My radiant wrasse dissapeared

natesreef · Oct 20, 2012

Well, i finally got a radiant wrasse and added it to my tank last saturday. Upon putting him in the tank, he swam around. Then my christmas wrasse chased him, and he buried in the sand. The next two mornings i saw him swimming around the tank before the lights went on but i havent seen him since. Should i run my fingers through the sand to get it to come out? Is there still a good chance its fine? It couldnt have jumped because my tank is covered.

revhtree · Oct 20, 2012

How long has it been since you last saw him?

Wesley42079 · Oct 20, 2012

The Radiant should be fine.

He'll probably lay low so the Christmas Wrasse forgets all about him.

Give him a few days and he'll pip up.

HaleMoana · Oct 20, 2012

No, don't go digging for him. You'll just disturb him and freak him out even more. He'll come out when he's ready.

creefer · Oct 20, 2012

I agree with others. Mine exhibited similar behavior after introduction. I didn't see him for a few days and then one morning before work, I saw him. They are beautiful fish. I'm super happy that I was able to find a nice healthy one. Eats like a pig.

natesreef · Oct 21, 2012

It has been 5 days since I last saw the wrasse.

RalphsReef · Oct 21, 2012

Mine has laid low for more than 5 days at a time. It has also jumped twice, however we were lucky enough to be at home and near the tank when it pulled the stunt.

Squishie89 · Oct 21, 2012

RalphsReef said:
Mine has laid low for more than 5 days at a time. It has also jumped twice, however we were lucky enough to be at home and near the tank when it pulled the stunt.

What happened when he tried the second time? :fear:

JMSKI333 · Oct 21, 2012

The radiant wrasse is an amazing fish. Unfortunately mine vanished as well after having him for about a year. I was laying in my bed and heard a splash noise. I ran to my tank to see what it was and I couldn't find my radiant. I have a very tight fitting mesh net over my tank but I still searched the surrounding area around my tank. I also searched my overflow, my sump, and I even took apart my plumbing looking for him. I never saw him after that... :violin:

evolved · Oct 22, 2012

5 days is nothing. Don't go digging. If he's alive and you dig him up, you will unduly stress the situation even more.

A Halichoeres burried for a couple weeks is not unheard of.

natesreef · Oct 23, 2012

It's now been a week since I spotted the wrasse. Is this normal? My Christmas wrasse never buries itself except for when it sleeps.

evolved · Oct 23, 2012

It's normal if the Christmas is severely stressing the Radiant, which is what the initial situation sounds like. It's possible the Radiant comes out every day or two, and the Christmas chases it right back into the sand.