Ok guys my LFS has a great selection of leopard wrasses in stock. I know they are always a toss up when getting them but Im not sure which one to pull the trigger on. There is a 3" blue star thats been there for about a month only eating pods but will entertain mysis and pellets. Then there is a 2" potters from sustainable aquatics eating pellets and mysis. Which do you think is the safer bet?
Leopard wrasse
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Reeferdude56
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Potters wrasse, I am no expert though. This guy is though @3FordFamily
StevenBell
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I would go with anything taking prepared foods.That's just me though
SaltyT
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Potters are typically more difficult than Blue Stars, getting them to eat is half the battle but since the Potters is already eating prepared foods I'd lean towards the Potters especially if it looks and acts healthy.
Yes I do...I've had a leopard in the past for 3 years before I had to break down my old set up and move. I am aware of their needs. I got really lucky the first time around and got one about 3.5" that ate anything I put in the tank.
Yes he looked healthy, was hunting the entire time I watched. He looked calm and wasn't pacing in the tank. The blue star was the same way just didn't eat the pellets and mysis like the potters
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Mysis is the only thing my leopards won't eat :rolleyes:
I would try to get them eating during QT; trying different foods. I would feed my tank a mix of NLS pellets and both Hikari and PE Mysis, so that's what I used during QT, the wrasse took to the mysis almost right away, but wouldn't touch the pellets. Since they took the mysis, and I was using it already, I never tried anything else. I also had a good population of amphipods which they would pick on throughout the day.
4FordFamily
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You might buy both they do best in groups. Both sound like a good bet. I've had bad luck with blue star females, but that's very abnormal. I've had great luck with males and every other leopard wrasses, including potters. However I'm 1/1 good luck, not a very large sample size. They generally are not as hardy as blue star.
If you get one or both, they MUST be run through at least two 3-5 day treatments of prazi pro for long term health. It's reef safe.
If you get one or both, they MUST be run through at least two 3-5 day treatments of prazi pro for long term health. It's reef safe.
Well both the potters got sold today so I'm probably gonna pick up the blue star...
Yes absolutely they will get 2 rounds of prazi but I'll do that in my QT, I always have one up and running. I did this with my previous Meleagris leopard and believe it's part of the reason I had great success with her. Thanks for the input 3fordfamily.
Yes absolutely they will get 2 rounds of prazi but I'll do that in my QT, I always have one up and running. I did this with my previous Meleagris leopard and believe it's part of the reason I had great success with her. Thanks for the input 3fordfamily.
4FordFamily
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No problem. I didn't qt most of mine but qt is best practice. I have run two blue star males through qt even without sand and had zero issues doing so.
Kuiters leopards though... 0/3. That's my cryptonite :(
Last two had access to sand and still croaked. I keep several black, melagris, blue star, ornate, potters, even Choati leopards like its child's play. Bad luck with Kuiters!
vedros74
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We all have our kryptonite for me it's vroliks 0/2 with them
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That's still so crazy to me. I just sold my two vroliks wrasses I had for several months without issue.
That said I've killed two red lined, a Christmas, and a melanarus somehow and they're all supposed to be really easy. I kept replacing them (didn't kill all at once I bought them in that order) and kept thinking wow that's rare. Meanwhile I am keeping expert level wrasse and other fish as if they're damsels!
I've been having bad luck with halichoeres though, I had those and BOTH earmuff wrasse I bought arrive DOA :(
vedros74
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It's crazy how that works. I've got a potters whose gone through copper twice and a black leopard and jeweled almost done with copper that are doing excellent. I saw one at my LFS last weekend and almost got it but I had fish in mid qaurantine so I passed on it. Both vroliks came from live aquaria and never really ate and lasted less than a week
4FordFamily
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All of the above Halichoeres with the exception of the earmuff wrasses came from LA also.
I tried six blue star leopards before I got one to stay in my tank. Key is to find one eating frozen. Have your LFS feed it frozen before you take it home. And treat with prazipro if you see any head shaking, scratching, or white poop. It really is luck of the draw
Since I didn't keep any substrate or rock in my QT in case of a need to medicate, the one thing I found to be helpful during QT and ultimate transfer to a DT is to place a container of fine substrate in the QT tank, along with some PVC fittings. This will allow the wrasse to have a place to hide/sleep, and makes it very easy to transfer once the QT process is complete, by simply placing the lid on the container before the wrasse emerges in the AM, and place the whole container in the DT, remove the lid and allow the fish to come out on its own.
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