one male, two females)
2x S.yasha gobies (mated pair)
1x Ptereleotris grammica
1x Zebrasoma rostratum
1x Centropyge joculator

I'm probably going to pick up a pair of Helfrichis and call it a day, unless one nice flat-bodied, reef-safe fish comes along.

 

[bleedingthought]

Man, we seriously would love to see your tank.

How about adding these: http://www.liveaquaria.com/diversden/It ... &siteid=20

 

[Len]

I toyed with the crosshatch idea for a little bit, but they are just too aggressive (and big).

 

[bleedingthought]

I was just kidding about those, though. Weren't you considering a bluethroat?

 

[Anonymous]

What about one of them horseshoe filefish thingies?

 

[Anonymous]

I am joking btw. They don't seem very you.