Nutrition & Leopard Wrasse

[FirstContact]

My Leopard wrasse is too thin.

She comes out when the sun is out around 6am and disappears between 2pm-4pm. She stays in the sand bed when the lights are on 5pm-1am. I feel like she's timid and trying to stay out when most fish are sleeping; otherwise, I don't get why she's not out when the lights are on. I've had her for a while, so she's eating enough to survive, but again just looks too thin.

Other occupants: 2 clowns, 4 male wrasses, 3 tangs, 1 rectangle humu humu.

I feed her 2 times a day and sometimes 3, but she's never eager about it except maybe the first feeding.

Foods offered: live black worms, Reef Nutrition ROE, Nyos Goldpods and Artemis, PE Mysis, Hikari Spirulina Brine Shrimp. I'm adding Selcon. I have some frozen LRS Fish Frenzy, Silver Sides, Clams, PE Calanus all not yet tried on her as well as some freeze dried TLF Calan-Eeze. I also have algae wheels and TLF seaweed/nori.

(Everyone will be going to a separate QT tank soon: 2 or 3 at a time every 2 weeks or so. I'll be moving the leopard and 2 clowns first. Not all my fish have been QT'd, so they are all getting the same identical treatments at the same time in a different tank. I have some Copper Power I'm considering using, but don't know which if any of the wrasses it can definitely not be used on - coris, dragon, six line, checkerboard, leopard. I have no corals in the DT tank the fish are and I'm going to have the tank re-drilled once they are all out.)

 

[GoVols]

Try to find some LRS frozen fish eggs, in your area.


Be sure that you put sand in the QT for your Leopard Warsse, they need that to feel safe.

 

[FirstContact]

Okay, I’ll try that.

 

[homer1475]

My current leopard(last one jumped), is a little weird too.

She only comes out around noon, when my lights come on at 7am. She's back "in bed" by 5pm, even though lights out isn't until 7pm. You can set your watch to her.

I had a hard time getting her to initially eat, but PE mysis, and LRS Reef Frenzy she gobbles up without an issue. You could try soaking in garlic or selcon. Between the 2 I can always get finicky eaters to at least peck.

One sueper finicky eater, I got to start eating by using the fish eggs @GoVols posted about. Great food for finicky eaters! If you can't find it locally, try contacting Larry at LRS. They will ship to you, but prefer not to unless you cannot find it locally.

 

[najer]

It will be interesting to see if it is more settled without the other wrasse'.

 

[FirstContact]

I’m making the frames for the screens on the 75g. The first to transfer will be the leopard wrasse and the 2 clowns. Hopefully tomorrow.

 

[ca1ore]

What kind of leopard wrasse? They are quite susceptible to internal parasites. I’ve had a few that ate well continue to lose weight. Once they get that pinched look behind the head it’s almost always too late. I’ve had this problem mostly with the black leopard.

 

[FirstContact]

Meleagris - She’s not the black one. I finished the screens today. I thought I would move her tomorrow and start with metroplex/ focus/food. I think I should skip prazipro as it can suppress appetite. I have some rally and safety stop too. Maybe the safety stop is the best choice and then metro/focus/food.

 

[FirstContact]

Okay, fed her in the am and early afternoon, but she was gone when I was done with work today. Made a mixture of food with Metroplex and Focus last night and put the food in ice cube trays. I need to lower the salinity of my sw reservoir so I can treat her with safety stop and the rest for wc on the other tanks.

 

[ReefFrenzy]

Just a heads up the LRS Fish Egg product has been on hold for two years due to a poor harvest yield in the state of NC. However we are still able to obtain enough fresh fish eggs to add to our Fish Frenzy® food blend which is sold in an 8 ounce package. It also is supplemented with blackworms and polychaete worms so it is VERY effective at coaxing finicky fish to eat. It sounds like the OP already has some of our food so that should help after a few offerings. Our Reef Frenzy® blend has a photo of my friend's wrasse featured on the label.

 

[FirstContact]

 

[ca1ore]

How long did you say you’d had it. Leopards usually take a bit of time to get acclimated to aquarium fare, but then are piggies. I have a had a few that declined over time, and nothing I did helped. The other are out dusk to dawn and eat just about everything (including nori).

 

[Hemmdog]

Mine like reef frenzy and hakari mysis, my large Moyers likes pe mysis.

 

[sfin52]

Mine eats everything I put in the tank. Leopards take time to acclimate to our light schedule. Remember they just traveled half way across the world and have a strong biological clock. It takes time to reset

 

[FirstContact]

About 4 weeks. She’s in the QT Tank w/2 clowns. I’ve been adding copepods, algae for the copepods and small pieces of my frozen mixture that has Metroplex and focus. She went through the SafetyStop bath with the clowns. I have lots of wrasses and know they love to pick at established rock work with critters, it for my own reasons I wanted to try a tank devoid of that life. None of my other wrasses have a problem with that, but my other wrasses aren’t leopards. Anyway, I altered my plans, and won’t be transferring any more fish until she fattens up or otherwise. I’ll be adding more pods and algae every evening. And I kept the tank dark for several days; however, tomorrow I’m setting a light schedule approximate to but a little off her daily routine.

 

[Tamberav]

Another thing to try is masstick. At first my fish would eat it out of the water column but they figured it out and my leopards go to town on it until their tummies are bulging. I rehydrate it with a drop or two of selcon. They seem like the one that needs to be mixed a bit more than the 'easy masstick' version. I noticed it has bigger pieces and is a bit different.

 

[homer1475]

Mine eats everything I put in the tank. Leopards take time to acclimate to our light schedule. Remember they just traveled half way across the world and have a strong biological clock. It takes time to reset

After nearly a month now, my newer leopard is finally getting used to my lighting schedule. She still stays in the sand for a couple hours after everyone else wakes up, and certainly goes to bed before everyone else, but she at least now is up before noon, and to bed after 5pm.