New wrasse hiding

Gtinnel · Mar 16, 2022

A few days ago I bought a timor wrasse and I put it into quaratine. I added a bowl of substrate to the qt for a place for the wrasse to hide. Since putting the wrasse in qt 3 days ago I have not seen it out of the sand. Should I give it more time or try to put food in the tank and see if it will come out to eat?
I know it’s not uncommon for a wrasse to hide for a while when first added to a new tank but how long is normal for it to hide, and when in the sand will they normally come out for food?

Arego · Mar 16, 2022

I've had some stay under sand for a week or more. When they're ready they'll pop their head out and survey the situation and eventually come around.

T-J · Mar 16, 2022

I've seen others post that their wrasse has disappeared for a week before suddenly appearing.

I have a Melanurus wrasse that sleeps in the sand. If it's already gone to bed and I put food in the tank, it won't come out.

Gtinnel · Mar 16, 2022

T-J said:
I've seen others post that their wrasse has disappeared for a week before suddenly appearing.

I have a Melanurus wrasse that sleeps in the sand. If it's already gone to bed and I put food in the tank, it won't come out.

My only experience with another sand sleeper is a melanurus and mine would never go into the sand except at night, and I didn’t think about it but it wouldn’t come out for food either.

Porpoise Hork · Mar 16, 2022

Arego said:
I've had some stay under sand for a week or more. When they're ready they'll pop their head out and survey the situation and eventually come around.

Agreed. Many wrasses will do this when first added to a tank. You can offset this to some degree by putting them in a largish acclimation box for 3-4 days before releasing them into the tank. Just be sure to put a pvc pipe or something similar that they can hide in to help reduce stress while they're in there.

MichaelReefer · Mar 16, 2022

It's normal, when I got my old Wrasse I didn't see him for days.

ss30 · Mar 16, 2022

I put a peacock wrasse in my tank on the 30th December haven't seen him since!

sfin52 · Mar 16, 2022

They have a very strong biological clock and takes time to adjust to your lighting schedule. I would imagine its out more right after lights out and before lights come on.

Keep an eye on it and spot feed for the new guy.
@Crabby48 @SaltyT

ss30 · Mar 16, 2022

sfin52 said:
They have a very strong biological clock and takes time to adjust to your lighting schedule. I would imagine its out more right after lights out and before lights come on.

Keep an eye on it and spot feed for the new guy.
@Crabby48 @SaltyT

Fingers crossed.

Crabby48 · Mar 16, 2022

How long it can hide comes down to individual fish, if it was shipped and how long it’s been in a store that has a lighting schedule more on your time. 1 hour time change can mess sand sleepers up for a few days.
Probably won’t come out but feeding sometimes will get them out.
Are you medicating now. I would not if fish haven’t settled and ate for awhile as meds are hard on them when healthy.

Gtinnel · Mar 16, 2022

sfin52 said:
They have a very strong biological clock and takes time to adjust to your lighting schedule. I would imagine its out more right after lights out and before lights come on.

Keep an eye on it and spot feed for the new guy.
@Crabby48 @SaltyT

Based on the behavior of my Melanurus I would’ve guessed that to be the opposite where it hides with the lights out. Would turning off the lights help with his transition or just make it to where he hides again when I do turn them back on?

I keep a camera on my qt tank so I will make sure to start checking it early in the morning and late at night

Gtinnel · Mar 16, 2022

Crabby48 said:
How long it can hide comes down to individual fish, if it was shipped and how long it’s been in a store that has a lighting schedule more on your time. 1 hour time change can mess sand sleepers up for a few days.
Probably won’t come out but feeding sometimes will get them out.
Are you medicating now. I would not if fish haven’t settled and ate for awhile as meds are hard on them when healthy.

No medication as of now other than possibly a trace amount of copper that I didn’t completely get removed from my last fish. When I add a fish to qt I never medicate until they settle in and start eating well.
It wasn’t shipped but I did buy it about 5 hours away from home. It was still hiding at the store that I got it from, which I was told it had been in their tank for about a week.

Crabby48 · Mar 16, 2022

Gtinnel said:
No medication as of now other than possibly a trace amount of copper that I didn’t completely get removed from my last fish. When I add a fish to qt I never medicate until they settle in and start eating well.
It wasn’t shipped but I did buy it about 5 hours away from home. It was still hiding at the store that I got it from, which I was told it had been in their tank for about a week.

Pulling the fish from the sand and them moving will add to stress. I bet it will hide for at least a week or more. Sending good vibes for her

Gtinnel · Mar 16, 2022

Crabby48 said:
Pulling the fish from the sand and them moving will add to stress. I bet it will hide for at least a week or more. Sending good vibes for her

They did have to go through the sand to get the fish to come out. I guess the best approach is to feed the tank and just wait?

I had seen where other hobbysists reported a fish taking a week or more to come out of the sand but in my limited experience with sand sleepers it’s never taken more than a day or two, so I was just wanting others opinions.

Woodyman · Mar 16, 2022

Gtinnel said:
No medication as of now other than possibly a trace amount of copper that I didn’t completely get removed from my last fish. When I add a fish to qt I never medicate until they settle in and start eating well.
It wasn’t shipped but I did buy it about 5 hours away from home. It was still hiding at the store that I got it from, which I was told it had been in their tank for about a week.

Hopefully you had a successful trip! Pickup any other goodies on your drive?

Crabby48 · Mar 16, 2022

You can try a little food. Try and watch when lights are off. Sometimes they will come out for live food for a few. I would wait. Had one hide for a month and others didn’t hide. It all depends on fish and acclimation at store
Also next time you get a sand sleeper wait until it is out swimming before getting

Woodyman · Mar 16, 2022

Crabby48 said:
You can try a little food. Try and watch when lights are off. Sometimes they will come out for live food for a few. I would wait. Had one hide for a month and others didn’t hide. It all depends on fish and acclimation at store
Also next time you get a sand sleeper wait until it is out swimming before getting

Not to hijack, but if I'm at a store without sand in the tank what would be some indicators to look for when trying to pick out a sand sleeper?

Crabby48 · Mar 16, 2022

Stress bit without sand fish will be stressed. Mostly they won’t swim much and when they do they look stiff and not flowing like normal. They will lay on bottom. Mouth damage from trying to bury against bottom and or spinal damage witch it will also swim weird and keep a stiff tail and back can be arched. All those symptom doesn’t mean fish is unhealthy but best to walk away if you don’t know for sure.

Try and keep hope for a week or to. Also find wrasse lover thread and post there. Many great wrasse people. Wrasse are didrent then other fish and take difrent knowledge.

Woodyman · Mar 16, 2022

Crabby48 said:
Stress bit without sand fish will be stressed. Mostly they won’t swim much and when they do they look stiff and not flowing like normal. They will lay on bottom. Mouth damage from trying to bury against bottom and or spinal damage witch it will also swim weird and keep a stiff tail and back can be arched. All those symptom doesn’t mean fish is unhealthy but best to walk away if you don’t know for sure.

Try and keep hope for a week or to. Also find wrasse lover thread and post there. Many great wrasse people. Wrasse are didrent then other fish and take difrent knowledge.

Good to know, Ive been to several fish stores that don't have sand in the tanks with wrasses or any tanks for that matter.