Where's my Leopard Wrasse?

[Mike612]

I found a leopard wrasse at my lfs yesterday. It was a beautiful specimen. All the fins were intact, it was swimming well, it was eating frozen brine, and it was behaving the way wrasses do. I took her home. I dripped her for 3 hours. I added her to the tank with the lights off and she immediately went and buried herself. The actinics came on and she came out. She still swam properly and took frozen brine yesterday. The lights go out and I watched her bury herself again last night. The metal halides have been on for two hours today and I have yet to see her. Where's my new pride and joy? The tank's covered but I looked around the tank anyways and she didn't jump. Do Leopard Wrasses come out more when the dimmer lights are on?

Parameters are where they're supposed to be. Ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite are 0, pH is 8.3, salinity is 1.025, temperatures 78F.

 

[Anonymous]

I would check around the tank again, and then check further away.

 

[Mike612]

I just checked another few times. If she jumped out of the tank, I don't see her.

The actinics are on by themselves at around 6pm. I'm hoping that she just finds the light too bright right now and that she'll come out when the dimmer lights are on. If she doesn't come out, then I know she's gone and I'll try my best to find her inside the tank.

 

[Anonymous]

I once lost a longnosed hawk that I didn't find until we MOVED from the house. :shock: (Yeah, it was pretty crusty and dusty by then)

I do hope she's in the tank and just laying low, though. It's no fun to get a fish you've been waiting for and have something like this happen.

 

[Mike612]

Found her! I mixed the sand up a bit and she came out. I turned the halides off early so now she's in with the actinics on. I hope she's still going to eat. I want to get some food into her since she hasn't picked at the rocks all day. I'll be back with an update.

 

[Mike612]

Alright so she is out picking at pods all over the tank. She ate frozen brine yesterday so today I tried frozen mysis and thankfully she ate that very well. She's still acting the way she was when I met her yesterday. I tried a little experiment. I wanted to see if she would stay out if I turned the halides back on. She stayed out but wasn't interested in picking at the rocks anymore. Now she's busy following her reflection. I guess I need to get her an alarm clock so that she knows when to come out of the rocks

Thanks for your help seamaiden.

 

[wrasseman]

i have a bunch of wrasses especially leopard s they need to feed 3 x a day or they will lose weight slowly and die . they are high energy fish and what i mean by this they forge for food all day long and this takes up alot of energy. if they dont put more calories in than they expend than its difficult to survive .also brine shrimp doesnt have much food value try mydsis ,its got more meat .and please dont slack on the food ,small portions 3 x a day cause in the begining they may have another sourse of food copapods ,they will soon be mostly gone and then the wrasse will only have what you provide for it ! good luck any Qs email me ive got 35 wrasses and pretty extensive knowledge of thier husbandry requirements. [email protected] my name is dave .

 

[Anonymous]

You're welcome Mike! That's the best news. Better than crusty fish behind our tanks.

 

[Mike612]

You have nothing to worry about Dave. I've done plenty of research and I know what I'm doing. I know that brine isn't very nutritious. I alternate between 5 different types of food during the week. Yesterday just happened to be brine day. Today she ate mysis and some formula one very well. She will do fine in my care.

 

[Anonymous]

Plus, if I may, I would assume that because you're talking about actinic and metal halide lighting that this is, in fact, a full on reef tank, which would imply to me that you've got lots of good live rock and associated that allow a good "pod" population. But that's an assumption rounded out by a guess.

 

[Mike612]

You're spot on seamaiden. It is a full on reef tank as you call it.

 

[reefreef]

Found leopard wrasses are not easy to keep alive for long.
Imported many and they keep dying after a few weeks.

 

[Anonymous]

Mike, I don't know anything about your set-up. Do you run a refugium or anything similar that helps boost those pods?

 

[Mike612]

Yap I've got a fuge. I wouldn't have bought the fish if I knew I wasn't able to supply it with some pods.

 

[wrasseman]

i buy pods and grow them to supplement other foods but you definitly have to keep up a good feeding regimine . i have 5 yr old leopards and they are FAT ! i feed morning noon and nite ,its impossiable to do but i work 2 min from my house so i can !also they make a brine hatchery that i have been using and it also helps .yep they are tough little critters to sustain but its worth it ! keep up the good effort and good luck . P E mysis is a great food they all eat ,even my tamrins,they eat slower ,kinda chew not gulp it down .