The Wrasse Lover's Thread!
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ascheff
Active Member
Experts, I please need your advice. Sorry for the long post, but there is a lot of detail I don’t want to leave out.
I got my Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse female on the 4th of November 2016. She is my 3rd attempt, after losing 2 before her, both within the first week. She was actually in the LFS display tank for over a month, and was healthy every time I saw her. When I enquired about one, and they offered to sell her to me, I thought it the perfect opportunity to get a healthy fish.
My first mistake however was going to collect her early in the morning. She was still in the sand. They had to dig for her, and although it isn’t something I would do, the sand was very fine and they did it gently, so I didn’t think much of it. As soon as she was out they scooped her up. With all my fish I would usually watch them for up to an hour before bagging, but since I’ve seen her on a few previous visits, I didn’t think too much of it. This was my next mistake.
When I got home, after getting her into QT, I noticed her one eye was a bit cloudy.She also twitched and scratched occasionally. Suspecting flukes, after two days of making sure she was eating, I started with Prazi and Metro. The eye didn’t clear, so I repeated the Prazi every 6 days, 4 times, and continued with the Metro every second day.
By the 26th, the cloudiness was still there, but the eye also started protruding. At that point I started treating with Kanaplex (kanamycin) mixed into her food, which I continued with for 10 days. I didn’t see any improvement, and by the 3rd of December I started adding Paraguard and Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) to the mix every other day.
By 13 December, with still no real improvement, I started a second course of Kanaplex, this time for 7 days, while still adding Paraguard and Magnesium Sulfate. I also started adding vitamins to her food, as she was still eating very well.
After the Kanaplex was finished I decided that I have tried enough meds. I continued with just the vitamins in the food, as well as adding Seachem Stressguard, which I hoped would help her heal.
By the 1st of January I finally started seeing the eye protrude less, and the cloudiness clear a bit. By about a week ago the eye was back to its normal size, but unfortunately I could also see the inside of the eye wasn’t what it should be. By mid week I could see a hole in the eye, and now, probably helped along by her digging into the sand, the eye is completely gone.
She has now spend almost two and a half months in QT, and besides the eye problem, she has been acting normal and actually became very tame. From time to time she would still twitch, almost as if shaking something off her, but I’m starting to think it is just a habit.
My concern though, and why I need advice, is that I think I have passed the point where QT is of benefit to her, and in the past few days she has started acting strange. She would lie in a corner if I’m not in the room, but still act normal and swim to me when I enter. While she still eats, it is not with the vigour she has up to now. She is also not going “to bed” at night when she used to, but restlessly swims around till long after dark. It almost appears as if she is not finding her sand tub. She generally appears stressed out. I think the lack of stimulation of the tank might be affecting her?
Having come this far, I would hate to lose her, but the other fish in my display is still my top priority. Do I add her to the tank, or do I keep her in QT? I wouldn’t want to introduce anything that is contagious in any way. What is the risk? If I add her to the display, do I skip the acclimation box?
This is what the eye looks like now:
And this is what it looked like at its worse, at the beginning of December:
I got my Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse female on the 4th of November 2016. She is my 3rd attempt, after losing 2 before her, both within the first week. She was actually in the LFS display tank for over a month, and was healthy every time I saw her. When I enquired about one, and they offered to sell her to me, I thought it the perfect opportunity to get a healthy fish.
My first mistake however was going to collect her early in the morning. She was still in the sand. They had to dig for her, and although it isn’t something I would do, the sand was very fine and they did it gently, so I didn’t think much of it. As soon as she was out they scooped her up. With all my fish I would usually watch them for up to an hour before bagging, but since I’ve seen her on a few previous visits, I didn’t think too much of it. This was my next mistake.
When I got home, after getting her into QT, I noticed her one eye was a bit cloudy.She also twitched and scratched occasionally. Suspecting flukes, after two days of making sure she was eating, I started with Prazi and Metro. The eye didn’t clear, so I repeated the Prazi every 6 days, 4 times, and continued with the Metro every second day.
By the 26th, the cloudiness was still there, but the eye also started protruding. At that point I started treating with Kanaplex (kanamycin) mixed into her food, which I continued with for 10 days. I didn’t see any improvement, and by the 3rd of December I started adding Paraguard and Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) to the mix every other day.
