Leapord wrasse expert advice needed

[moz71]

so I bought a leapord wrasse 2 and half weeks ago and put in a cycled QT with sand to make him comfortable. He stayed in the sand for exactly 2 weeks. He then popped out for a little and now stayed out all day today. He looks great and fed him live brine the first day and frozen my sis today with the live brine and he did eat the frozen. So 2 questions. 1) should I just stop the live brine to get him 100 percent on the frozen or continue to mix? 2) should I medicate anything like praziquantel. He does look great. I see no signs of any problems. I would really like to just keep in QT for another couple weeks to observe and only medicate if necessary. Thoghts?

 

[Gareth elliott]

Far from a wrasse expert but i have qt’d a handful.

I would continue to mix but i also feed my tank live brine once a week.

For treatment if no signs of ich or velvet could start with internal parasites and flukes just to be sure.
Wrasses have thick slime coats often will take a long time to show signs of infection.

Day 1 dose prazi
Day 2 dose metro
Day 4 dose metro
Day 6 dose metro
Day 7 dose prazi.

@eatbreakfast
@evolved
@4FordFamily

 

[geddavis]

I’d switch him to frozen because it’s less work. And if you do a 4 week QT there is not much need for treatment as most problems would show up during that time.

 

[ngoodermuth]

Personally, I treat all of my fish prophylactically for all of the major parasites. Some people don’t QT at all, and some fall somewhere in between.

So, if your preference is to not treat without symptoms... and you are able to observe daily for signs of disease, then that is what works for you.

Word of caution though, wrasses have been known to carry parasites without outward symptoms... so that is the risk.

Some things to look for:
Flashing/scratching against tank decor specifically targeting the gills
Yawning/headshaking/twitching
Swimming directly into the flow of a powerhead
Light sensitivity/ excessively hiding
Heavy breathing
White stringy-poop
Cloudy eyes or spots in the eyes
White spots/red or white patches/etc

Flukes and intestinal parasites are both fairly common in leopards and other wrasses.... if you decide you would like to treat for those proactively.

 

[mfinn]

I would get him weaned onto frozen/prepared foods before treating anything.
I usually start with a copper for 28-30 days, then do 2 weeks with prazipro.

 

[moz71]

I would get him weaned onto frozen/prepared foods before treating anything.
I usually start with a copper for 28-30 days, then do 2 weeks with prazipro.

Yea I think I will get him eating well first and start treatment. You all got me thinking. I did read about likelihood of internal parasites. However, I think I will just treat with praziquantel and metro. And continue to watch I will let you know how it goes. At least I am happy the eating part going well

 

[Jesterrace]

I guess it's just me but treating a fish without any symptoms of illness has never made good sense t0 me. I would say if it stays in QT for 4-8 weeks without any issues then it's likely good to go.

 

[moz71]

Yup one of those debates. I am one of those in Betweeners Don’t want to treat with no signs. However I did have a tank get wiped out by brook so sooo nervous

 

[eatbreakfast]

As mentioned before, wrasses can be carriers of velvet and ich without showing any symptoms themselves. We vaccinate people preemptively to avoid some bad diseases. Velvet can obliterate a tank. Why risk it if you are already taking the time to qt?

If it is eating frozen readily wean it off of live brine, especially if the brine isn't gut loaded prior to feeding.