leopard wrasse disappeared

frankieg2293

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so i bought a Leopard wrasse about 4 days ago . i have not seen him since i acclimated and dumped into my 225 gallon DT i heard that most wrasse burrow and hide out until they feel safe. is this true? Should i be concerned? i also have a Dwarf lion fish in the tank but i feel like the Wrasse was much too big for him to get his mouth around. i have smaller fish in the tank that the lion has not even looked at twice, i dont see why he would over look those small fish for several months and go after the leopard wrasse .
 

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so i bought a Leopard wrasse about 4 days ago . i have not seen him since i acclimated and dumped into my 225 gallon DT i heard that most wrasse burrow and hide out until they feel safe. is this true? Should i be concerned? i also have a Dwarf lion fish in the tank but i feel like the Wrasse was much too big for him to get his mouth around. i have smaller fish in the tank that the lion has not even looked at twice, i dont see why he would over look those small fish for several months and go after the leopard wrasse .
Yes, Sand Sleeping Wrasses hide in the sand for several days upon introduction. Xenojulis, Macropharyngodon and Anampses all seem to hide in the sand for the longest periods, some staying under for several months just to emerge quite happily. Your wrasse may be out at night hunting for food and needing to acclimate itself to your lighting and clock. Remember:
All fish have their own body clocks much like us.
 

Dburr1014

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so i bought a Leopard wrasse about 4 days ago . i have not seen him since i acclimated and dumped into my 225 gallon DT i heard that most wrasse burrow and hide out until they feel safe. is this true? Should i be concerned? i also have a Dwarf lion fish in the tank but i feel like the Wrasse was much too big for him to get his mouth around. i have smaller fish in the tank that the lion has not even looked at twice, i dont see why he would over look those small fish for several months and go after the leopard wrasse .
Yes they do hide. I had one gone for 6 months when I had dinos. Found out after they don't like dinos. Regardless, after being gone that long he was really skinny and died 2 days after.

Lionfish most likely see new additions as food and not ones that were there previously. Not saying he ate your fish, but keep that in mind. If it is bigger than his mouth, should be okay.
 

FinnWessemius

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Yes, Sand Sleeping Wrasses hide in the sand for several days upon introduction. Xenojulis, Macropharyngodon and Anampses all seem to hide in the sand for the longest periods, some staying under for several months just to emerge quite happily. Your wrasse may be out at night hunting for food and needing to acclimate itself to your lighting and clock. Remember:
All fish have their own body clocks much like us.
Hi! I added a leopard wrasse like a week ago and haven't seen m... Sometimes when I wake up at night, I watch the tank but can't find the fish... How do I know it's dead? Does it come out of the sand when or if it's dead?
 

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Yes, Sand Sleeping Wrasses hide in the sand for several days upon introduction. Xenojulis, Macropharyngodon and Anampses all seem to hide in the sand for the longest periods, some staying under for several months just to emerge quite happily. Your wrasse may be out at night hunting for food and needing to acclimate itself to your lighting and clock. Remember:
All fish have their own body clocks much like us.
Hi! So I've added one like a week ago... But it never seems to go out of the sand... Even at night a sometimes watch the tank but it never comes out.... How do I know its dead? Do they come out when of if they die?
 

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Hi! So I've added one like a week ago... But it never seems to go out of the sand... Even at night a sometimes watch the tank but it never comes out.... How do I know its dead? Do they come out when of if they die?
Often leopards seem to come out of the sand when they die, obviously this isn’t the case all the time but the majority of the time it is.

If it’s only been a week then I wouldn’t worry yet, these guys can stay under for 4 weeks and longer just to come out acting like they’ve ruled the tank since day 1.
 

FinnWessemius

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Often leopards seem to come out of the sand when they die, obviously this isn’t the case all the time but the majority of the time it is.

If it’s only been a week then I wouldn’t worry yet, these guys can stay under for 4 weeks and longer just to come out acting like they’ve ruled the tank since day 1.
Thanks for you fast reply! Then I'll wait for a couple of weeks. Any signs of the fish being dead? My cuc aren't working rn so iguess that a good sign
 

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Thanks for you fast reply! Then I'll wait for a couple of weeks. Any signs of the fish being dead? My cuc aren't working rn so iguess that a good sign
If you have nassarius snails then they will likely make quick work of a body and drag it up to the surface so if you can’t find any remains then that is usually a very good sign.
 

FinnWessemius

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If you have nassarius snails then they will likely make quick work of a body and drag it up to the surface so if you can’t find any remains then that is usually a very good sign.
Guess what! I found the guy swimming around this morning. I've made a quick video of him while he was looking around and being desoriënteted...(my English is bad). Came a little closer and got back in the sand. But at least I saw the guy!
 

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Guess what! I found the guy swimming around this morning. I've made a quick video of him while he was looking around and being desoriënteted...(my English is bad). Came a little closer and got back in the sand. But at least I saw the guy!
I told you she’d come out!
She should slowly come out for longer and longer in the next few days :)
 

homer1475

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Wild caught leopards often times will hide for a few days. They will come out at night to hunt. Once they are used to your lighting schedule, you will see them more.

I would not worry if I added a leopard that didn't come out for a week or more.
 

homer1475

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I have had many leopards over the years.

If it were me, and it was coming out around 13:00, I would feed it at that time. Just to make sure it's getting fed, and is interested in what you feed(PE mysis, or better yet PE calanus I have found they simply cannot resist). Calanus seems to be like candy to quite a few wrasses.

It will get used to your lighting schedule, but it may take a few weeks.
 

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