By 13 December, with still no real improvement, I started a second course of Kanaplex, this time for 7 days, while still adding Paraguard and Magnesium Sulfate. I also started adding vitamins to her food, as she was still eating very well.
After the Kanaplex was finished I decided that I have tried enough meds. I continued with just the vitamins in the food, as well as adding Seachem Stressguard, which I hoped would help her heal.
By the 1st of January I finally started seeing the eye protrude less, and the cloudiness clear a bit. By about a week ago the eye was back to its normal size, but unfortunately I could also see the inside of the eye wasn’t what it should be. By mid week I could see a hole in the eye, and now, probably helped along by her digging into the sand, the eye is completely gone.
She has now spend almost two and a half months in QT, and besides the eye problem, she has been acting normal and actually became very tame. From time to time she would still twitch, almost as if shaking something off her, but I’m starting to think it is just a habit.
My concern though, and why I need advice, is that I think I have passed the point where QT is of benefit to her, and in the past few days she has started acting strange. She would lie in a corner if I’m not in the room, but still act normal and swim to me when I enter. While she still eats, it is not with the vigour she has up to now. She is also not going “to bed” at night when she used to, but restlessly swims around till long after dark. It almost appears as if she is not finding her sand tub. She generally appears stressed out. I think the lack of stimulation of the tank might be affecting her?
Having come this far, I would hate to lose her, but the other fish in my display is still my top priority. Do I add her to the tank, or do I keep her in QT? I wouldn’t want to introduce anything that is contagious in any way. What is the risk? If I add her to the display, do I skip the acclimation box?
This is what the eye looks like now:
And this is what it looked like at its worse, at the beginning of December:
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
Specimens can live a long time with only one in captivity. Losing an eye and being in captivity will affect a change in behavior.Experts, I please need your advice. Sorry for the long post, but there is a lot of detail I don’t want to leave out.
I got my Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse female on the 4th of November 2016. She is my 3rd attempt, after losing 2 before her, both within the first week. She was actually in the LFS display tank for over a month, and was healthy every time I saw her. When I enquired about one, and they offered to sell her to me, I thought it the perfect opportunity to get a healthy fish.
My first mistake however was going to collect her early in the morning. She was still in the sand. They had to dig for her, and although it isn’t something I would do, the sand was very fine and they did it gently, so I didn’t think much of it. As soon as she was out they scooped her up. With all my fish I would usually watch them for up to an hour before bagging, but since I’ve seen her on a few previous visits, I didn’t think too much of it. This was my next mistake.
When I got home, after getting her into QT, I noticed her one eye was a bit cloudy.She also twitched and scratched occasionally. Suspecting flukes, after two days of making sure she was eating, I started with Prazi and Metro. The eye didn’t clear, so I repeated the Prazi every 6 days, 4 times, and continued with the Metro every second day.
By the 26th, the cloudiness was still there, but the eye also started protruding. At that point I started treating with Kanaplex (kanamycin) mixed into her food, which I continued with for 10 days. I didn’t see any improvement, and by the 3rd of December I started adding Paraguard and Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) to the mix every other day.
By 13 December, with still no real improvement, I started a second course of Kanaplex, this time for 7 days, while still adding Paraguard and Magnesium Sulfate. I also started adding vitamins to her food, as she was still eating very well.
After the Kanaplex was finished I decided that I have tried enough meds. I continued with just the vitamins in the food, as well as adding Seachem Stressguard, which I hoped would help her heal.
By the 1st of January I finally started seeing the eye protrude less, and the cloudiness clear a bit. By about a week ago the eye was back to its normal size, but unfortunately I could also see the inside of the eye wasn’t what it should be. By mid week I could see a hole in the eye, and now, probably helped along by her digging into the sand, the eye is completely gone.
She has now spend almost two and a half months in QT, and besides the eye problem, she has been acting normal and actually became very tame. From time to time she would still twitch, almost as if shaking something off her, but I’m starting to think it is just a habit.
