new leopard wrasse breathing heavy on sand bed

[jguerin88]

leopard wrasse was shipped over night it’s been on the sand bed breathing heavy , i turned my tank lights off. any suggestions ?

 

[Picasso Clown]

Add an air stone to make sure it has a lot of oxygen

 

[jguerin88]

took the top off the skimmer and put my mo10 above the water line

 

[Rrwilson1223]

Oh no. Is it in a QT tank? If so, has it been eating anything?

I've got a thread on here with what I've been doing. I've got 2 in QT right now.. Its got a bunch of info that I collected:

Quarantine Leopard Wrasses from LiveAquaria

Hi Everyone, I’ve had some bad luck with leopards lately that’s been compounded by the lack of availability due to Covid-19. I’ve tried 3 and only had 1 survive. Sadly, that one recently jumped out of the tank... So, after extensive research. I’ve decided to have another go. Eventually, the...

www.reef2reef.com

They are notoriously bad shippers and sometimes there is little we can do.. Where did you purchase from?

 

[jguerin88]

no but the guy i got it from in ny had it qt’d

 

[jguerin88]

had her in the tank for about 4 hrs now and hasn’t moved just chillen in the sand bed breathing heavy , lights out not moving around

 

[Rrwilson1223]

no but the guy i got it from in ny had it qt’d

Oh ok. Yeah, they are very easily stressed. They'll sometimes lay on the sandbed and recover the next day. Sometimes bury for weeks and be fine when they come out. Once they are comfortable, they are very hardy.

Did the person mention how long they had her? And if she had been eating any particular type of food? Or if she has undergone any kind of meds? Are there any fish that appear to be bullying her?

Sorry for the barrage of questions. Its just hard to dx without the info.

 

[Rrwilson1223]

had her in the tank for about 4 hrs now and hasn’t moved just chillen in the sand bed breathing heavy , lights out not moving around

I was going to recommend turning down/off the lights.

 

[jguerin88]

2 weeks , no meds , no issues , no bullies , i work from home so i’ve been watching her not even a hermit has gone near her

 

[jguerin88]

I was going to recommend turning down/off the lights.

any other recommendations

 

[Rrwilson1223]

Sorry, got distracted with work for a sec.

Hmm, well I'd recommend keeping the wrasse as stress free as possible. Keep the lights down and avoid the temptation to put your hands in the tank. If she burries herself, don't try looking for her for up to a week. They can stay in the sand for quite a while when stressed.

Check her body for any injuries. Sometimes they get injured when shipping. I heard someone once mention that they can injure themselves trying to dive into the shipping bags.

Once she is out. Try enticing her with whatever food she is used to. If the original owner had her on something. Otherwise, I'd start with either live brine or blackworms. Perhaps frozen fish eggs (what's been working for me).

Keep an eye on the other fish and hermits and make sure nobody is causing her stress.

 

[Rrwilson1223]

@4FordFamily
@HotRocks
@evolved

Someone with more experience with wrasses might have some ideas. Adding them on the thread.

 

[jguerin88]

Sorry, got distracted with work for a sec.

Hmm, well I'd recommend keeping the wrasse as stress free as possible. Keep the lights down and avoid the temptation to put your hands in the tank. If she burries herself, don't try looking for her for up to a week. They can stay in the sand for quite a while when stressed.

Check her body for any injuries. Sometimes they get injured when shipping. I heard someone once mention that they can injure themselves trying to dive into the shipping bags.

Once she is out. Try enticing her with whatever food she is used to. If the original owner had her on something. Otherwise, I'd start with either live brine or blackworms. Perhaps frozen fish eggs (what's been working for me).

Keep an eye on the other fish and hermits and make sure nobody is causing her stress.

yup got it and i grow my own brine for the other wrasses

 

[evolved]

What was the salinity of the system it came from?

 

[jguerin88]

.023 , wrasse is no hidden in sand or under a rock i’m hoping that’s a good sign

 

[jguerin88]

now hidden *

 

[evolved]

Sounds just very stressed then. Hiding in the sand would be a better sign.

 

[jguerin88]

glad to hear thank you

 

[Zionas]

Halichoeres and Leopard Wrasses are sand burying genuses. If yours is feeling comfortable in the sand, it’s a sign that it’s settling down. I would give it some time.