Leopard wrasse

[calvertc425]

Hey guys I just got a 1 1/4 inch leopard wrasse from my LFS and was wondering if anyone has any care tips and tricks for him. now I have him in my display tank and he’s doing great and I only bought him because the lfs showed me him eating vigorously frozen Mysis. Now I haven’t been able to get him to try anything else does anyone have any idea how or what I could try? Really is a beautiful fish and I couldn’t pass her up. And I guess she is a mealagris leopard...? My display is 53 gallons with a 20 gallon sump and filled with pods but I need to get more rock. I’ve attached pics of the fish and my setup let me know what you guys think thanks!

 

[NJDragonet]

Beautiful fish! they are just like any other wrasse but make sure you secure the lid these tend to jump for than others and give him a diet of mysis and shrimp he should do great in that tank

 

[Jcr's Reef]

If it was eating at the lfs you should be good. Give it time to settle in. Most leopards die of starvation bc they refuse frozen. If it goes a few days and doesn't eat try hatching some brine shrimp and feed both brine shrimp and frozen at the same time.

 

[Idoc]

Once you see it eating regularly, you may want to feed it some medicated foods...General Cure+Focus+Fish food... fir 14-21 days 2-3 times per day. Leopards are notorious for having internal parasites and worms that will ultimately kill her. I lost one in quarantine due to this... she quit eating before i could get her trained to eat frozen foods.

If she becomes picky eating, mix in some live brine with the frozen mysis.

If she buries herself for a few days, don't go digging for her. They sometimes do this for a few days to a week when in a new environment.

 

[ca1ore]

Unfortunately they are not like every other wrasse. Very hard to acclimate and extremely twitchy. That you saw it eating at retail is a good thing. Also appears that your tank does not have a lot of other or aggressive fish. That's also a good thing - aggression will force a leopard into the sand and reduce the chances of success significantly. Yours looks to be at a healthy body weight. Often leopards for sale will show 'pinching' behind the head. This is a sign of chronic malnutrition and is invariably fatal.

It will take an acclimating leopard a bit of time to re-accustom itself to frozen foods. Yours is a female meleagris, which is an easier leopard. Leopards are also keen hunters, so she may be sustaining herself on pods. Usually they hunt by swimming close to and parallel to the sand.

 

[destro]

My leopard wrasse hid in the sand for almost 3 weeks without eating to give you a timeline. Now she's fully acclimated and eats like a pig. Always the first to come up to the glass when someone walks by. I never loved wrasse until I met her.

 

[OrionN]

I agree with @ca1ore that Leopards are not like other wrasses. They are a lot more sensitive and initially best acclimated in a full reef system, where there are live food. Once they acclimated and eat prepare food they can be hardy.
Also I don't fine that they are particularly prone to jumping. My Flasher and Fairy hit the top on hourly basis. I keep a group of Leopard for several years in an open top aquarium with no problem with them jump out. I keep Fairy now, so my tank always have tight top, but this is likely not needed for Leopard wrasse.

 

[Jstn]

despite their difficulties to acclimate, once established they are very hardy.

keep trying to feed and NOT STRESS the wrasse, sometimes they will hide and just let them be.

 

[Fishnut]

I just want to add that you don’t want coarse gravel with these little guys. From the photo it looks heavy Watch it’s mouth and see if it is losing skin from trying to burrow.

 

[OrionN]

error

 

[shaggydoo]

I've never had any trouble with my leopard. It eats everything and is ideal for an open top tank because when she is spooked she will bury not jump. Your sandbed does look a little thin and course. The way they burrow is very cool to watch but they need a deeper sandbed in my experience.

I've read they are extremely hard to get to eat, but that has not been my experience. I originally had 2 and both ate anything and everything I fed; flake, mysis, pellets, nori, and tabs that stick on the glass. My second died unexpectedly after 6 months while I was on vacation. I was hoping I could watch one change to a male and I haven't found another healthy one at my lfs since. But my current one has been in my tank for years.

Since yours was eating at the store, that is a great start. Best of luck as the leopard is an amazing fish.

 

[OrionN]

For now, feed her what ever she want to eat, get her healthy first. Once she have gain weight and eating well, I would add other food. First feeding of the day, just either feed the food you want her to try by itself, or else added a small amount, like a few mysis with it. She will get the idea. She will be very hungry in AM she will try anything. Once she eat the dry food, I usually add mixture of various food for my wrasse to eat. Pellets, flakes and frozen.
In my tank I have a number of wrasses so they learn by seen other fish eat it. In your tank, she is the only fish so you just have to be a little patient. Get her healthy first

 

[atoll]

I was lucky to pick up a black female leopard wrasse 2 weeks ago which the LFS forgot they had as they hadn't seen it since putting it in. Also luckily enough it was in a tank with plenty of live rock and was nice and healthy. When introduced it disappointed into the sand but surfaced 3 days later and is feeding well on my prepared foods. I am now looking for a male or another female and hopefully one will turn male.

 

[OrionN]

I was lucky to pick up a black female leopard wrasse 2 weeks ago which the LFS forgot they had as they hadn't seen it since putting it in. Also luckily enough it was in a tank with plenty of live rock and was nice and healthy. When introduced it disappointed into the sand but surfaced 3 days later and is feeding well on my prepared foods. I am now looking for a male or another female and hopefully one will turn male.

Black Leopard is my favorite of the Leopards.
Female

Male

 

[atoll]

Black Leopard is my favorite of the Leopards.
Female

Male

Yep stunning fish and nicer than the normal leopard wrasse IMO.