So I’m getting back into the hobby and I would like to know if it is easier to keep leopard wrasses in Singapore due to shorter shipping time to LFS and from what I read up, less disruption to their circadian rhythm?
I ordered a Waterbox 380.8 XL and plan to keep 4 of them all different species… no Halichores or any other type of wrasses in the tank.
( note this is an sps reef )
Stocking list:
2 Ocellaris Clownfish
4 yellow tangs
1 blue tang
1 naso tang
4 leopard wrasses ( of any species not picky here )
1 Tiger Watchman Goby
1 copperband butterfly
2 skin cleaner shrimp
1 tuxedo urchin
1 sand sifting sea star
Assorted snails ( about 10 )
Do let me know if there are any issues with the stocking… thanks for reading
1. I wouldn’t do that many tangs with 4 leopards, these guys are shy and aggression can become detrimental to these guys.
I haven’t had a ton of Leopards, I’m currently at 2; Vivians and Meleagris however, I have had more short term success with other sensitive species (one being Pseudojuloides). Best way I’ve found to succeed with these species is through adding them prior to any larger, more aggressive species.
What I’ll say, Cyanide is almost certainly still in use. I have lost a few nice wrasses to it, one being a Roseafascia. This likely means that Leopards in the Philippines could undergo Cyanide. If that is the case, I recommend watching them in the LFS for a couple months. If you see them acting normal even 1-2 months later, I’d say you’re safe.
2. A harem is more successful with Leopards however it’s not recommended until you know the signs of transition. Just because something is unlikely doesn’t always mean it won’t.
Also, do you plan to add all 4 at the same time? If so, you can ignore this next part
Basically, as mentioned, some species are more aggressive (or as I say, boisterous) than others. If you don’t add them all at once I recommend getting peaceful species first. For example, here’s the 4 leopard wrasses I’ve had and the order I would’ve (I kept 2 in my main wrasse tank and 2 in my nano) introduced them based on how boisterous each one is;
1. Blue Star (
M. bipartitus)
2. Vivian’s (
M. viviennae) - if I did a Harem I would do a group of these guys
3. Meleagris (
M. meleagris)
4. Kuiter’s (
M. kuiteri)
Now, if the Blue star was the
M. marisrubri I would’ve introduced that after my
M. meleagris.
But without knowing what 4 you’d go for, we can’t quite say what order to introduce them in.
3. Feeding these guys is now easier than it was. It used to be that M. bipartitus was easiest and then M. meleagris was slightly more difficult. This still exists to some extent with
M. choati being just below
A. femininus in care for many. Foods that work on almost every species include;
Masstick
Blood worm - with any finicky fish I will implement this into their diet and it tends to work, especially on butterflies and wrasses
Mysis/Brine - this is often the last thing I will try, usually just after feeding bloodworm but sometimes I get lucky and they feed on this straight away.
But, the best way I’ve found for getting fish to feed is doing a huge batch of frozen.
For example, here’s what I had in my first mix of frozen food, I’ve been doing it for almost a year now and my fish have never been fatter or healthier.
Hope this helps even just a bit!
