Never give up hope!

billdogg · 10/25/2015, 11:03 AM

About 10 weeks ago, I introduced a female Blue Star Leopard Wrasse to my 120 mixed reef. Because they do better as a group, and because the wife and I really like the coloration of the females, we wanted at least one more so that one could change to male and the other remain female.

6 weeks ago, the LFS had another female so I picked it up. It immediately buried itself in the sand and the next time I saw it, several days later, was stuck to a power head, dead. The next week the LFS had 2 more so I got them to give it another try. Much to my surprise, the original female started attacking both of them, so I shut the lights off for about 36 hours and all 3 buried themselves to sleep.

I haven't seen either of the new additions since and had given them up for dead. This morning my wife was giving the tank a good look over and guess what - there are now 2 female Blue Leopard Wrasses swimming around together like they are long lost cousins!

Will the 3rd show up? Only time will tell.

As an added bonus - my tank now appears to be 100% flatworm free!!!!

Sk8r · 10/25/2015, 11:05 AM

I swear fish operate on the 'every day is a new world if you're a duck' mode of processing. They wake up, the world's rules are new.

Sugar Magnolia · 10/25/2015, 11:18 AM

Good to hear Bill! I once had a yellow watchman goby go missing, 2 months later there it is.

Salt97 · 10/25/2015, 05:23 PM

Nice! I found my clownfish in my overflow on my 90gal three months latter. I thought it was gone

shifty51008 · 10/25/2015, 05:28 PM

Congrats bill, my diamond goby dissapeard for 2 months and finally just showed back up one day healthy as can be. You would think finding fish in a 75 gal is easy but they can hide good. Clown gobies are also fun to have in a tank, everyday can be find the goby day lol

kmbyrnes · 10/27/2015, 05:16 AM

Hope that third one shows up as well.
Beautiful fish.

Omie · 10/27/2015, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billdogg

As an added bonus - my tank now appears to be 100% flatworm free!!!!

Do the leopard wrasse eat flatworms? I bought one like 4 days ago. It's a really distinguish fish!
Btw, they eat red bugs?

billdogg · 10/27/2015, 06:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Omie

Do the leopard wrasse eat flatworms? I bought one like 4 days ago. It's a really distinguish fish!
Btw, they eat red bugs?

At least IME, that would be a big YES. From the moment I put the first one in it was on the hunt.

I tried manual removal with limited success, and then went the Flat Worm Exit route that helped but just didn't work as well as I had hoped.

Now, with the Blue Star, I haven't seen one in a couple weeks.

Ron Reefman · 10/27/2015, 06:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8r

I swear fish operate on the 'every day is a new world if you're a duck' mode of processing. They wake up, the world's rules are new.

We do a lot of beach walks given we live along the SW coast of Florida on the Gulf of Mexico. We look for shells and occasionally we find an animal that may come home with us (like a small Gorgonian or a hitchhiker anemone attached to the shell of a fighting conch that has died). So we are constantly searching the sand along the water's edge. Well, one of our friends made this comment; "New deliveries with every wave." The oceans are an amazing place and the critters that live in it are just as amazing. And maybe even smarter than us since they aren't screwing up the entire planet like humans are trying so hard to do!

Omie · 10/27/2015, 06:28 AM

Good to know. I haven't seen any flatworms, but I know I have red bugs

.
I hope my leopard can help me

gone fishin · 10/27/2015, 08:55 AM

Good deal Bill.

e048 · 10/27/2015, 03:18 PM

i once thought my wrasse jumped out or died because he was missing for a few weeks, then i decided to add a conch to my tank and the conch buried itself and "pop" out of the sand came the wrasse, he jumped out about a week later though

the wrasse jumped not the conch

10/25/2015, 11:03 AM	#1
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	Never give up hope! About 10 weeks ago, I introduced a female Blue Star Leopard Wrasse to my 120 mixed reef. Because they do better as a group, and because the wife and I really like the coloration of the females, we wanted at least one more so that one could change to male and the other remain female. 6 weeks ago, the LFS had another female so I picked it up. It immediately buried itself in the sand and the next time I saw it, several days later, was stuck to a power head, dead. The next week the LFS had 2 more so I got them to give it another try. Much to my surprise, the original female started attacking both of them, so I shut the lights off for about 36 hours and all 3 buried themselves to sleep. I haven't seen either of the new additions since and had given them up for dead. This morning my wife was giving the tank a good look over and guess what - there are now 2 female Blue Leopard Wrasses swimming around together like they are long lost cousins! Will the 3rd show up? Only time will tell. As an added bonus - my tank now appears to be 100% flatworm free!!!! __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

10/25/2015, 11:05 AM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I swear fish operate on the 'every day is a new world if you're a duck' mode of processing. They wake up, the world's rules are new. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

10/25/2015, 11:18 AM	#3
Sugar Magnolia Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Northern VA Posts: 17,691	Good to hear Bill! I once had a yellow watchman goby go missing, 2 months later there it is. __________________ Adrienne The only thing to fear is fear itself....and spiders.

10/25/2015, 05:28 PM	#5
shifty51008 12-5 Chiefs record Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 10,134	Congrats bill, my diamond goby dissapeard for 2 months and finally just showed back up one day healthy as can be. You would think finding fish in a 75 gal is easy but they can hide good. Clown gobies are also fun to have in a tank, everyday can be find the goby day lol __________________ 75 gal. mixed DT, 100 gal. sump, 50 gal. fuge, Clownfish breeder

10/27/2015, 05:16 AM	#6
kmbyrnes Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Mesa AZ Posts: 2,055	Hope that third one shows up as well. Beautiful fish. __________________ 125g Mixed Reef 5/26/2015; 350 Butterfly Dominated FOWLR 11/26/2015 - 11/17/20217 & 07/31/18 to ??? ; 100g Mixed Reef 11/16/2013 to 06/16/2017 Current Tank Info: Too small

10/25/2015, 05:23 PM	#4
Salt97 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 3	Nice! I found my clownfish in my overflow on my 90gal three months latter. I thought it was gone

10/27/2015, 06:28 AM	#10
Omie Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 686	Good to know. I haven't seen any flatworms, but I know I have red bugs. I hope my leopard can help me __________________ Live in the moment... ...30 years from now it'll be one of the good old days

10/27/2015, 08:55 AM	#11
gone fishin Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Wyocena Wi Posts: 6,936	Good deal Bill. __________________ Tony Current Tank Info: 180gal DT, BM NAC77 skimmer,3 Maxspect razors, Maxspect Gyre 150, 30g QT

10/27/2015, 03:18 PM	#12
e048 Registered Member. Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 598	i once thought my wrasse jumped out or died because he was missing for a few weeks, then i decided to add a conch to my tank and the conch buried itself and "pop" out of the sand came the wrasse, he jumped out about a week later though the wrasse jumped not the conch