The Wrasse Lover's Thread!

[OrionN]

How long do you acclimate and how do you keep the water in the bucket warm?

Do you drain the bucket partially during acclimation? I'd imagine you couldn't get all the way up without doing that at least once. 50% 1.019 (example of fish shipment)+ 50% 1.025 (example of qt or reef) doesnt equal 1.025 obviously.

I have everything in my fish room so the temp was fairly high. Temp of the room is set at 75 and tank is set at 77.
I use an air line with a rigid tube bend to a hook at one end and a air control valve at the other end to control water flow rate. I just drip water to the bucket, and remove water from the bucket as needed. I have new salt water mix ready all the time so I just replace water to the tank from this.
How fast I want to raise the water is control by how much water I leave in the bucket and how fast the flow rate is. With the same flow rate, obviously 1 gal will increase salinity much faster than 3 gal. For the three Potter Wrasse, I had 3 hrs to work on them so I tried to increase salinity from IIRC 27 ppt to 35 ppt over about 1 hr. They did fine. I just fly by the seat of my pants here, don't have an exact protocol that I use. I didn't add many fishes to my tank for many years.

I keep remove the water from the bucket and check salinity off and on. Once it is the same then I just scoop the fish over to my QT. I did not keep tract of how much water I use but it must be about 10 gals or so. Once the fish all transferred to the bucket, I usually leave about 1.0-1.5 gal in it. The air stone keep the water super saturated with O2 and keep the water circulate. I use refractometer to check salinity. Once the water in the bucket was replaced 3-4 time, the salinity is exactly the same.

BTW, evaborated water replacement (saturated Kalk solution) add to my tank with a pump at a constant rate. I don't use flow valve so as I remove water from the tank, I don't have to worry about the tank water get diluted with Kalk solution. I replace the water to the tank at a time at the same time as I empty the water from the bucket. If you use flow valve, you need to worry about this. Perhaps add water to the tank first so that as the water level drop, it does not trigger fresh water dump into your tank.

 

[OrionN]

I agree I also have no problems with ichat but it's has first sure been in my tank but it will pass as long as you can keep them eatting

I am telling you, that there is no Ich in my tank. IMO, this is because there are animal in the sand bed that prey on them. If there is, when there is extreme stress that the tank went through as my tank did, there will be Ich outbreak with the stressed fish. Because there was no Ich with very stressed fish, I concluded that they were eliminated from the tank, not just "sub clinical" Ich.

 

[OrionN]

You certainly can do what OrionN does and that's probably best practice. For a long time I have set my QT to just a bit above the LA salinity....say 1.018 and transferred the LA fish immediately and very rapidly acclimated the DD fish.

I have found fish are much more tolerant of salinity drops than most people think. I started doing this after a dive in Cozumel where the reef was near a freshwater stream. The dive was after a big rain and when we swam in to that area the mixing water was like looking at a prism. Several people got sick at their stomachs and had to thumb the dive. The fish swam around merrily and even the gorgonians were open with full polyp extension. Never had any issues doing it as above since.

Before that I would set two small 10 gallon QT's to each origin's salinity and adjust them towards each other over 3 days (first 3 days of TTM) and on the first transfer have them in the same salinity.

IMO, they tolerate drop in salinity much better than raise in salinity. Unfortunately raise in salinity is what we often face when we add fish from LFS or MO. There are many cases where salinity get lower quickly in nature but very rarely does the salinity get increase quickly.

 

[saltyhog]

IMO, they tolerate drop in salinity much better than raise in salinity. Unfortunately raise in salinity is what we often face when we add fish from LFS or MO. There are many cases where salinity get lower quickly in nature but very rarely does the salinity get increase quickly.

Agree, which is why I came up with that method.

 

[cancun]

I thought I would chime in.....I NEVER buy fish that are in salinity of less than 1.020. my tank is 1.025.....i drip all fish for 1 hour, I set a timer for 10 min and ever 10 min I add a1/2 cup of water using a measuring cup that is for tank use only. I have never had luck dripping a fish, even using the methods others on here use if dripping salinity 1.019 or lower to 1.025. Just my method....and it is a shame too... because my LFS that I buy my Wrasses from have tanks on the wall with beautiful fish, but those are kept at 1.017 salinity. The Wrasses are kept at 1.025 in their 500 gallon coral tanks.

 

[BigJohnny]

Look what I just snagged on DD!

Been wanting one for a while but QT was either full or not set up.

Wish it was smaller/younger as I've seen 2.25" ones before but hopefully he's got some good years left on em at 3"

No issues adding to a tank with 2 established female blue star leopards right?

How about adding a melanurus after? If I add a male will it possibly cause the pencil to revert to female? I think I read that one time.

 

[BigJohnny]

Look what I just snagged on DD!

Been wanting one for a while but QT was either full or not set up.

Wish it was smaller/younger as I've seen 2.25" ones before but hopefully he's got some good years left on em at 3"

No issues adding to a tank with 2 established female blue star leopards right?

How about adding a melanurus after? If I add a male will it possibly cause the pencil to revert to female? I think I read that one time.

Btw, does it look like there is a growth on top of its mouth?

Any recommendations on QT besides having sand and a tight lid? No issues using copper/prazi? Does eat more like a leopard or a fairy/flasher? I have Live blackworms/LRS fish eggs/LRS Fish Frenzy/Hikari Spirulina Brine.

 

[UABsleeper]

Got my flame fairy today was supposed to be a medium female but looks to me to be a pretty good size possibly transitioning male..

It’s eating great looks fat and healthy and did great with acclimation! Into the acclimation box

 

[saltyhog]

Got my flame fairy today was supposed to be a medium female but looks to me to be a pretty good size possibly transitioning male..

It’s eating great looks fat and healthy and did great with acclimation! Into the acclimation box

Certainly looks like a male to me. Good score!

 

[eatbreakfast]

Look what I just snagged on DD!

Been wanting one for a while but QT was either full or not set up.

Wish it was smaller/younger as I've seen 2.25" ones before but hopefully he's got some good years left on em at 3"

No issues adding to a tank with 2 established female blue star leopards right?

How about adding a melanurus after? If I add a male will it possibly cause the pencil to revert to female? I think I read that one time.

It should be fine with the leopards, though some leopards can be a little bossy.

The melanurus may be problematic. I have found that many male Pseudojuloides have a tendency to revert to female if they are low on the totem pole. Getting another male will likely initiate one or both to revert.

Btw, does it look like there is a growth on top of its mouth?

Any recommendations on QT besides having sand and a tight lid? No issues using copper/prazi? Does eat more like a leopard or a fairy/flasher? I have Live blackworms/LRS fish eggs/LRS Fish Frenzy/Hikari Spirulina Brine.

The mouth was normal.

Go slow with any meds.

Much more like a leopard than fairy or flasher.

 

[OrionN]

Is this Labouti Fairy changing? How near terminal is he? He is the boss of the tank but does not seem to change much since I got him several months ago. He eats a lot and grow significantly but color does not change much. Over what time periord should I expect the change to take place? Am I too impatient?
Two months, almost identical, or even loosing a little color
5/08/2018

6/29/2018

 

[BigJohnny]

It should be fine with the leopards, though some leopards can be a little bossy.

The melanurus may be problematic. I have found that many male Pseudojuloides have a tendency to revert to female if they are low on the totem pole. Getting another male will likely initiate one or both to revert.

The mouth was normal.

Go slow with any meds.

Much more like a leopard than fairy or flasher.

Would adding a juvi female melanurus after its established be ok?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Is this Labouti Fairy changing? How near terminal is he? He is the boss of the tank but does not seem to change much since I got him several months ago. He eats a lot and grow significantly but color does not change much. Over what time periord should I expect the change to take place? Am I too impatient?
Two months, almost identical, or even loosing a little color
5/08/2018

6/29/2018

Not terminal, but pretty advanced.

Would adding a juvi female melanurus after its established be ok?

Not likely. A melanurus will pretty quickly advance the social hierarchy ladder.

 

[BigJohnny]

Not terminal, but pretty advanced.

Not likely. A melanurus will pretty quickly advance the social hierarchy ladder.

Rough, so what kind of wrasses could I add after that wouldn't cause the pencil to revert? No halichoeres at all?

Female leopards and the peaceful fairys? What about a red tail tamarin?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Rough, so what kind of wrasses could I add after that wouldn't cause the pencil to revert? No halichoeres at all?

Female leopards and the peaceful fairys? What about a red tail tamarin?

IME Anampses, leopards, and the more chill Halichoeres are fine. The Halichoeres species that should be ok are: chrysus, leucoxanthus, leucurus, biocellatus, and timorensis.

 

[BigJohnny]

IME Anampses, leopards, and the more chill Halichoeres are fine. The Halichoeres species that should be ok are: chrysus, leucoxanthus, leucurus, biocellatus, and timorensis.

Thanks, even if added as a male?

 

[cancun]

How's everyone's Wrasses doing?

 

[OrionN]

Here is my Blue Flasher. Very under rated fish.

 

[cancun]

Here is my Blue Flasher. Very under rated fish.

Really nice specimen!

 

[Grossman90]

Here is my Blue Flasher. Very under rated fish.

You getting the blue striped tamarin on DD today?