Melanarus Wrasse in QT

Yogre · 09/21/2017, 10:12 AM

Hi y'all,

I have a melanarus wrasse that went into quarantine 3 days ago. I put a bowl of sand in the tank for him to sleep in. The tank is bare bottom.

The first couple of days he was out and about and either eating or hiding in the 2" PVC in the tank.

Today he's MIA. I looked around the tank to see if he jumped...didn't see him. The tank is sealed up pretty tight anyway, I doubt he got out. So I have to figure he's in the bowl of sand.

Any thoughts on how long he might stay in there without eating? I'm reluctant to stir the sand to see if he's in there.

Anthony357 · 09/21/2017, 10:29 AM

i had one but in my display tank. If the lights stayed off for extended period of time (or there aren't any lights) dont be suprised if it stays buried for days. I remember there were times i wouldn't know where it was since i didnt see it in a while. But i could usually always look 'up' at the bottom of my tank from under the stand and see part of his tail always touching the bottom glass so i knew he/she was fine. I dont think stirring the sand to make him come out would be a terrible idea if youre truely worried. Just make sure they have sand to re-bury themself later. Beautiful fish though!

jd371 · 09/21/2017, 12:39 PM

I wouldn't worry. Mine hid for a while when I got him. Don't stir the sand, you'll just freak him out.
I noticed one of the frags on it's side in the sand yesterday morning. I upright the frag and start to move some sand back around the frag. As I'm doing this I must have touched the Melanurus under the sand. He shot out, splashed water everywhere and hit a loose rock pretty hard enough to knock it over. I had to go to work and the lights were still off in the tank so I couldn't get a look to see if he was alright. He was fine and swimming around when I got home from work.

Here he is on lounging on his favorite rock

mako61 · 09/21/2017, 01:40 PM

Mine will hide/sleep for a whole day sometimes. He also hides/sleeps every night.

Mine was very aggressive to another wrasse I added. Killed him. Never has bothered any other fish. I dont have shrimp / crabs.

sfdan · 09/21/2017, 04:19 PM

I had a yellow wrasse in QT tank sealed tight with a bowl of sand. He disappeared after the first day and I had the same dilemma as you. I assumed he was in the sand but it had been over a day and the transfer time was coming up.

But I researched it and most people said digging a wrasse out of the sand is super stressful so I just waited him out. If I missed the transfer window I was just going to start the TTM counter all over again. Fortunately he woke up about about 6 hours later and I was able to do the transfer in time.

I then did 2 things for the next transfer: a) put a camera on the bowl of sand so I could track his diving and waking up and b) transferred every 2 days instead of 3, so in case he was sleeping on day 2 I could wait him out. Also when catching him to do the transfers I took the bowl of sand out first (very slowly) so he couldn't dive while I was chasing him.

For some of the transfers periods he dove and was in the bowl of sand at night, and for some of them he slept on the ground of the tank. Not much consistency but I think clearly the bowl of sand is a little bit more stressful than if the bottom of the tank were all sand. But he made it through the TTM and QT very healthy, and has been a very happy and healthy inhabitant of my DT since he was added.

CindyK · 09/23/2017, 07:29 AM

If you dig him up unnecessarily you'll just stress him out, causing him to go back into hiding for even longer and ultimately defeating your own purpose. If you leave him alone he'll get comfortable and will establish a routine. Melanarus wrasses are beautiful - I love mine (although his name is "Trouble" LOL).

Mine did randomly go into hiding once for several days for no apparent reason though, just as an FYI. It freaked me out he did that LOL ).

Yogre · 09/23/2017, 11:01 AM

Thanks everyone for the input! My melanarus finally did turn up. I never could tell if he was in the sand or not, but he must have been unless he has a Romulan cloaking device.

@CindyK...why do you call your wrasse "Trouble"? What am I in for?

Goss · 09/23/2017, 12:34 PM

I have one and he definitely nose dives in my sand as soon as the blues turn on. Every once in a while he decides to not come out for the day. It's rare I go more than a day without seeing him

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CindyK · 09/23/2017, 12:42 PM

Hi Yogre...when we first added him he started a little "trouble" with the other fish, establish g territory and such. Not to me tion flipping oerr a few corals taking out my bristleworms (they are gone lol) it's all good now though. Everyone gets along fine. Here's the little issuecauser

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Yogre · 09/23/2017, 01:42 PM

Forewarned is forearmed. Thanks, I'll be on the lookout for a little pushing and shoving!

CCWS · 09/23/2017, 11:17 PM

Just my experience. I just had a melanarus in QT for 80 days without any sand and he did fine. You may not need it.

