Does a coris wrasse need sand in QT?

[SallyWho]

I'll be getting a yellow coris wrasse soon. I know there are wrasses that regularly use sandbeds for hiding and sleeping and whatnot, like melanarous wrasses. Are coris wrasses the same? Do I need to put a small container of sand in QT for it? I have an extra bag of cheap big-box pet store sand, so I can toss the old stuff when I'm done with it, so that's not a problem. I just want to minimize the potential for messes if possible. Thanks!

 

[Old Fritz]

I'll be getting a yellow coris wrasse soon. I know there are wrasses that regularly use sandbeds for hiding and sleeping and whatnot, like melanarous wrasses. Are coris wrasses the same? Do I need to put a small container of sand in QT for it? I have an extra bag of cheap big-box pet store sand, so I can toss the old stuff when I'm done with it, so that's not a problem. I just want to minimize the potential for messes if possible. Thanks!

They need a sand bed (not crushed coral). They are amazing looking fish but are aggressive and not safe for inverts like shrimp.

 

[BigJohnny]

I'll be getting a yellow coris wrasse soon. I know there are wrasses that regularly use sandbeds for hiding and sleeping and whatnot, like melanarous wrasses. Are coris wrasses the same? Do I need to put a small container of sand in QT for it? I have an extra bag of cheap big-box pet store sand, so I can toss the old stuff when I'm done with it, so that's not a problem. I just want to minimize the potential for messes if possible. Thanks!

Yes all halichoeres wrasses sleep in the sand, melanarus and yellow coris being two of them. So do all macropharyngodon (leopards) and anampses (tamarins, lennardi, black back/china, etc). Fairy and flasher wrasses do not. They sleep in the rocks in mucous cocoons.

Now, do sand dwelling wrasses "need" sand in qt? The answer is no but I would definitely add it. It will reduce stress and possibly prevent mouth injuries from hitting the glass if they try to dive into the "sand" that's isnt there, which tends to happen.

The reason some people choose not to use sand in qt is because sometimes the fish will hide in the sand for extended periods of time when stressed (days or weeks) which can make it difficult to get them onto prepared foods in a timely fashion. Some of the wrasses I mentioned (specifically leopards and anampses) can sometimes be difficult to get on prepared foods in general and end up parishing. Sand may also absorb some medication like copper so you just have to ramp/test cautiously and account for that if you end up using it.

I personally think it is much riskier to not have sand and I have qtd all my sand dwelling wrasses with a pyrex baking dish of about 2-3" of "fiji pink" sand. The grain size has to be pretty small (not oolite small but definitely not rubble) to prevent injury to the fish when burying. What sand do you have?

 

[Raptor72]

I just finished a 2 week quarantine on my yellow wrasse with no sand. The fish was a healthy eater and didn’t show any signs of stress at all. It’s now in the DT enjoying life.

 

[SallyWho]

Yes all halichoeres wrasses sleep in the sand, melanarus and yellow coris being two of them. So do all macropharyngodon (leopards) and anampses (tamarins, lennardi, black back/china, etc). Fairy and flasher wrasses do not. They sleep in the rocks in mucous cocoons.

Now, do sand dwelling wrasses "need" sand in qt? The answer is no but I would definitely add it. It will reduce stress and possibly prevent mouth injuries from hitting the glass if they try to dive into the "sand" that's isnt there, which tends to happen.

The reason some people choose not to use sand in qt is because sometimes the fish will hide in the sand for extended periods of time when stressed (days or weeks) which can make it difficult to get them onto prepared foods in a timely fashion. Some of the wrasses I mentioned (specifically leopards and anampses) can sometimes be difficult to get on prepared foods in general and end up parishing. Sand may also absorb some medication like copper so you just have to ramp/test cautiously and account for that if you end up using it.

I personally think it is much riskier to not have sand and I have qtd all my sand dwelling wrasses with a pyrex baking dish of about 2-3" of "fiji pink" sand. The grain size has to be pretty small (not oolite small but definitely not rubble) to prevent injury to the fish when burying. What sand do you have?

I have both the Salifert and Seachem copper test kits, so I can keep a close eye on it. I picked up a bag of caribsea fiji stuff when it was on sale a while back. I figure I'll put some in a shallow tupperware container. Thanks!