My fish (Checkerboard Wrasse) disappeared!

ScubaSkeets · Mar 5, 2021

Hi folks!
So I bought a new Checkerboard Wrasse home last night. After acclimating him, I put him in the tank. Watched him for a few minutes to make sure he was fine and none of the other fish were bothering him and all was good. I went to get my phone to take a pic and came back and he has been missing since! I have moved most of my rock around and stirred some of the sand up, but unless he is hiding really REALLY good, it seems like he has vanished! In the unlikely event that other fish ate him, surely I would have seen bits of him...I was only away for 2 or 3 minutes. A I have checked the floor around the tank in case he happened to jump out, but nothing. He's a juvenile, only 2 inches and he's not much smaller than the largest fish in the tank. And I have no snails or crabs in the tank.
Are Checkerboard Wrasses known to hide very, very good like this or what?

landlubber · Mar 5, 2021

1. is your tank covered?
2. if you don't see it anywhere in the tank its probably stressed and hiding. the last thing you want to be doing is digging it out.
for context one of my wrasses hid for 20 days when introduced. he was fine and didn't look any worse for the wear.
just exercise patience on this one.

HB AL · Mar 5, 2021

Its normal if a newly introduced wrasse hides in the sand or rocks for multiple days. It will slowly start coming out a little bit at a time till it feels comfortable then it will be out and about like the other fish.

nereefpat · Mar 5, 2021

Halichoeres genus wrasses hide and sleep in the sand.

Don't mess with the sand to find it. If you're sure that it didn't jump, then it's in the sand.

ScubaSkeets · Mar 5, 2021

landlubber said:
1. is your tank covered?
2. if you don't see it anywhere in the tank its probably stressed and hiding. the last thing you want to be doing is digging it out.
for context one of my wrasses hid for 20 days when introduced. he was fine and didn't look any worse for the wear.
just exercise patience on this one.

Thanks. Yes, it is covered, but there is a small gap in the back. I checked to make sure he wasn't lucky (or unlucky) enough to make it through there. Nothing.
20 days?!? Whoa! He must have been hungry!