New Melanurus Wrasse Male

ItsAName · Jul 2, 2017

I added one of these Wrasse's (also called Hoeven Wrasse) to my tank yesterday and haven't seen it since. Does it normally hide when you first add it? How long until it comes out again?

Also, I plan on feeding it normal pellet food with twice a week frozen food. Does that sound right?

Thanks!

ndrwater · Jul 2, 2017

Any new additions can be a bit shy at 1st. Pellets and frozen is just fine.

4FordFamily · Jul 2, 2017

Halichoeres genus wrasse tend to hide for several days upon addition. I had one hide for more than a month I thought was long gone. Most though are 1-5 days. Completely normal behavior.

Do you have a tight fitting lid? They're jumpers so that's another thing to worry about

Aqua fire/medic · Jul 2, 2017

A few days to even a week sounds about right. Very hardy specimen once established. Will eat just about anything..... including your hermits and smaller snails.

ItsAName · Jul 2, 2017

Better make a lid then before it shows itself! Are my snails and hermits in trouble if i feed regularly?

Labridaedicted · Jul 2, 2017

Perfectly normal. They'll sometimes disappear a week

Aqua fire/medic said:
A few days to even a week sounds about right. Very hardy specimen once established. Will eat just about anything..... including your hermits and smaller snails.

This is truth. I had a trio of these and I only had big turbos and astreas left. They'll pick things up and smash them on rocks to get at them. Shrimp, hermits, and small snails were all fair game to them. Awesome fish, though

4FordFamily · Jul 3, 2017

ItsAName said:
Better make a lid then before it shows itself! Are my snails and hermits in trouble if i feed regularly?

Potentially, I've always thought wrasse to be worth the cost of replacing my CUC annually

jwshiver · Jul 3, 2017

Mine hid for 3 days when I first put him in and I've never seen him bury again during the day. I've had him a little over a year. He is tough as nails, surviving two 30 day rounds of cupramine in QT while my DT went fallow for a bad velvet outbreak. (The first 30 day treatment didn't cure the velvet) He was one of the few survivors. I've learned the hard way to QT everything. He is one of my favorites and has a great personality. He is an assassin and a thief. He is constantly in hunting mode and takes pleasure stealing food from the other fishes mouths at feeding times.

Fishninja · Jul 3, 2017

Be careful not to siphon the sand bed until he comes out so you don't accidentally shoot him up the tube! Melanurus wrasse are awesome and I am sure he will eat the pellets/frozen food like a pig.

CindyKz · Jul 3, 2017

I moved mine from QT to DT on Thursday, I am still waiting for him to come out

rompininphx · Jul 4, 2017

He will come out eventually, give him a few days. Great addition to a reef tank btw.

Oberst Oswald · Jul 4, 2017

Make sure he is well fed. I feed my tank frozen & dry food every day and am fairly sure I haven't lost a crab or snail to him. They grow fast and do get quite big.

ItsAName · Jul 4, 2017

So my wife saw him swimming around yesterday morning for about an hour, but I still haven't seen him. Hoping he comes out soon! Thank you everyone for the advice and experience, I wouldn't have known to build a lid and about them going after the CUC.

ItsAName · Aug 16, 2017

CindyKz said:
I moved mine from QT to DT on Thursday, I am still waiting for him to come out

Did he come out? Any issues with the fish and your coral?

CindyKz · Aug 16, 2017

He did, I think the day after I wrote that. Now he's best friends with my rabbitfish and they think they rule the world. I named him "Trouble". Thank you for asking

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jd371 · Aug 17, 2017

Here's mine, loves to lounge on the rock with GSP and Pulsing Xenia, sorry for the lousy picture but the lights were ramping down and just about to shut off, when I tried to take the picture with more light he doesn't stay put. They are pigs and will eat just about anything. Hasn't touched any of my shrimp or snails, although he did eat some Peppermint that I got for Aptasia but they were on the small side so I chalk that up to size. I feed my fish mostly Black worms, Mysis, BS, and LRS. A secure lid is a must. I've seen him dart around like a rocket when startled and lost a Pink Margin Wrasse to jumping.