Can I add these wrasse to my tank

[7h0m4s]

Hello guys At my Lfs they have 2 blue star leopard wrasse that look healthy and seem to eat ok. I read so many stories of how hard they can be to take care of it so I do plan on qt. i have a 65 gallon tank. would this be enough to house these guys? Could I also add another one or it better to mix the different kind of leopard wrasse. I have about 2 inch sand bed and tanks been up for about a year. I do plan on adding a small refugiumin the future I do plan on getting a bigger tank in the near future in about 2 years. Thanks guys


Current stock is
2x clown
Diamon golby
Watchmen
Starry blenny
Coral Beaty

 

[blecki]

For a little while if both are female. One will turn male; the other may or may not. If both do, they will fight. Usually better to just have one.

 

[nereefpat]

What are the dimensions of the tank?

 

[o2manyfish]

I've found the Leopards to be a challenge to keep. I've noticed with the success I've had that while they eat prepared foods, they really prefer to hunt, and will usually ignore feedings to hunt on the reef. If in the year you have have your tank you have well seeded it with various pods and have an abundant pod population then I think your chance of success will be higher. While feeding at the store is a good sign, I think this is a fish that is only going to take food you give it when its absolutely starving when first introduced to a system and would prefer to feed naturally. Over time (6mos to a year) then they become lazier and a little fatter and start to take more of the prepared foods.

Dave B

 

[7h0m4s]

Tank is 35x22x22 I believe off the top of my head. Thanks for the info. I do plan on trying to seed my tank well. Got some pods on the way too. I got a lot more research and prepping I got to do. Thinking about waiting another week and if they still there I’ll pull the trigger on them.


They also got a black one. would it be bad to mix a blue star and a black or would it be better to get the same pattern?

 

[JoJosReef]

Tank is 35x22x22 I believe off the top of my head. Thanks for the info. I do plan on trying to seed my tank well. Got some pods on the way too. I got a lot more research and prepping I got to do. Thinking about waiting another week and if they still there I’ll pull the trigger on them.


They also got a black one. would it be bad to mix a blue star and a black or would it be better to get the same pattern?

No you're ok mixing a blue star and a black. Probably safer

If they make it into your tank and you give them good quality food, they will become fat and happy. You have to nake sure that they don't kill themselves in transit. They freak out and try to "dive into the sand", but there is no sand, just a taught plastic bag which for them is like hitting concrete.

So ask your LFS if they can pack the leopards in bags with an inch or two of clean sand. They will bury in it and have better odds of making it home.

Good food = high quality pellets like TDO, mysis, pods (like Reef Nutrition dead one or live ones) and your ace in the sleeve: ROE.

Also make sure to acclimate them very slowly. If your LFS has a low salinity, you're better off setting up a "landing pad" tank with 2" of sand in it and letting them slowly acclimate raising salinity 0.002sg per day till you're at display tank levels. Then it is easy to fetch them, because you just need to get them into the sand, put in a sizeable tupper to scoop them out of the sand (against the glass so they don't slip out and back into the sand again), and I just grab them then in my hand and release them in the tank very close to the sand bed, which I think is better since they go right into the sand without risk of injury while freaking out. Hope that helps.

Congrats if you get them! Best of the best type of fish!

 

[7h0m4s]

No you're ok mixing a blue star and a black. Probably safer

If they make it into your tank and you give them good quality food, they will become fat and happy. You have to nake sure that they don't kill themselves in transit. They freak out and try to "dive into the sand", but there is no sand, just a taught plastic bag which for them is like hitting concrete.

So ask your LFS if they can pack the leopards in bags with an inch or two of clean sand. They will bury in it and have better odds of making it home.

Good food = high quality pellets like TDO, mysis, pods (like Reef Nutrition dead one or live ones) and your ace in the sleeve: ROE.

Also make sure to acclimate them very slowly. If your LFS has a low salinity, you're better off setting up a "landing pad" tank with 2" of sand in it and letting them slowly acclimate raising salinity 0.002sg per day till you're at display tank levels. Then it is easy to fetch them, because you just need to get them into the sand, put in a sizeable tupper to scoop them out of the sand (against the glass so they don't slip out and back into the sand again), and I just grab them then in my hand and release them in the tank very close to the sand bed, which I think is better since they go right into the sand without risk of injury while freaking out. Hope that helps.

Congrats if you get them! Best of the best type of fish!

Thanks for this tip I’ll make sure to follow.what I learn in this hobby so far is patience is key.

 

[7h0m4s]

This hobby is super fascinating! Silly question so if you had 2 bluestar and 2 black leopard wrasse would one turn in a male or would 1 bluestar and 1 black turn into a male or any possible can happen

 

[sfin52]

This hobby is super fascinating! Silly question so if you had 2 bluestar and 2 black leopard wrasse would one turn in a male or would 1 bluestar and 1 black turn into a male or any possible can happen

Either or or multiple

 

[sfin52]

Or forgot to add maybe never

 

[nereefpat]

I wouldn't go crazy with multiples in a 3 foot tank. Some of the leopard species are bigger than others too. I believe the black is the smallest?