Hey guys, mainly just coming here to vent. I've kept saltwater tanks for a year and a half now and ever since getting into it I have absolutely adored possum wrasses. For the past year and a half I have owned 3 different tanks. One 20 gallon reef, one 10 gallon fowlr and one 40 gallon reef. I have since consolidated the tanks into one single 75g and am thoroughly enjoying only having to maintain my on tank. Enough backstory, on to the wrasses.
I got my very first possum wrasse from a lfs in the phoenix area who special ordered for me. He didn't look incredibly healthy when I initially picked him up but he made the drive home and acclimated just fine into my 10 gallon QT tank. This tank was only freshwater plastic decor, pvc elbows and barebottom. I ran it with an AC30 hob filter and appropriately sized heater. The possum was in there for about 4 days, eating very occasionally before I started dosing prazipro. I was planning on doing TTM to address ick concerns but started with Prazi first as a treatment. I did not dose all at once, it was a gradual ramp up to the designated amount over a 2 day period. He continued to eat for about 2 more days and eventually started to look incredibly sick and had no energy. I immediately did a water change and ran carbon to clear any meds but it was too late. He was dead the next day.
2nd possum wrasse: Heartbroken from my first wrasse death, I cleaned out the QT tank and decided to try my hand at another possum. My 10g at the time had no fish, just snails/hitchhikers with plenty of liverock and sand. I purchased my 2nd wrasse from the same lfs I got the first one from and got him in my 10g tank back home. He looked much healthier than the first one and I was quite pleased with my purchase. He ate pretty readily for about 2 weeks and all seemed to be going great. I was just using this tank as a "QT observation" tank and if any obvious disease popped up I would move him and treat for it. Well about 3 weeks went by and one day he had quite a large white sore/ tear on his side and I moved him into a barebottom QT set up the same as a previous one. I did not start medicating him yet before he died by the next morning. Again, heartbroken.
3rd possum wrasse: my dumbest decision of them all. Frustrated with the results of my previous to possums I made a dumb move. I special ordered a possum wrasse from a different lfs in phoenix. This store QT's all new arrivals for 2 weeks prior to be put out for sale. They contacted me that the wrasse did great through their QT and I could come get it. I picked it up and it didn't look the greatest by the time my drive home was over (2 hours north of phoenix). Because they QT'd it already I stupidly acclimated him straight to my 40 gallon display tank. All was well for about 2-3 weeks, he was eating well and hiding less and less by the day. Until 1 day I notice white spots all over him, and my royal gramma (only fish in there at the time). They both started flashing at the rocks and sand and I removed them and put them in a 10g QT that day. They both did well and continued to eat for 3 days before ending up dead in QT.
After that ordeal I let the 40 stay fallow for roughly 80 days and ended up not adding any other fish ever because I transferred all inverts and rock into my new 75 g.
My new 75g has my 2 occelaris clownfish from the 20, a watchman goby and pistol shrimp along with various other inverts. I would absolutely love my dream possum wrasse in this tank but am honestly scared at what can happen if I get another. I really don't want to kill another possum. Whats my best plan of action if I do get another possum wrasse? Rigorous QT? Observation tank for a long time? I need help R2R!!
I got my very first possum wrasse from a lfs in the phoenix area who special ordered for me. He didn't look incredibly healthy when I initially picked him up but he made the drive home and acclimated just fine into my 10 gallon QT tank. This tank was only freshwater plastic decor, pvc elbows and barebottom. I ran it with an AC30 hob filter and appropriately sized heater. The possum was in there for about 4 days, eating very occasionally before I started dosing prazipro. I was planning on doing TTM to address ick concerns but started with Prazi first as a treatment. I did not dose all at once, it was a gradual ramp up to the designated amount over a 2 day period. He continued to eat for about 2 more days and eventually started to look incredibly sick and had no energy. I immediately did a water change and ran carbon to clear any meds but it was too late. He was dead the next day.
2nd possum wrasse: Heartbroken from my first wrasse death, I cleaned out the QT tank and decided to try my hand at another possum. My 10g at the time had no fish, just snails/hitchhikers with plenty of liverock and sand. I purchased my 2nd wrasse from the same lfs I got the first one from and got him in my 10g tank back home. He looked much healthier than the first one and I was quite pleased with my purchase. He ate pretty readily for about 2 weeks and all seemed to be going great. I was just using this tank as a "QT observation" tank and if any obvious disease popped up I would move him and treat for it. Well about 3 weeks went by and one day he had quite a large white sore/ tear on his side and I moved him into a barebottom QT set up the same as a previous one. I did not start medicating him yet before he died by the next morning. Again, heartbroken.
3rd possum wrasse: my dumbest decision of them all. Frustrated with the results of my previous to possums I made a dumb move. I special ordered a possum wrasse from a different lfs in phoenix. This store QT's all new arrivals for 2 weeks prior to be put out for sale. They contacted me that the wrasse did great through their QT and I could come get it. I picked it up and it didn't look the greatest by the time my drive home was over (2 hours north of phoenix). Because they QT'd it already I stupidly acclimated him straight to my 40 gallon display tank. All was well for about 2-3 weeks, he was eating well and hiding less and less by the day. Until 1 day I notice white spots all over him, and my royal gramma (only fish in there at the time). They both started flashing at the rocks and sand and I removed them and put them in a 10g QT that day. They both did well and continued to eat for 3 days before ending up dead in QT.
After that ordeal I let the 40 stay fallow for roughly 80 days and ended up not adding any other fish ever because I transferred all inverts and rock into my new 75 g.
My new 75g has my 2 occelaris clownfish from the 20, a watchman goby and pistol shrimp along with various other inverts. I would absolutely love my dream possum wrasse in this tank but am honestly scared at what can happen if I get another. I really don't want to kill another possum. Whats my best plan of action if I do get another possum wrasse? Rigorous QT? Observation tank for a long time? I need help R2R!!
