Leopard Wrasse Sleep Schedule

[willisd]

Hey guys,

A little background, I have a reefer 850 xxl
That is very established with the following:

-large blue tang 10”+
-large magnificent foxface 8”+
-medium yellow tang 4”
-medium/large longboard hawk 4”+
-medium/large fat spotted manderain 2”
-medium/large flame angel 3”+

i have been dealing with a persistent flatworm issue and wanted to try some leopard wrasses now that I have a tight lid. In preparation I cleaned the sand bed and added another bag of live sand to insure a good habitat. I ordered a blue star leopard wrasse from a reputable online dealer who performed a quarantine for me and had it eating before shipping it out.

Approximately 2 weeks ago on 5/24 arrived looking great and due to the nature of leopard wrasses and the pre-QT i introduced it directly into the main tank. She hopped directly in the sand and I kept the lights low that day and then returned to the normal schedule the following day. To help with success I also added a TON of pods the following day to be sure that there was not a shortage and over competition. I may have actually added TOO many because they have been all over the tank ever since.

fast forward to today, 13 days later. Still have not seen her but many people telling me 3-4 weeks is not unheard of.

i had my tank cleaning today so I went ahead and turned on my lights very early in the morning to prepare. This was approximately 6:30 and I did a very low blue as I usually do… and low and behold what do I see? The wrasse swimming around looking fat and happy.



I have attached a quick movie but she was out for at least an hour or so looking great, but has now jumped back into the sand a few hours later. I figure the internal clock is still all wonky and she must be feeding at night, does anyone have experience with how long these adjustments can take?

TLDR - I have a leopard wrasse I thought was missing and seems to be coming out at night or early morning. Any experiences with similar behavior in wrasses and how long it may last?

I am super happy to see her and overall not that worried about the sleep schedule but I would like her to transition to a more regular schedule so I can safely clean the sand

 

[i cant think]

Hey guys,

A little background, I have a reefer 850 xxl
That is very established with the following:

-large blue tang 10”+
-large magnificent foxface 8”+
-medium yellow tang 4”
-medium/large longboard hawk 4”+
-medium/large fat spotted manderain 2”
-medium/large flame angel 3”+

i have been dealing with a persistent flatworm issue and wanted to try some leopard wrasses now that I have a tight lid. In preparation I cleaned the sand bed and added another bag of live sand to insure a good habitat. I ordered a blue star leopard wrasse from a reputable online dealer who performed a quarantine for me and had it eating before shipping it out.

Approximately 2 weeks ago on 5/24 arrived looking great and due to the nature of leopard wrasses and the pre-QT i introduced it directly into the main tank. She hopped directly in the sand and I kept the lights low that day and then returned to the normal schedule the following day. To help with success I also added a TON of pods the following day to be sure that there was not a shortage and over competition. I may have actually added TOO many because they have been all over the tank ever since.

fast forward to today, 13 days later. Still have not seen her but many people telling me 3-4 weeks is not unheard of.

i had my tank cleaning today so I went ahead and turned on my lights very early in the morning to prepare. This was approximately 6:30 and I did a very low blue as I usually do… and low and behold what do I see? The wrasse swimming around looking fat and happy.



I have attached a quick movie but she was out for at least an hour or so looking great, but has now jumped back into the sand a few hours later. I figure the internal clock is still all wonky and she must be feeding at night, does anyone have experience with how long these adjustments can take?

TLDR - I have a leopard wrasse I thought was missing and seems to be coming out at night or early morning. Any experiences with similar behavior in wrasses and how long it may last?

I am super happy to see her and overall not that worried about the sleep schedule but I would like her to transition to a more regular schedule so I can safely clean the sand

It can last for months but in most cases takes about 3-4 weeks unless something else chases it into the sand constantly such as a tang or other aggressive fish. Also, Leopard Wrasses aren’t known for eating pests however some may do it. Mandarins are known for eating red bugs and some other flatworms but your best bets are with Halichoeres wrasses.

 

[Arego]

They'll figure it out, they probably already know and come out when they feel it's safe. I have 14 wrasse in a 250 and this is my experience with new addition behavior.

 

[willisd]

Interesting, I wonder if possibly my Mandarin is scaring him into the sand, or my big fish swimming around. The foxface does tend to pace sometimes.

I have read conflicting reports on all the Wrasses that may eat them saying it was hit or miss. I wasn't aware the leopards that doubtful, I know my manderain does eat some so I was hoping the possible reports of leopards may help the population. I still plan to do another wave of exit i just want a natural predation source.

The issue i have with Halichoeres is their impact on the rest of my CuC, but if the leopards don't do the job I may go down that path with a Christmas or Melanarus

 

[i cant think]

Interesting, I wonder if possibly my Mandarin is scaring him into the sand, or my big fish swimming around. The foxface does tend to pace sometimes.