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09/21/2017, 10:12 AM	#1
Yogre Cheesehead Reefer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 1,351	Melanarus Wrasse in QT Hi y'all, I have a melanarus wrasse that went into quarantine 3 days ago. I put a bowl of sand in the tank for him to sleep in. The tank is bare bottom. The first couple of days he was out and about and either eating or hiding in the 2" PVC in the tank. Today he's MIA. I looked around the tank to see if he jumped...didn't see him. The tank is sealed up pretty tight anyway, I doubt he got out. So I have to figure he's in the bowl of sand. Any thoughts on how long he might stay in there without eating? I'm reluctant to stir the sand to see if he's in there. __________________ "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." ~ Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: 215 gal TBS Reef

09/21/2017, 01:40 PM	#4
mako61 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Dallas Posts: 359	Mine will hide/sleep for a whole day sometimes. He also hides/sleeps every night. Mine was very aggressive to another wrasse I added. Killed him. Never has bothered any other fish. I dont have shrimp / crabs. __________________ Thanks, Mako Current Tank Info: Returning Reefer - Red Sea 525XL, Mitras LX7s, Apex, check homepage for vids of tank

09/23/2017, 07:29 AM	#6
CindyK Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 268	If you dig him up unnecessarily you'll just stress him out, causing him to go back into hiding for even longer and ultimately defeating your own purpose. If you leave him alone he'll get comfortable and will establish a routine. Melanarus wrasses are beautiful - I love mine (although his name is "Trouble" LOL). Mine did randomly go into hiding once for several days for no apparent reason though, just as an FYI. It freaked me out he did that LOL ). __________________ Taking "there is no such thing as a stupid question" to a whole new level. Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef under construction, 32 gal Biocube softies Last edited by CindyK; 09/23/2017 at 07:38 AM.

09/23/2017, 11:01 AM	#7
Yogre Cheesehead Reefer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 1,351	Thanks everyone for the input! My melanarus finally did turn up. I never could tell if he was in the sand or not, but he must have been unless he has a Romulan cloaking device. @CindyK...why do you call your wrasse "Trouble"? What am I in for? __________________ "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." ~ Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: 215 gal TBS Reef

09/23/2017, 12:42 PM	#9
CindyK Registered Member Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 268	Hi Yogre...when we first added him he started a little "trouble" with the other fish, establish g territory and such. Not to me tion flipping oerr a few corals taking out my bristleworms (they are gone lol) it's all good now though. Everyone gets along fine. Here's the little issuecauser Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk __________________ Taking "there is no such thing as a stupid question" to a whole new level. Current Tank Info: 75 gal mixed reef under construction, 32 gal Biocube softies

09/21/2017, 10:29 AM	#2
Anthony357 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 257	i had one but in my display tank. If the lights stayed off for extended period of time (or there aren't any lights) dont be suprised if it stays buried for days. I remember there were times i wouldn't know where it was since i didnt see it in a while. But i could usually always look 'up' at the bottom of my tank from under the stand and see part of his tail always touching the bottom glass so i knew he/she was fine. I dont think stirring the sand to make him come out would be a terrible idea if youre truely worried. Just make sure they have sand to re-bury themself later. Beautiful fish though!

09/21/2017, 12:39 PM	#3
jd371 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Long Island Posts: 615	I wouldn't worry. Mine hid for a while when I got him. Don't stir the sand, you'll just freak him out. I noticed one of the frags on it's side in the sand yesterday morning. I upright the frag and start to move some sand back around the frag. As I'm doing this I must have touched the Melanurus under the sand. He shot out, splashed water everywhere and hit a loose rock pretty hard enough to knock it over. I had to go to work and the lights were still off in the tank so I couldn't get a look to see if he was alright. He was fine and swimming around when I got home from work. Here he is on lounging on his favorite rock

09/21/2017, 04:19 PM	#5
sfdan Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Location: San Francisco Posts: 451	I had a yellow wrasse in QT tank sealed tight with a bowl of sand. He disappeared after the first day and I had the same dilemma as you. I assumed he was in the sand but it had been over a day and the transfer time was coming up. But I researched it and most people said digging a wrasse out of the sand is super stressful so I just waited him out. If I missed the transfer window I was just going to start the TTM counter all over again. Fortunately he woke up about about 6 hours later and I was able to do the transfer in time. I then did 2 things for the next transfer: a) put a camera on the bowl of sand so I could track his diving and waking up and b) transferred every 2 days instead of 3, so in case he was sleeping on day 2 I could wait him out. Also when catching him to do the transfers I took the bowl of sand out first (very slowly) so he couldn't dive while I was chasing him. For some of the transfers periods he dove and was in the bowl of sand at night, and for some of them he slept on the ground of the tank. Not much consistency but I think clearly the bowl of sand is a little bit more stressful than if the bottom of the tank were all sand. But he made it through the TTM and QT very healthy, and has been a very happy and healthy inhabitant of my DT since he was added.

09/23/2017, 12:34 PM	#8
Goss Registered Member Join Date: May 2013 Location: Valley Center, Ca. Posts: 222	I have one and he definitely nose dives in my sand as soon as the blues turn on. Every once in a while he decides to not come out for the day. It's rare I go more than a day without seeing him Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

09/23/2017, 01:42 PM	#10
Yogre Cheesehead Reefer Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Madison, Wisconsin Posts: 1,351	Forewarned is forearmed. Thanks, I'll be on the lookout for a little pushing and shoving! __________________ "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow." ~ Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: 215 gal TBS Reef

09/23/2017, 11:17 PM	#11
CCWS Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 106	Just my experience. I just had a melanarus in QT for 80 days without any sand and he did fine. You may not need it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk