It’s been a week. When do I need to intervene to save my wrasse who is always buried?

[Perpetual Novice]

I added a couple new wrasses to a tank with two established leopard wrasses. One of the two new wrasses is also a leopard wrasse. It is intimidated by the other fish and stays buried all day except a couple days where it emerged for less than five minutes. I managed to catch the interaction on video one time. I wanted to feed the tank as fast as possible so the new leopard wrasse could maybe get a chance to eat. All my fish saw I was bringing food and swarmed around whatever part of the tank I was looking in. Only the other wrasses are actually paying attention to the new leopard wrasse. The other fish in the video just want food.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

I know I posted about this several days ago but the title and opening post doesn’t match the current situation. I have the day off work today so I have an opportunity to take action and want to find advice quickly so I can take advantage of this opportunity.

 

[Jesterrace]

Have you tried a mirror to distract the other wrasses?

 

[#1Fellowreefer]

Leopard wrasse takes time to really get comfortable in a new environment and as far as my knowledge goes it can sometimes take weeks before it will come out freely and stay out for long time. I have read it has taken people 26 to28 days before they saw their wrasses out and about. You trying to dig the sand and look for it will make the time even longer and in some cases will stress the wrasse to the point to even kill them. I would suggest and say just be patient and let it do what it needs to get comfortable in it’s new environment.

 

[ca1ore]

Not sure what kind of 'intervention' you have in mind, but going hunting for the new leopard will just stress it further. The only exception would be if you have a tank you can move it to that doesn't have bullys. The main reason to QT/isolate leopard wrasses is actually to get them eating. Putting it into a refugium could help also.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

Leopard wrasse takes time to really get comfortable in a new environment and as far as my knowledge goes it can sometimes take weeks before it will come out freely and stay out for long time. I have read it has taken people 26 to28 days before they saw their wrasses out and about. You trying to dig the sand and look for it will make the time even longer and in some cases will stress the wrasse to the point to even kill them. I would suggest and say just be patient and let it do what it needs to get comfortable in it’s new environment.

Ok. I would definitely prefer to resolve things as naturally as possible.

my biggest concern right now is that it may starve. My other leopard wrasses were eating prepared foods in store when I bought them. This one was barely interested in food when I observed it at my LFS. So it will have to sustain itself by hunting until I train it. And doubt it will get enough to eat sustainably from hunting since my other wrasses are always hunting pods as well. Even if the new wrasse eventually emerges and integrates into the community I assume it will be malnourished and need to eat ASAP. Which doesn’t give me much time to train it onto prepared food.

is this a valid concern?

 

[Perpetual Novice]

I have a quarantine system but it has been used many times with copper and will leach it into whatever water I add. Wrasses can’t tolerate copper right? And I have no refugium. Just a canister filter and 2 hob skimmers. The good news is that the new leopard wrasse is bigger than the established ones.

based on the behavior in the video do you think it will be able to fend for itself eventually? I can’t discern the degree of aggression that the wrasses are displaying.

 

[#1Fellowreefer]

Ok. I would definitely prefer to resolve things as naturally as possible.

my biggest concern right now is that it may starve. My other leopard wrasses were eating prepared foods in store when I bought them. This one was barely interested in food when I observed it at my LFS. So it will have to sustain itself by hunting until I train it. And doubt it will get enough to eat sustainably from hunting since my other wrasses are always hunting pods as well. Even if the new wrasse eventually emerges and integrates into the community I assume it will be malnourished and need to eat ASAP. Which doesn’t give me much time to train it onto prepared food.

is this a valid concern?

Yes I absolutely agree it is a valid concern but what I would recommend is to wash the QT that you have and keep in distilled vinegar for 48+ hours and soak all the stuff in it that you had used with copper and restart the QT once this wrasse comes out and put in QT and make sure you train it to eat first in QT. That’s one way to resolve the issue. As for the wrasse to hide in the sand bed is normal and will sustain as as my research goes and knowledge is about them they go in hibernation mode while stressed and or frightened from anything and will survive in the sand bed for weeks and if they were to die it will come out before that happens. So don’t worry let the Mother Nature do it’s thing and don’t mess the natural process as these animals are very very very sensitive. Hope this helps.

PS: there are bunch of videos out there how to properly sanitize any equipment that was used previously with any kind of meds.

 

[Perpetual Novice]

Yes I absolutely agree it is a valid concern but what I would recommend is to wash the QT that you have and keep in distilled vinegar for 48+ hours and soak all the stuff in it that you had used with copper and restart the QT once this wrasse comes out and put in QT and make sure you train it to eat first in QT. That’s one way to resolve the issue. As for the wrasse to hide in the sand bed is normal and will sustain as as my research goes and knowledge is about them they go in hibernation mode while stressed and or frightened from anything and will survive in the sand bed for weeks and if they were to die it will come out before that happens. So don’t worry let the Mother Nature do it’s thing and don’t mess the natural process as these animals are very very very sensitive. Hope this helps.

PS: there are bunch of videos out there how to properly sanitize any equipment that was used previously with any kind of meds.

thank you. I’m just apprehensive about using a quarantine tank. I’ve struggled in the past with delicate fish not tolerating meds or refusing to eat. I even had a powder blue in quarantine that was eating great but got scared when I put my hand in for maintenance and farted so fast it killed itself on impact with the side of the tank. I also bought a blue star leopard wrasse that had a healthy appetite in store. After a short quarantine I added it to my other tank with a melanurus wrasse that immediately began terrorizing it. I removed it back to quarantine before any injury could occur but it refused to eat or behave normally in the (then copper free) quarantine tank. After a week it starved. I’m afraid the same might happen to this current wrasse if quarantine stresses it out as much as the other wrasse. At least in the tank it could graze a partial diet.

does teaching fish to eat in quarantine really work? Every fish I have that is picky refused food in quarantine and only ate when added to the display. Am I doing something wrong?

 

[#1Fellowreefer]

thank you. I’m just apprehensive about using a quarantine tank. I’ve struggled in the past with delicate fish not tolerating meds or refusing to eat. I even had a powder blue in quarantine that was eating great but got scared when I put my hand in for maintenance and farted so fast it killed itself on impact with the side of the tank. I also bought a blue star leopard wrasse that had a healthy appetite in store. After a short quarantine I added it to my other tank with a melanurus wrasse that immediately began terrorizing it. I removed it back to quarantine before any injury could occur but it refused to eat or behave normally in the (then copper free) quarantine tank. After a week it starved. I’m afraid the same might happen to this current wrasse if quarantine stresses it out as much as the other wrasse. At least in the tank it could graze a partial diet.

does teaching fish to eat in quarantine really work? Every fish I have that is picky refused food in quarantine and only ate when added to the display. Am I doing something wrong?

Well in that case spend $20 or even $10 with gallon a $$ tank sale at Petco and buy a new tank and use that as that will just help you and the fish both so you can feed it individually and would not have to complete for food. Once it starts to eat surely move it to the DT. I have just started in this hobby but I have researched almost four plus months before I started my tank. QT is something that you must must must have as it only helps the process. Also in certain cases where you can’t use safety stop bath before adding any new fin friends to the DT Incase they are bringing anything that you wouldn’t want to go in your DT. That’s just my way of doing it. I currently have my Gramma and Divided Leopard Wrasse in QT for over a month and now that know it’s doing well and eating as well I will be moving them both today to my DT.

 

[TheOne]

I always just overfeed my tank for the first couple of weeks after introducing new fish. I've had some not come out of rock work or the sand for weeks also. If you know where they are hiding just use a Turkey baster and squirt them some food too.