Leopard wrasse has trouble finding a sleeping spot

[chemicals]

Hi,

I own a leopard wrasse for 4 months now and its doing pretty well except at night. When the lights go out it almost always struggles to find a spot to bury himself. It’s so frustrating to watch because he starts trying around 1hour before the lights go out and gets very stressed out when the lights finally go out and he still doesn’t has a spot. At that point it starts to swim around frantically and hits a lot of rocks and stuff. He always tries to bury himself around the same dang rock which houses a pistol shrimp and goby. Most of the tanks has 2 to 3 inches of sand but due to the excavating work of the pistol shrimp that area has very shallow areas. It’s getting to the point that I feel so bad for him I want to return it. The tank also has a lot of rock and sand without a pistol shrimp and stuff. Are there any other reefers which experience this with their leopard wrasse?

 

[blaxsun]

First and foremost, what kind of sand are you using? Second, are you able to "even out" the sand bed to allow your wrasse to find a happy sleeping spot? Third, what size is your tank?

 

[chemicals]

First and foremost, what kind of sand are you using? Second, are you able to "even out" the sand bed to allow your wrasse to find a happy sleeping spot? Third, what size is your tank?

It’s fiji pink from carib sea. The sand bed is pretty even except for that one spot. I can’t fix that because the pistol shrimp just keeps building it’s den.

 

[haitian_reefer]

I personally wouldn’t about it. There are bigger things to be concerned about in this to stress about.

 

[blaxsun]

It’s fiji pink from carib sea. The sand bed is pretty even except for that one spot. I can’t fix that because the pistol shrimp just keeps building it’s den.

If the sand is fairly even in the rest of the tank the wrasse should be able to find a spot. What size is your tank?

 

[chemicals]

If the sand is fairly even in the rest of the tank the wrasse should be able to find a spot. What size is your tank?

Its a waterbox reef 130.4, 4ft 100 gallons. And I know right, maybe he is just really attached to that specific region..

 

[blaxsun]

Its a waterbox reef 130.4, 4ft 100 gallons. And I know right, maybe he is just really attached to that specific region..

Sometimes they're very particular about a certain spot. Other times, less so. I have a ~2" sand bed and 3-4 wrasses which routinely "jostle" for space (though I rarely see them enter or emerge). These include two adult christmas/melanarus wrasses, a blue star leopard wrasse and my quoy's parrotfish (which can literally move mountains when he decides to burrow!)