Leopard Wrasse. only experts??

[dewboy1127]

I also have bought two blue star leoapard from lfs and both were unsuccessful. ..i have never seen an ideal blue star leopard wrasse specimen feeding and doing great that was for sale at my lfs or even a blue star leopard in general is hard to come by ...so i have ordered mine from LA and will be in today i hope she comes in good but at least this time like @Flashy Fins stated the warranty is nice to have on fish as sensitive as these for sure

 

[eatbreakfast]

I get the importance of seeing the fish with your own eyes, seeing it in good condition and eating, but LFS purchases are a financial risk I don't like to take with delicate fish.

If I order from LA, I can't know whether I'll get one with a damaged mouth or other problems. What I do know is that I'll get a refund if the fish dies within the first couple of weeks, which I would expect to happen if the fish was seriously compromised. Further, if you do get a fish with problems and alert them, they will sometimes (not always) extend the guarantee a bit.

There are pros and cons to both LFS and online purchasing, and each person has to make the decision for themselves. For me personally, I've been burned too many times by store purchases (not of leopards, just in general). The guarantee is key for me.

But online stores don't refund your shipping. And seeing it in person, you don't need to make the purchase if you are uncomfortable.

There are pros and cons to both for sure, but for delicate and sensitive fish, LFS is the way to go, but I also have good shops by me.

 

[cnseekatz]

Make sure the warranty is valid for Leopard Wrasses. Many online vendors state that their warranty does not apply to "high risk" fish like leopards. Just be sure.

 

[Flashy Fins]

But online stores don't refund your shipping.

Good point. I always order enough to get free shipping, so I tend to forget about that. I'm still stocking my tanks, so I can usually fill a cart easily. If someone just wants one fish, the shipping cost wouldn't be worth it, especially if the fish dies.

 

[Chris-tico]

Thanks a lot for all your answers!!

i think that the key it the QT and make them to eat..... also as is live in Costa Rica i can only buy it from a LFS. (no one sells online fish here), so i can check them out if they are eating.!

i also have a sand bed. fiji pink. so thats perfect for them!

im going to keep reading all your experiences! and advices.! i defenitely want this fish in my tanks! i love them!

 

[dewboy1127]

Can someone tell me how to attach a thread to a post here ...as i jusy received my blue star leapord wrasse in from LA and have a post going already to document how it goes with her....as of now my wife drip acclimated her and put her in a critter cage in bottom of my tank as i did not have qt set up but i will be dosing prazi pro in my dt to treat...anyways sorry for rambling not trying steal this thread just think my experience may end up being useful to others

 

[dewboy1127]

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/blue-star-leopard-where-from.224543/page-4#post-2664554


Maybe thatll work

 

[00ninja00]

My chaoti leopard and ornate leopard eats everything including pellets and nori. Not that hard to keep IMHO. I think the key, like any other fish but especially leopards, is obtaining a healthy specimen to begin with. My experience with wrasses in general, including fairies like my flames, aren't good shippers. From my experience, I won't buy any wrasses online anymore, only locally.

 

[Brosiv474]

Out of curiosity, how is it possible to successfully quarantine these fish. I will likely be upgrading my tank this year, and would love to the the opportunity to quarantine all of my fish in an effort to rid my fish of ich. I am aware of the time in quarantine, but these fish burrow at night. How would they do so considering you dont want sand in a quarantine tank?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Out of curiosity, how is it possible to successfully quarantine these fish. I will likely be upgrading my tank this year, and would love to the the opportunity to quarantine all of my fish in an effort to rid my fish of ich. I am aware of the time in quarantine, but these fish burrow at night. How would they do so considering you dont want sand in a quarantine tank?

A small tupperware container of sand will suffice.

 

[Brosiv474]

Wouldn't that still allow for the ich to survive and possibly maintain?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Replace the sand every three days.

 

[maroun.c]

I never had long term success with them till I started quarantining with 2-3 rounds of prazipro.before that even the ones that would eat would still slowly fade away. Had the sa,e experience with flashers which were harder for me to keep than leopards. Properly dewormed leopards which are eating well are very easy to keep and very rewarding fish. one thing to consider is some tend to be aggressive towards other leopards. My ornate duo killed a very nice pair of bipartitus. A much bigger mileage is showed aggressivity on the bipartitus when in the acclimation box but none upon release. Weirdly the smaller of my ornates is the most aggressive and both have been females since years.
Using an acclimation box to get them used to tank and check for potential aggressive behavior from other fish or allow time for aggressivity to dissipate is a plus. I place a small sand box in the acclimation box for them.

 

[mfinn]

How do you know that it was the acclimation that killed it? Leopards are notoriously bad shippers and are also more sensitive to ammonia as well. Your sample size is one of each method. I am speaking from experience as well, and have acclimated literally hundreds of leopard wrasses, many slowly and had mixed success, but once we dropped the period of acclimation, the mortality dropped in half.

How do you add them to a qt tank?

 

[mfinn]

Replace the sand every three days.

Really? Why?


I'm asking because I have 4 coming Tuesday.

 

[MIKE NY]

I treated my leopards and Tamarins in the same way. After QT I placed them in an acclimation tank so they can start eating without the competition of the DT and their new lighting schedule. They'll develop a routine for coming out in the morning and hitting the sand at night. Then when placed in the DT I use an acclimation box to see if there is any aggression with other established fish. Most fish ignore them, but other established leopards/tamarins have to be watched especially large males.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Really? Why?


I'm asking because I have 4 coming Tuesday.

Wrasses don't handle copper well, and although they are resilient and resistant to ich, they are not immune and can still carry it. Copper and formalin are effective at killing ich, but harsh on wrasses. So removing the sand every few days removes the trophonts before they can reinfect the fish in qt.

 

[mfinn]

Wrasses don't handle copper well, and although they are resilient and resistant to ich, they are not immune and can still carry it. Copper and formalin are effective at killing ich, but harsh on wrasses. So removing the sand every few days removes the trophonts before they can reinfect the fish in qt.

what meds would you use as a preventative with wrasses, specifically meleagris?

 

[eatbreakfast]

what meds would you use as a preventative with wrasses, specifically meleagris?

I like one dose methylene blue, remove it through wc and carbon, then follow up with two doses of prazi. I go sandless the first three days so it can get used to the lighting schedule, and I can make sure it is feeding well, then after three days I add a tupperware container of sand.

 

[mfinn]

I like one dose methylene blue, remove it through wc and carbon, then follow up with two doses of prazi. I go sandless the first three days so it can get used to the lighting schedule, and I can make sure it is feeding well, then after three days I add a tupperware container of sand.

Thanks