So I got a leopard and put it in QT Saturday with pvc and Tupperware on sand. As expected it buried instantly. I saw it this morning before lights on and fed it and it ate mysis no problem. Well sometime during day it butied again. No big deal as I've read it takes em a few days/weeks acclimate to our daylight hours in US. Well tonight I was trying to collect some of the sand it spilled out of the Tupperware cause I watched it try to bury in it and was afraid it might eventually hurt itself and when I did I woke it up. I tried to feed just cause it was awake and I had mysis thawed for my DT, but with no luck. It kinda just laid on the bottom like I would of some one startled me out of sleep. After a few minutes of it kind of just swaying around in the current from the pump on the bottom of the tank it started swimming around a little and started to panic. I dimmed the light trying to help and it eventually wedged itself between the Tupperware and the front glass trying to get in the sand. I turned the lights off and helped it in the sand with my hand and it buried instantly. Of course we are all worriers and I know leopards are hard to acclimate and get to eat as this is my 2nd attempt. I'm worried now. It's going to be all right...right? Surely they get woken up in the wild too right?
Leopard wrasse in qt...
- Thread starter bdub22rhp
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Best bet is to take a hands off approach, let it get accustomed to the rhythm of the tank. Are there other fish in there with it? Sometimes some dither fish help. I lost my first one a day or two after it got into quarantine, but the second one has been with me for almost 6 months now after going through quarantine and it's a hardy bugger. Just keep the water clean and leave it to it's own devices. Less changes are better, and definitely don't help it with your hands!
bdub22rhp
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Thanks. It's alone in there. I usually am hands off and have had many fish go through QT with no problem. Only one that didn't was my first try with a leopard. As far as my hands I couldn't watch it lay there stuck like it was going to die.
4FordFamily
Tang, Angel, and Wrasse Nerd!
I agree, hands out as much as possible and keep the environment as low stress as possible. I’ve had leopards stay in the sand for a month or more, although 2-10 days is common.
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
Waking them up makes them more likely to stay buried for an extended time.
eatbreakfast
Fish Nerd
No. If it is continually buried adding food will only deteriorate water quality. However, it may be coming out at 'off' hours. Trying to feed when it is out and swimming is important, because if it is a young fish it's metabolism will be faster than an older specimen and if it is not eating regularly can lose strength quickly.
reefndude
Valuable Member
I had three in quarantine, down to one now. Been just over three weeks and she still has no regular pattern. First introduced they all were out swimming within the first couple of days. Eating some. One passed within first week. Other two were eating ok so I decided to treat with prazi. Buried themselves didn't see them for a week. Did a water change two days after treatment and found another one dead. Was thinking third one was dead too. Did a second round of prazi because I still have a yellow wrasse in the tank. This past Saturday to my surprise the third popped out. Very skittish but was ttaking food. Sunday no sign of her. Yesterday she was out before I left for work. Fed the tank and am not positive she ate. By the time I got home already buried.
Kamden Uelton
Well-Known Member
Mine got sick or something on it's 4 month mark, It would only come out every 3 weeks but still maintained his weight. He sadly passed away when I tried to take him out the tank for PraziPro treatment. (he was a Choat's Leopard Wrasse)
bdub22rhp
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It was out again this morning before I went to work. 2 days in a row. Looked like it had a small lesson of some sort on its upper lip. Im sure its probably from trying to bury in the sparse sand it spilled oit of its Tupperware when it panicked last night. It ate mysis again as it did the day before and besides the lesson looks healthy... good color and active. When I got home from work it has buried again. Guess it's a morning person right now. I'm feeding vitamin enriched mysis and hope the the lesson will heal. My pintail had an injury to its eye once it came out from hiding and I fed the same regiment and it healed. Looked like pop eye without the cloudiness and from research I settled on an injury that caused the swelling. I'll medicate if it doesn't look any better, but trying not to stress anymore than I already have. My other wrasses that went through QT in past some got prazi and only when they showed signs of flukes. I'm more of an observe and feed in QT as opposed to stressing fish out with medication for no other reason than a precaution. My method has worked very well as I haven't lost any fish other than the first leopard which never surfaced and a diamond goby that made it through the smallest of holes on my top and took a ride on the carpet express. Also to note I've never had any illness outbreak in either my saltwater or freshwater tanks. Only in QTs which I setup for both systems or at least I did until I got out of freshwater and into salt.
HKfshkpr1
Active Member
I tried tupperware for my wrasses with little success. These fish are kind of dumb and can hardly remember "how" they got into bed last night( swam up first). They always want to dive at the lowest area. I solved this problem by using a thick solid filter pad( a lime color one from drfostersmith) to cover about 65 to 75% of the tank bottom. Weigh it down then put sand on the rest of the tank bottom. Or you can put the pad in the middle and create 2 narrow strips on the sides. The sand is a little lower than the pad with is 1 inch thick. You can easily siphon out the small amount of sand if needed. Be sure to leave no gaps at the tank glass walls.
My wrasses calmed down right away. Hope this helps.
