HARLEQUIN SWEETLIPS FISH

[10-snales]

I just bought a Harlequin Sweetlips Fish and I have not seen him eat, I believe this species of fish are nocturnal and think thats the only time they eat...if so what should I be feeding him/her?

 

[Steve H]

They are diurnal. They can be tricky to get eating initially but eventually accept most foods. What size aquarium do you have?

 

[10-snales]

Red Sea 350 91gal with sump total

 

[10-snales]

They are diurnal. They can be tricky to get eating initially but eventually accept most foods. What size aquarium do you have?

Red Sea 350 91gal with sump total

 

[Steve H]

Red Sea 350 91gal with sump total

Why did you choose a fish that gets massive quickly for that small of a system?

 

[ying yang]

I looked at these fish at my lfs .but after research decided no way in my 80 gallon .you researched how big these fish get ?

 

[10-snales]

Why did you choose a fish that gets massive quickly for that small of a system?

Because it beautiful fish and didn't realize they get that big I will find a he a home for him when he gets bigger he's only a 1" long now.

 

[nereefpat]

Try live ghost shrimp. Will be in the freshwater section at a fish store.

Edit: Oh, and live brine.

 

[ying yang]

Very easily done when we see all the beautiful fish at the lfs,I nearly fell into the trap also but did quick google search while at the lfs and seen can grow 3 feet so was like ummm no way am I ever goingyo upgrade to a tank big enough to house a 3 foot fish lol in my 3rd floor flat ^_^ ( maybe smaller in







































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































Nearly e up with a French angel once also,went a spent few hundpndsred

 

[N.Sreefer]

Mine only eats live amphipods and reef frenzy/coral frenzy they can be hard to see eating because they spook easy when first added to a tank. Jay H told me to film it when I'm not in the room and when I tried that I seen it eat. They grow really fast mine has grown at least 2.5 but probably 3 inch since I got it. It will outgrow my 150 gal 6 foot tank pretty quick at this rats so make plans for rehoming in a couple years.

 

[lion king]

Yes these fish are many times difficult to get eating. Offering live ghost shrimp is the best choice for a fish this size, live guppies would also be accepted. After a live feeding or two offer foods like PE mysis, this fish will take to minced up seafood targeted with a pipette or baster.

 

[Steve H]

How many tanks do you know that can comfortably house a 24”+ free swimming adult fish? There are a handful of home aquariums that fit this description in the US plus some public aquariums. They will take chunks off of some stony corals and dump mouthfuls of sand on other corals irritating them making them most suitable for FO systems as well. Beautiful fish that shouldn’t be sold at fish stores. If my fish store sold me a fish like this without asking basic questions about my aquarium I would find a new fish store.

 

[Zionas]

Avoid. They get large, look very different as adults, and often don’t eat or adapt.

 

[Zionas]

There are many fish that shouldn’t be sold in numbers, period. Many staples of the hobby aren’t the most well-suited to the average tank. How many tanks can house a Naso or Unicorn Tang once they get near full size? Or even house a Blue Tang (Dory) properly? I cannot help but cringe when I see even a Sailfin in a tank that clearly doesn’t take into consideration the size at which they can reach.

Many Acanthurus Tangs simply aren’t well-suited to captivity, they get too large, too active, and are behaviorally problematic. Corallivore butterflies, Moorish Idols, Grunts and Sweetlips, and many examples are all too commonly sold as suitable aquarium fish for the average consumer.

A 24” fish is huge. The longest tank I have heard of is 120” or 3 meters, in a 10’ tank the fish can only swim five body lengths, and the fish in question in the OP’s thread is anything but a sedentary one.

Best left in the ocean or public aquariums, which may or may not do a better job than the average dedicated aquarist.

I sometimes come across an exotic fish or two and I’m like “wow I wish I had that”, but 9/10 times when I do research on it I find out reasons why it’s not commonly kept if at all.