Question for all the wrasse owners

[Gsellers85]

So gonna bring home my first wrasse this weekend. He will be a melanurus. I have a 2 part question. First should I quarantine him for a while? 2nd I have a little 3G tank I was going to set up for my son but decided I would use this to quarantine for a while, my question with that is, I know they like to bury in the sand bed. I was hoping just to leave the little 3G bare and just add some live rock. Bc in the end this is going to be a fresh water tank setup for him so the less cleanup the better.

Thanks guys

 

[evolved]

Yes, you should always QT new additions.

A 3g tank is pretty darn small for a QT; I'd use a 10 or 20g.

You will need a "sanbox" in the QT; a plastic container big enough for the fish to lay sideways in with a couple inches of sand will suffice.

 

[TJ's Reef]

A BIG +1 to Hunter's advice ^above^ and here a pic of a 'sand box' for my Ornate Leopard Wrasses when I ran them through QT. I used black silicate sand in a plastic tub as to not be effected by copper if necessary.

​Cheers, Todd

 

[Gsellers85]

Sweet, thanks guys. I have a 30g QT tank I just figured for a small fish the 3G might have worked. Just being lazy I guess, didn't wanna have to go through storage to get the tank. I like the sandbed idea

 

[footballdude2k3]

I have had mine in my DT for going on 3 weeks, he is out for 10ish minutes per day, so for the first little while, do not be surprised if they are pretty reclusive.

 

[saltyhog]

I quarantined mine for 8 weeks in a 29 gallon with no sand and some PVC pipe (didn't know any better as it was one of my first fish). He did great and was active and out front in the DT from the get go. Weird how individual fish can be.

 

[Eienna]

You know...I see you've already decided, but I couldn't recommend a leopard as a first wrasse (which kind of suggests to me you're a bit of a beginner? Correct me if I'm wrong.) They're generally referred to as expert-level fish.

 

[eatbreakfast]

You know...I see you've already decided, but I couldn't recommend a leopard as a first wrasse (which kind of suggests to me you're a bit of a beginner? Correct me if I'm wrong.) They're generally referred to as expert-level fish.

...Except the OP got a melanurus, which is not a leopard, and generally pretty hardy...

 

[Eienna]

...Except the OP got a melanurus, which is not a leopard, and generally pretty hardy...

Ah. I was under the impression that the melanurus was considered part of the leopard group, though I could be wrong.

 

[Gsellers85]

Ah. I was under the impression that the melanurus was considered part of the leopard group, though I could be wrong.

...Except the OP got a melanurus, which is not a leopard, and generally pretty hardy...

Yeah I was going to say all research that I've done showed care level is easy-intermediate

 

[Triggreef]

melanurus halichoeres

 

[evolved]

melanurus halichoeres

Flip that, but yes. A Halichoeres species, not a Macropharyngodon species.

Yeah I was going to say all research that I've done showed care level is easy-intermediate

You would be correct.

 

[3dees]

I had mine in a 20 gal. qt without any sand and it did great. been in my dt for 8 months and changing into a male.

 

[Eienna]

Flip that, but yes. A Halichoeres species, not a Macropharyngodon species.


You would be correct.

Ah, okay. Oops! XD