I have read conflicting reports on all the Wrasses that may eat them saying it was hit or miss. I wasn't aware the leopards that doubtful, I know my manderain does eat some so I was hoping the possible reports of leopards may help the population. I still plan to do another wave of exit i just want a natural predation source.

The issue i have with Halichoeres is their impact on the rest of my CuC, but if the leopards don't do the job I may go down that path with a Christmas or Melanarus

I have a H. iridis and let me tell you, the smaller Halichoeres guys do nothing towards CUC when compared to the large guys like my H. chloropterus! I have 3 large hermits (And I mean large) and about 6 snails. I go with hard shelled CUC such as Trochus snails and if not that then I go for the nocturnal CUC such as Nassarius snails. The only snails that get picked off have been my Turbos, I still have most trochus and all 4 nassarius.

Definitely go for a smaller Halichoeres specimen such as H. iridis, H. cosmetus, or H. chrysus. Some are 50/50 but most will go for Pests, my iridis was a backup Halichoeres for my Jade and he will graze on microfauna like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t complain as he helps with pests and what not (He loves flatworms and bristleworms)

 

[doubleshot00]

Im on my second LW and will say they are very finicky compared to other fish i have. The first one was out all the time for 3 days 4 day he was gone. On day 5 i saw him under a rock looking weird. So i watched for a while and he couldn’t swim right. Reached right in a scooped him out. Dead within 3 hours of me finding him.

Second LW (not introduced to DT this time in a WT tank with coral and Firefish) was out and about day one. Day two he found the tupperware container of sand. Hes been in that sad for two days now. I check on him every other day. Just to make sure he’s alive.

Its a weird species compared to my flasher wrasse. Which is always out and about. My lfs has a large on in there main display and hes had 5 over the years and thats the only one to make it past 6months to a year. He told me hes 5 years old. Good luck. I really want this fish compared to some wrasses as they are so calm natured.

 

[i cant think]

Im on my second LW and will say they are very finicky compared to other fish i have. The first one was out all the time for 3 days 4 day he was gone. On day 5 i saw him under a rock looking weird. So i watched for a while and he couldn’t swim right. Reached right in a scooped him out. Dead within 3 hours of me finding him.

Second LW (not introduced to DT this time in a WT tank with coral and Firefish) was out and about day one. Day two he found the tupperware container of sand. Hes been in that sad for two days now. I check on him every other day. Just to make sure he’s alive.

Its a weird species compared to my flasher wrasse. Which is always out and about. My lfs has a large on in there main display and hes had 5 over the years and thats the only one to make it past 6months to a year. He told me hes 5 years old. Good luck. I really want this fish compared to some wrasses as they are so calm natured.

When they go into the sand, don’t try disturb them as it will add to the stress but also elongate the period of being in sand.
Totally agree on you with them being so different compared to other wrasses - Paracheilinus and Cirrhilabrus are totally different behaviour and body shapes to these guys!

 

[doubleshot00]

When they go into the sand, don’t try disturb them as it will add to the stress but also elongate the period of being in sand.
Totally agree on you with them being so different compared to other wrasses - Paracheilinus and Cirrhilabrus are totally different behaviour and body shapes to these guys!

What if he dies and i get an ammonia spike in such a small tank? That is my concern.

 

[willisd]

I have a H. iridis and let me tell you, the smaller Halichoeres guys do nothing towards CUC when compared to the large guys like my H. chloropterus! I have 3 large hermits (And I mean large) and about 6 snails. I go with hard shelled CUC such as Trochus snails and if not that then I go for the nocturnal CUC such as Nassarius snails. The only snails that get picked off have been my Turbos, I still have most trochus and all 4 nassarius.

Definitely go for a smaller Halichoeres specimen such as H. iridis, H. cosmetus, or H. chrysus. Some are 50/50 but most will go for Pests, my iridis was a backup Halichoeres for my Jade and he will graze on microfauna like there’s no tomorrow. I don’t complain as he helps with pests and what not (He loves flatworms and bristleworms)

i am still planning on putting in a black leopard female in a few weeks and will see if I can get a smaller specimen of some of the species you suggested. Would like another wrasse in there to keep them female and another bad cop predator.

Little update, while we were cleaning since I had seen her earlier I wasn’t as worried about accidentally disturbing her and she did organically come out and said hello. She was swimming around confidently and looked good so this does look like a sleep schedule thing. Caught a quick video of her as well.

 

[i cant think]

What if he dies and i get an ammonia spike in such a small tank? That is my concern.

