Leopard wrasse and dry food

[Yehuda Dana]

Will Leopard wrasse can be feed on dry food only (brine shrimps pellets, etc.)?

 

[homer1475]

All my fish eat pellets, including 3 different leopard species.

 

[i cant think]

Will Leopard wrasse can be feed on dry food only (brine shrimps pellets, etc.)?

Yes they can be kept on dry foods however having the micro fauna in the rock helps more as they can cruise and feed on that during the day when you’re not there to feed.
This is how I get away with one feeding for all of my wrasses;
Replenishing the microfauna, mainly copepods and phytoplankton, on a weekly basis. I then feed nutritional foods in with the basic meaty foods such as Mysis and Brine. Altogether I feed;
- Mix of various nutritional pellets & flakes
- Mussel Meat
- Chopped Morsel
- Marine Cuisine
- Mysis
- Brine
- Artemia w/ garlic

 

[PatW]

Leopard wrasses can be finicky about what they eat. Like all fish, they prefer live food.

But I very much doubt that leopard wrasses physiologically require live or frozen food. A good nutritious dry food should be fine. It is just that many fish will not eat enough dry food to thrive or maybe that particular dry food is not a high quality diet.

 

[OrionN]

Initially my Leopard wrasses, I keep 3 species also, will hunt for live food. Once acclimated they are not picky eater and will eat everything. Flakes, pellets and frozen in addition to hunting for live food.
The live food initially is critical to their success, IMO

 

[ggNoRe]

Initially my Leopard wrasses, I keep 3 species also, will hunt for live food. Once acclimated they are not picky eater and will eat everything. Flakes, pellets and frozen in addition to hunting for live food.
The live food initially is critical to their success, IMO

Great advice. Mine will eat pellets and flake food no problem but I've had him for a good 6 months+

 

[RobMcC]

Like others have said, they can be a bit finicky when newly imported (There's some theory about Macropharyngodon and jet lag impacting feeding response, but I don't know why they would be more susceptible than any other genus of fish we keep).

Personally, I haven't ever needed to feed live food to acclimate them, but I usually have a good amount of pods in the tank. Once established they certainly do eat pellets and flake. I supplement with a broad variety of frozen though, so couldn't confirm or deny long term success. Not saying that frozen is needed of course, as dry food is often more nutritious in comparison, but I haven't ever tried feeding them with just dry food except for vacations. I haven't lost any during these vacations (up to 2 weeks on dry food), unlike some Pseudanthias species.

For context, the longest I have kept these alive for was a harem for approx. five years. They may still be alive for all I know - I had to sell them when I moved house and was tankless for a period. My current tank was set up 18 months ago. It has 2 species of Macropharyngodon which were among the first fish added to the tank (added three weeks after the dry rock was wet and seeded). I haven't lost any of them, touch wood.

 

[Yehuda Dana]

Thanks a lot, all, for your information. It is very helpful.

What about the tank bottom - fine granulated gravel, is a must?
My tank currently is with a bare bottom.

 

[RobMcC]

Thanks a lot, all, for your information. It is very helpful.

What about the tank bottom - fine granulated gravel, is a must?
My tank currently is with a bare bottom.

I've only kept them in tanks with sand beds. I don't know how well they'd do without that.

 

[i cant think]

Thanks a lot, all, for your information. It is very helpful.

What about the tank bottom - fine granulated gravel, is a must?
My tank currently is with a bare bottom.

A sandbed is an absolute must for this genus. They use it to hide in when stressed, acclimating or sleeping. Without one I find they get mouth injuries.

 

[OrionN]

Sand bed is a must have for these species as they sleep in the sand. As fard as life food goes, establish tank is a must to acclimate them easy. In bare lifeless tanks, successful acclimation is few and far in between, thus a "advance reefer only" lable for these species. They are easy if you provide for them at critical time of acclimation. Actually, everything is easy if you know the species and provide what they need.

 

[dedragon]

Thanks a lot, all, for your information. It is very helpful.

What about the tank bottom - fine granulated gravel, is a must?
My tank currently is with a bare bottom.

Yes they need some sort of substrate at the bottom, but it doesnt need to be super fine like oolite or anything. Mine do just fine with natures ocean aragonite substrate.
I only have 2 species though, not three like the experts Orion and I Cant think. Im on the lookout right now for a choati so hopefully I will be there soon. My LFS has them on order right now as well