My new wrasse ...

[MIKE NY]

I stopped by Tropical Island the other night and p/u a Melanarus since my large one recently died and I also stopped by Aquarium Village, they had a beautiful Potters Leopard which was tempting also, but I p/u this guy...

unlike the Melanarus which started eating as soon as it hit the water Leopards take some time and it hasn't yet,been only a day, but at least it is out and about with all it's cousins...

 

[ducati335i]

That's awesome, I def need a pair!

 

[jaa1456]

They are nixes wrasses, I have had mine for over 2 years. Still on the skid dish side, but it loves to hunt the rocks. I got mine to eat pellets soon after I got it. It eats anything now even nori.

 

[TRIGGERMAN]

Gorgeous fish Mike!

 

[prattreef]

Super nice Ornate Leopard--M. ornatus !

 

[piranhapat]

Mike, beautiful fish. Love leopard wrasse. Is that a female or male. I hear they can change sex when small. Is that different from five star wrasse. So many different wrasse and then sex have different colors too. I find it hard between wrasse. I also heard they are tough to eat at first but do good once they settle in. Yours ate first day that's awesome.

 

[yesjenks]

Beautiful fish! What will you be feeding him?

 

[LongIslandAndy]

Mike, I took home the Leopard, and a Potter's Wrasse. I also have a yellow tailed tamarin in the tank. The yellow tail tamarin eats like a pig but kept losing weight on the upper half of his body. I soaked some freeze dried bloodworms in Prazi-Pro and within 48 hours he passed a flat white worm (tapeworm ? ) I am not sure if the leopards are prone to worms but the freeze dried worms and prazi may be a good idea.

 

[MIKE NY]

thanks everone and Randy is right it's a juvi Ornate. It most likely will remain in juvi/female coloration, but probably lose alot of the red because I have other larger Leopard wrasses..
I fed a chum of literally a dozen different foods which I mix and fed over several hours during the day...I have alot of anthias and fish which need to be fed. All my other wrasses eat everything except flakes..I even throw in a clam on the halfshell once or twice a week which they pick at before my Regal finds it...
Pat...all wrasses start in juvi/female coloration and may turn into males depending on many things like another larger male may deter it from changing...ex. I have a large M. Melagris( 4.5") which stayed in it's brown female coloration becuase I had a large 6" male Melanarus...since the Melanarus recently died it's starting to change into a male even though I added another smaller male Melanarus. Leopards are a challenge to get to start eating, but once they do they are just as easy as others....most take me about 2-4 days to start usualy with Mysis...this guy was out right away and picking at the rockwork, but not eating yet...and the other good thing was it was accepted with no bullying not even from my PBT..
thanks Andy..It looks full bodied and healthy, but I'll keep an eye on it and that Potter's is beautiful..Gl with it and the others

 

[ohana888]

sorry to hear about the melanarus - he was a beauty. hopefully the ornatus eats soon.

 

[Gabe]

I got mine to start eating with fresh chopped shrimp

 

[MIKE NY]

thanks Doug...he was a beauty being larger you could really see the colors, but he was old and started to develop some mysterious lumps...
Gabe ..thanks there are some choped shrimp bits in many of the foods I serve like Rod's, but they are alittle to big for it....it was looking over smaller foods like brine and the mini mysis....

 

[Gabe]

You'll be surprised how they turned into little savages just ripping through the flesh and taking chunks out of the piece of shrimp. That's how they do it in the wild. I wish I had the video on my cell. Btw I got mine there too, Andy helped me out.