Does anyone own a harlequin sweetlips? Need advice

[N.Sreefer]

My last thread on this wasn't very descriptive and as such got little traction. My girlfriend bought me a harlequin sweetlips for my birthday and I am wondering how long I can keep it in a 6 foot 150 gal reef before it outgrows it or eats its smaller tankmates (small tankmates: mandarin dragonette, occ clownfish, and lemon damsels)? The LFS she bought it at doesn't take returns on livestock so I have to find another hobbyist to take it. That may take awhile. The fish is only 3 1/2 inch right now.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

My last thread on this wasn't very descriptive and as such got little traction. My girlfriend bought me a harlequin sweetlips for my birthday and I am wondering how long I can keep it in a 6 foot 150 gal reef before it outgrows it or eats its smaller tankmates (small tankmates: mandarin dragonette, occ clownfish, and lemon damsels)? The LFS she bought it at doesn't take returns on livestock so I have to find another hobbyist to take it. That may take awhile. The fish is only 3 1/2 inch right now.

How long have you had it?
Is it eating for you yet?

These can be very delicate and are tough to get feeding.
They can reach about 24" in captivity, but in smaller tanks, I doubt that they would grow larger than 16". The length of time you can keep it in your 150 depends a lot on how much open swimming room there is. Here is a link to an article I wrote on estimating the swimming space needs of fish:

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

This article explores required aquarium sizes for marine fishes

www.reef2reef.com

Jay Hemdal

 

[N.Sreefer]

How long have you had it?
Is it eating for you yet?

These can be very delicate and are tough to get feeding.
They can reach about 24" in captivity, but in smaller tanks, I doubt that they would grow larger than 16". The length of time you can keep it in your 150 depends a lot on how much open swimming room there is. Here is a link to an article I wrote on estimating the swimming space needs of fish:

Estimating the Need for Swimming Space for Aquarium Fishes

This article explores required aquarium sizes for marine fishes

www.reef2reef.com

Jay Hemdal

Thanks Jay! I've only had it since thursday of last week it eats reef frenzy but seems most interested in the life in the sandbed/rockwork. It only eats a little of the prepared food (2-3 pea sized chunks of the reef frenzy on average twice a day) how quickly do they grow? I have a 600 gal in the works I can move it to but I'm concerned it may eat my clowns and damsels if it gets big enough before I have the 600gal set up. That won't be until next june, I was considering rehoming but I doubt I'll find someone in my area with a big enough set up. Its small right now but if it reaches a foot in a year I have a feeling the tankmates may be at risk. Hopefully it starts eating a bit more of the prepared stuff I'll try varying what I feed to see what it likes.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Jay! I've only had it since thursday of last week it eats reef frenzy but seems most interested in the life in the sandbed/rockwork. It only eats a little of the prepared food (2-3 pea sized chunks of the reef frenzy on average twice a day) how quickly do they grow? I have a 600 gal in the works I can move it to but I'm concerned it may eat my clowns and damsels if it gets big enough before I have the 600gal set up. That won't be until next june, I was considering rehoming but I doubt I'll find someone in my area with a big enough set up. Its small right now but if it reaches a foot in a year I have a feeling the tankmates may be at risk. Hopefully it starts eating a bit more of the prepared stuff I'll try varying what I feed to see what it likes.

At this point, I wouldn't worry about it growing too fast. With the history of these fish being such poor feeders, you'll want to feed it very well for now and worry about the grow2th rate later on, once it is stable.

Jay

 

[N.Sreefer]

At this point, I wouldn't worry about it growing too fast. With the history of these fish being such poor feeders, you'll want to feed it very well for now and worry about the grow2th rate later on, once it is stable.

Jay

Thanks for the help Jay Its settled in nicely I believe its eating I don't see it eat but it seems to be alot beefier than when I bought it at this point. Very hard to take a picture of it, it never stops moving.

 

[costaricareef]

Beautiful fish!

 

[N.Sreefer]

Beautiful fish!

Thanks! Wish he would stop moving long enough for me to snap a decent picture lol

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks for the help Jay Its settled in nicely I believe its eating I don't see it eat but it seems to be alot beefier than when I bought it at this point. Very hard to take a picture of it, it never stops moving.

O.K., try to confirm if it is positively eating or not. One trick is to put some food into the water with your cell phone recording the tank, then leave the room (so you don't scare it). Another option is to feed the tank while the tank lights are on, but the room lights are off - the fish can't see you as easily then.

This looks like an established tank, so it may be feeding on copepods and such, but those food items may not sustain it for too long, so you need to get it feeding on mysid shrimp, etc.

What foods are you trying on it?

Jay

 

[N.Sreefer]

O.K., try to confirm if it is positively eating or not. One trick is to put some food into the water with your cell phone recording the tank, then leave the room (so you don't scare it). Another option is to feed the tank while the tank lights are on, but the room lights are off - the fish can't see you as easily then.

This looks like an established tank, so it may be feeding on copepods and such, but those food items may not sustain it for too long, so you need to get it feeding on mysid shrimp, etc.

What foods are you trying on it?

Jay

Thanks that's a really goof idea I'll give that a go! Its an established tank, its 6 foot long 19.5 wide lots of microfauna. I feed new life spectrum pellets with a mix of local seafood clams mussels etc, mysis, seaweeds (sea lettuce, dulse, kelp), and whatever roe is in season normally trout, lobster eggs, and salmon eggs. I mix it all together in a food processor then freeze it in ice cube trays. Next feeding I will try that phone trick thanks again .

 

[Funlad3]

We would bring in harlequin and striped sweetlips at my old store all of the time, and we'd be able to get them feeding on thawed krill. Once they start eating, they'll eat a ton and should do well. It's just getting them to start that's the coin flip!