My concern though, and why I need advice, is that I think I have passed the point where QT is of benefit to her, and in the past few days she has started acting strange. She would lie in a corner if I’m not in the room, but still act normal and swim to me when I enter. While she still eats, it is not with the vigour she has up to now. She is also not going “to bed” at night when she used to, but restlessly swims around till long after dark. It almost appears as if she is not finding her sand tub. She generally appears stressed out. I think the lack of stimulation of the tank might be affecting her?
Having come this far, I would hate to lose her, but the other fish in my display is still my top priority. Do I add her to the tank, or do I keep her in QT? I wouldn’t want to introduce anything that is contagious in any way. What is the risk? If I add her to the display, do I skip the acclimation box?
This is what the eye looks like now:
And this is what it looked like at its worse, at the beginning of December:
As long as the 'twitch' is just a twitch and not scratching I wouldn't worry,if it is scratching you need to find the cause.
The eye could have been originally damaged in a number of ways, not necessarily digging it out of the sand. I once saw a leopard with an asterina on it's eye, and it had the same result of the eye getting cloudy and then being lost. The fish continued to live for years after.
ascheff
Active Member
Thanks TJ. I have not seen her actually scratch since the first week in QT. After all the treatments and extended time in QT, could there be any dormant problem I would introduce with her to my display? I'm not too concerned about the one eye, apart from maybe other fish picking on her as a result of it. But ideally I would like her to live a long life if possible, and I fear keeping her in QT longer might do more harm than good.
ascheff
Active Member
I would say my biggest worry stems from the fact that I don't know what caused the eye issues - physical damage, bacterial infection or an eye fluke - and if it was bacterial of nature, that she might be immune by now and the bacteria resistant to the antibiotics I administered, and then introducing that to my display.
ascheff
Active Member
I found the Leopard out of the sand very early this morning - I'm not even sure if she went into the sand at all last night. She again looked very restless, so I went ahead and put her into my display tank. She immediately dived into the sand. Now the wait begins until she hopefully emerges, and hopefully she is then less stressed. One downside is that it will likely be when I'm at work, so I won't see how the others react. I hope they behave.
Fairy wrasse aren't sand-sleepers - they spin a mucus cocoon in the rocks at night.
~Bruce
~Bruce
ascheff
Active Member
I'm looking for some stocking advice please? I want to add another wrasse, possibly the last one, at least for a while.
My first choice so far has been C. lineatus, followed by by C. brunneus (which I had reservation about due to comparability with my C. isosceles). I now however have the opportunity to order a C. rhomboidalis, either male or female. I'm considering ordering a female, due to lower cost, hopefully younger age and possibly an easier acceptance into my community. I don't mind waiting for her to turn male, but would like her to definitely do so.
Considering my current residents and setup, does this sound like a good idea? Does taking a female instead of a male sound sensible? Can I even fit another fish, considering the adult sizes and behavior of all I already have.
My display is 59” x 27.5” x 19.5”, approximately 105 gallon display volume, 160 gallon total system volume. My bio-filter seems to be managing well, even with frequent feeding, so that is not currently a concern.
The only other non-wrasse I plan on adding is a female Ruby Red Dragonette.
Current list:
Wetmorella tanakai - Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse
Halichoeres lecoxanthus - Yellow and Purple Wrasse (Adult male)
Paracheilinus mccoskeri - McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse (Adult male)
Cirrhilabrus solorensis - Red-Headed Solon Fairy Wrasse (Adult male, currently in my frag tank due to fighting with my McCosker's, so might not go back into display, still undecided)
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki - Lubbock Fairy Wrasse (Adult male)
Cirrhilabrus isosceles - Pintail Fairy Wrasse (Young female, behaviour suggests transitioning)
Paracheilinus cyaneus - Blue Flasher Wrasse (Young male)
Halichoeres marginatus - Dusky Wrasse (Young male)
Macropharyngodon bipartitus - Leopard Wrasse (Youngish female, recent addition)
Pterapogon kauderni - Banggai Cardinalfish
Nemateleotris magnifica - Firefish
Koumansetta hectori - Hector's Goby
Gramma loreto - Royal Gramma
Synchiropus sycorax - Ruby Red Dragonette (Male)
Doryrhamphus excisus excisus - Bluestripe Pipefish (Pair)
Corythoichthys polynotatus - Yellow Spotted White Pipefish (Pair)
My first choice so far has been C. lineatus, followed by by C. brunneus (which I had reservation about due to comparability with my C. isosceles). I now however have the opportunity to order a C. rhomboidalis, either male or female. I'm considering ordering a female, due to lower cost, hopefully younger age and possibly an easier acceptance into my community. I don't mind waiting for her to turn male, but would like her to definitely do so.
