Possum Wrasse Missing

[WitheredMantis]

Hello

I recently (yesterday) accuired a Possum Wrasse. I originally wanted one, and had done all of the research on them, so I decided to buy one. I went to my local LFS to get one, and had one left. The one they had left was pale white, but I thought it was just the lighting, as he was swimming around just fine. When I got home with the fish, it was starting to turn red again. I acclimated it for 60 minutes doing the drip acclimation, than put it into the tank, it was swimming around the tank fine, interacting with the clownfish and neon goby, and the cleaner shrimp seemed interested in cleaning it, so I left him be. When I walked by the tank, the wrasse darted under the rocks, and I haven't scene him since. Do possum wrasse usually do this? I am worried, I can't find him, and am fearing the worst for the fish. I haven't found any sign of him, no skeleton, corpse, fins, anything. I can't rip apart the rock work, as most rocks are large, and my pistol/goby pair has a tunnel, that I do not wish to collapse.

My current inhabitants, (besides the wrasse) are:
Purcula Clown
Neon Goby
Hi Fin Goby
Mandarin Dragonet (eats frozen)
Firefish
Blood Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
Blue CBS
Candy Pistol Shrimp
Peppermint Shrimp
Blue Leg Hermits
Nassarius Snail

Current parameters are:

Ammonia: 0
Nitrate: 0
Nitrite: 0

It's a 45 gallon tank, with no corals.

Thanks, any help is appreciated!

 

[Duke4Life]

I'd give it a few days, sounds typical of wrasses when first introduced.

 

[WitheredMantis]

I'd give it a few days, sounds typical of wrasses when first introduced.

Ok, thank you!

 

[reeferfoxx]

If your wrasse went to hide inside the shrimp and goby cave, the risks are there. Especially if the wrasse scared the shrimp. They have a defense claw for this very reason.

My firefish made that mistake once. Once. RIP firefish..

 

[evolved]

They can be pretty cryptic and shy, especially when new to a system. I would give it some time as well.

 

[WitheredMantis]

If your wrasse went to hide inside the shrimp and goby cave, the risks are there. Especially if the wrasse scared the shrimp. They have a defense claw for this very reason.

My firefish made that mistake once. Once. RIP firefish..

I hope he didn't go in there... That would be death for him!! My pistol once killed a hermit crab, anemone crab, and a sexy shrimp.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Possum wrasses are pretty good at finding nooks and crannies in the rock. It would be highly irregular for it to seek refuge in the shrimp/goby burrow.

Give it time. This is pretty normal for a Wetmorella.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Thanks everyone! No sign of him yet, but hopefully he turns up!!

 

[lion king]

These guys can literally disappear for days, I knew a guy thought his was a goner, showed up after almost 2 weeks. If you've got pods he'll be well fed, they are so cryptic and almost sneaky, they don't just look like possums they kind of act like them. My 1st tanaka's was pretty out going from the beginning, my 2nd one took at least a month before he wouldn't run when I walked up to tank.

 

[4FordFamily]

They can be pretty cryptic and shy, especially when new to a system. I would give it some time as well.

X3

 

[WitheredMantis]

These guys can literally disappear for days, I knew a guy thought his was a goner, showed up after almost 2 weeks. If you've got pods he'll be well fed, they are so cryptic and almost sneaky, they don't just look like possums they kind of act like them. My 1st tanaka's was pretty out going from the beginning, my 2nd one took at least a month before he wouldn't run when I walked up to tank.

I hope I still have pods, remember I have a mandarin, even though the mandarin eats mysis, he will still eat the pods, right? I hope I don't starve the wrasse.

 

[Rybren]

I didn't see my possum for the first 2 months that it was in the tank. Now I catch a glimpse of it almost daily.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Oh, I forgot to mention, during the first, about, 15 seconds, that the wrasse was in the tank, the wrasse swam frantically up and down the tank wall, and around the filter intake, he than stopped, and hid behind the rock, he than came out to swim for a while, and than I came by the tank, and than the wrasse darted into the rock work, and has never been scene since. Is that normal? Also, I didn't notice this at the store, but he was missing half of his tail when I bought him. Also, is it normal that he was mostly white, and not red? To be clear, he was a White Banded Possum Wrasse.

 

[lion king]

How big is he, the banded possum wrasses seem to turn a bit of a grayish color rather than red as they mature. Are talking more of a grayish white.

 

[WitheredMantis]

He

How big is he, the banded possum wrasses seem to turn a bit of a grayish color rather than red as they mature. Are talking more of a grayish white.

he was about 1 1/2 inches long, and was gray-white, with a red stomach. I really hope he is ok, he had only half a tail, and was stuffed into a 6 by 6 inch cube in the LFS, with 2 perculas, a watchman goby, and a Ruby red dragonet as tank-mates, I hope the perculas weren't bullying him. It could have been stressed. Also, when I bought him, all of his fins where erect. I really, really, hope he is ok.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Swimming up and down the glass when first added is completely normal, he just inadvertently found the limits to where he could swim.

The missing tail may be problematic, but not necessarily. If it is just from aggression, and not from a secondary infection the tail should grow back. However, if it did get infected, the tail can continue to deteriorate.

The coloring sounded like stress coloring, which shouldn't be a problem, but without a pic further diagnosis isn't possible.

 

[WitheredMantis]

Bad news, everyone. He was found today stuck to the powerhead. He is not currently dead, but can't swim, his tail got worse, and is currently just drifting around, gasping for air. But when I try to take him out he flails around. I am going to try to get a new one, and tell the LFS that they sold me a fish on the verge of death. He wasn't cheap either, $40 for him. They better give me a new one. Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[cj in sac ca]

I have had a few different wrasses. Some of them would under the sand, and in between the rocks. I agree give it time and it should come out. I also had some that would sleep in the sand come out in the day.

 

[WitheredMantis]

I have had a few different wrasses. Some of them would under the sand, and in between the rocks. I agree give it time and it should come out. I also had some that would sleep in the sand come out in the day.

Thank you, but he unfortunately passed away.

 

[cj in sac ca]

That sucks I'm sorry.