What size tank is it?
In most cases if a fish dies and is small like a leopard wrasse then it won’t cause an ammonia spike. I’ve found if a sand sleeping wrasse dies then usually you’ll find their body above the sand.

 

[doubleshot00]

What size tank is it?
In most cases if a fish dies and is small like a leopard wrasse then it won’t cause an ammonia spike. I’ve found if a sand sleeping wrasse dies then usually you’ll find their body above the sand.

And hes dead. 2 of the same wrasses from two different stores. Only lasted 4 days. Dont think ill try another. What a let down.

 

[i cant think]

And hes dead. 2 of the same wrasses from two different stores. Only lasted 4 days. Dont think ill try another. What a let down.

Leopards are a nightmare, I often wait for them to reach Atleast a month in the store before bringing them home.

 

[doubleshot00]

Leopards are a nightmare, I often wait for them to reach Atleast a month in the store before bringing them home.

Who knows i wont be trying this species again. Maybe ill try a melanarus next.

 

[willisd]

i paid a premium to get mine preQTed so I could go direct to the DT To avoid some of the stress. Might want to look into that next time.

I haven’t seen him yet today and did some muted lighting earlier. I’ve decided to stop messing with the schedule to help get him regular faster.

 

[homer1475]

3 to 4 weeks is pretty normal for a wild specimen to get used to your light schedule. If you keep messing with it, and the lights, it may take longer.

My current melegris will come out around feeding time in the morning(10am), sleep for a few hours during the day, then be out after lights out. This was after being acclimated to my light schedule over the last 2 years.She just decided that was going to be her current schedule, after she used to be out when the lights came on, to just about a half hour before they went out.

Very easily stressed fish, but are pretty hardy once they get used to tank life.

I second they are not great pest hunters, cool wrasses for sure, but not great at hunting pests. Melagris, or H. Chrysus would be a better solution. They don't normally pick on larger CUC, and larger ornamental shrimp are ok.

 

[doubleshot00]

3 to 4 weeks is pretty normal for a wild specimen to get used to your light schedule. If you keep messing with it, and the lights, it may take longer.

My current melegris will come out around feeding time in the morning(10am), sleep for a few hours during the day, then be out after lights out. This was after being acclimated to my light schedule over the last 2 years.She just decided that was going to be her current schedule, after she used to be out when the lights came on, to just about a half hour before they went out.

Very easily stressed fish, but are pretty hardy once they get used to tank life.

I second they are not great pest hunters, cool wrasses for sure, but not great at hunting pests. Melagris, or H. Chrysus would be a better solution. They don't normally pick on larger CUC, and larger ornamental shrimp are ok.

I just want a wrasse that will work. Like eat pests.

 

[codenfx]

Leopards are a nightmare, I often wait for them to reach Atleast a month in the store before bringing them home.

This was my experience. My first 2 leopard wrasse died 2 days after putting them in the tank, they were a new batch of shipment my LFS got on the same day, probably went through loads of stress, I didn't think of it until after. I decided to try again 2 months later when it's settled in the LFS already and they're doing great now. They were expensive but worth keeping.

 

[blaxsun]

When you find a good leopard wrasse - they come out of the sand like clockwork (especially at feeding time). While they're known to disappear into the sand for days on end, my experience has been that when they start doing this they're not long for this world.

Definitely get one from a LFS as opposed to ordering online - because they really need to be observed. If they're hiding in the sand - pass. If they're not actively eating - pass. And if they're hiding behind rocks, decorations, etc. - pass. You want a healthy, active and curious fish in order to have the best chance of survival in your tank.

 

[JCM]

I just want a wrasse that will work. Like eat pests.

Then you want a Halichoeres species.

 

[willisd]

When you find a good leopard wrasse - they come out of the sand like clockwork (especially at feeding time). While they're known to disappear into the sand for days on end, my experience has been that when they start doing this they're not long for this world.

Definitely get one from a LFS as opposed to ordering online - because they really need to be observed. If they're hiding in the sand - pass. If they're not actively eating - pass. And if they're hiding behind rocks, decorations, etc. - pass. You want a healthy, active and curious fish in order to have the best chance of survival in your tank.

I would agree with you. My primary concern was with the health of my existing inhabitants first and foremost and I had observed the wrasse some but I would like to see the fish's personality beforehand next time.

She did not come out yesterday but I am not worried. Per @homer1475 's advice I will not be touching my light schedule at all and my sand bed minimally for the next few weeks and hopefully she gets used to things. There are plenty of pods for food and she did look good when i saw her the other day.

Regarding @homer1475 'srecommendations, is the Melagris the leopard of choice for pests? In retrospect it was silly of me to classify all "leopards" as pest eaters... does Negrosensis tend to go after pests?

​