Considering my current residents and setup, does this sound like a good idea? Does taking a female instead of a male sound sensible? Can I even fit another fish, considering the adult sizes and behavior of all I already have.
My display is 59” x 27.5” x 19.5”, approximately 105 gallon display volume, 160 gallon total system volume. My bio-filter seems to be managing well, even with frequent feeding, so that is not currently a concern.
The only other non-wrasse I plan on adding is a female Ruby Red Dragonette.
Current list:
Wetmorella tanakai - Tanaka's Pygmy Wrasse
Halichoeres lecoxanthus - Yellow and Purple Wrasse (Adult male)
Paracheilinus mccoskeri - McCosker’s Flasher Wrasse (Adult male)
Cirrhilabrus solorensis - Red-Headed Solon Fairy Wrasse (Adult male, currently in my frag tank due to fighting with my McCosker's, so might not go back into display, still undecided)
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki - Lubbock Fairy Wrasse (Adult male)
Cirrhilabrus isosceles - Pintail Fairy Wrasse (Young female, behaviour suggests transitioning)
Paracheilinus cyaneus - Blue Flasher Wrasse (Young male)
Halichoeres marginatus - Dusky Wrasse (Young male)
Macropharyngodon bipartitus - Leopard Wrasse (Youngish female, recent addition)
Pterapogon kauderni - Banggai Cardinalfish
Nemateleotris magnifica - Firefish
Koumansetta hectori - Hector's Goby
Gramma loreto - Royal Gramma
Synchiropus sycorax - Ruby Red Dragonette (Male)
Doryrhamphus excisus excisus - Bluestripe Pipefish (Pair)
Corythoichthys polynotatus - Yellow Spotted White Pipefish (Pair)
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
A rhomboidalis should be compatible and should transition.
townjas
Active Member
I would be concerned about competition over food with that many pod eaters
ascheff
Active Member
Thank you
It is a valid concern, and I have definitely seen a visible dent in my pod population. I do however have a frag tank and refugium connected to the same system, where there is still a big population. All of the pod eaters luckily also eat frozen food, something I get them onto while in QT, frozen cyclops being the one that they all eat. I feed that twice a day. I also hatch live baby brine shrimp daily that I add to a feeder twice daily. All the pod eaters, and many of the others eat from it.
Here are some of them queuing at the buffet table.
(non wrasse photo alert)
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Good call
Yes on all those things.
Me too, in regards to the propensity of the non-wrasses being out-competed.
Thank you
It is a valid concern, and I have definitely seen a visible dent in my pod population. I do however have a frag tank and refugium connected to the same system, where there is still a big population. All of the pod eaters luckily also eat frozen food, something I get them onto while in QT, frozen cyclops being the one that they all eat. I feed that twice a day. I also hatch live baby brine shrimp daily that I add to a feeder twice daily. All the pod eaters, and many of the others eat from it.
Here are some of them queuing at the buffet table.
(non wrasse photo alert)
How are you hatching brine daily??? That is a lot of work!!
ascheff
Active Member
It's not nearly as much work as it sounds.
I have a hatching cone, to which I add a bit of eggs in the evening, fill with saltwater from my tank, and hang half submerged connected to an airline in my refugium (takes care of light and heat).
The following evening I remove it and let it stand for 15mins while doing something else, which allows the eggs and bbs to separate. I then drain through the same airline into a glass jug, which takes 5mins while doing something else.
I then pour half the jug into the feeder, with water (it is just tank water, now with bbs), and hang the jug half submerged in my refugium, so it keeps its temperature. I then rinse the cone and start the next batch.
In the morning before work I pour the other half from the jug into the feeder, and rinse the jug.
So for the most part it is just waiting, and very little effort, and I have fresh bbs every evening and 12 hour old bbs every morning.
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