Quick - Accidentally received TWO Juvi Dusky Wrasses

[Brit’s Fish]

Hi all! I just got a shipment of fish in the mail and to my surprise, there were TWO juvenile Dusky Wrasses instead of just the single one I ordered. I have two 150g tanks which could house one of each of them OR should I put them together in the same tank and maybe they’ll pair up?
Wasn’t expecting this and I’m not sure what to do. They’re acclimating right now and I do have two breeder boxes which I can keep them separated in.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

@i cant think any thoughts?

 

[i cant think]

Hi all! I just got a shipment of fish in the mail and to my surprise, there were TWO juvenile Dusky Wrasses instead of just the single one I ordered. I have two 150g tanks which could house one of each of them OR should I put them together in the same tank and maybe they’ll pair up?
Wasn’t expecting this and I’m not sure what to do. They’re acclimating right now and I do have two breeder boxes which I can keep them separated in.

I don’t recommend pairing them unless you know exactly what signs to look for and are ready to separate at any moment. Even then, it’s risky. So honestly, it would be best to leave them separate. If it was a case of one being close to the end of its lifespan and one being much younger, I would say it could work out.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

I don’t recommend pairing them unless you know exactly what signs to look for and are ready to separate at any moment. Even then, it’s risky. So honestly, it would be best to leave them separate. If it was a case of one being close to the end of its lifespan and one being much younger, I would say it could work out.

Thank you!! I was leaning towards this and being Halichoeres, I’m not interested in dismantling my tank to separate them. Lucky enough that I have two large tanks that I can keep both of them. Not sure what I’d be expected to do otherwise?! Kinda crazy that they didn’t notice that they were shipping two bags instead of one and I immediately checked my order to make sure I didn’t order two accidentally. I definitely would have noticed if I paid for both.
Anyways, here’s hoping for a long, separate life for both of them!

 

[JoJosReef]

Sometimes shippers send the sand sleepers as duplicates since they have a tendency to die in transit or arrive injured from banging their faces into the bottom of the bag when they spook and "dive to the sand". More an insurance policy for them. Where did the order come from?

 

[ronsonb]

When I ordered my Anthias they sent an extra, I believe for same reason. All made it!

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Sometimes shippers send the sand sleepers as duplicates since they have a tendency to die in transit or arrive injured from banging their faces into the bottom of the bag when they spook and "dive to the sand". More an insurance policy for them. Where did the order come from?

Interesting! I must say that one of them is doing much better than the other. I’m not sure that one of them is going to make it but I’m hoping! I understand the thinking but I wish I had a heads up and also I’m not sure then what I would do if I only had a single tank and both made it.
If they both make it though, that’s great and I’ll be very happy!
The order came from Dr Reef’s.

 

[Crabby48]

Correct I wouldn’t put them both in the tank. You will probably end up with two males and then they will fight to death.

 

[JoJosReef]

Interesting! I must say that one of them is doing much better than the other. I’m not sure that one of them is going to make it but I’m hoping! I understand the thinking but I wish I had a heads up and also I’m not sure then what I would do if I only had a single tank and both made it.
If they both make it though, that’s great and I’ll be very happy!
The order came from Dr Reef’s.

Dr. Reef did that for my leopard wrasse and yellow Halichoeres wrasse. Ended up with 3 wrasses (one leopard didn't make the trip). Extra yellow went to a local reefer. Don't think he's been advertising it, otherwise people would abuse him for extra wrasses/resales (I imagine).

 

[MnFish1]

Hi all! I just got a shipment of fish in the mail and to my surprise, there were TWO juvenile Dusky Wrasses instead of just the single one I ordered. I have two 150g tanks which could house one of each of them OR should I put them together in the same tank and maybe they’ll pair up?
Wasn’t expecting this and I’m not sure what to do. They’re acclimating right now and I do have two breeder boxes which I can keep them separated in.

I would try putting them together - watching for problems. How big are the fish? I'm assuming they are quite small? However - as you said - if one is doing worse than the other - separation in any case might be the best option.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

I would try putting them together - watching for problems. How big are the fish? I'm assuming they are quite small? However - as you said - if one is doing worse than the other - separation in any case might be the best option.

They are both about 3” & I did end up putting one in each tank since I didn’t think I’d have a great chance of trying to catch one of them later.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Dr. Reef did that for my leopard wrasse and yellow Halichoeres wrasse. Ended up with 3 wrasses (one leopard didn't make the trip). Extra yellow went to a local reefer. Don't think he's been advertising it, otherwise people would abuse him for extra wrasses/resales (I imagine).

That’s good to know… I definitely didn’t expect it and I’m extremely lucky to have multiples options - other tanks, several friends in the hobby and LFSs nearby. I also originally had a leopard wrasse on the order but canceled it shortly after ordering because the one I thought I lost suddenly showed up again after 3 weeks of not seeing her. (Different story - had her for a year before she seemingly just forgot what time it was and slept all day.)
Anyhow, I really do wonder what is expected of customers when they don’t have those options and both fish are healthy. Just let them fight it out? I was concerned when I thought this was a fluke and now I just wonder what happens to all the extra unfortunate fish out there. Stepping off my soapbox now.

 

[JoJosReef]

That’s good to know… I definitely didn’t expect it and I’m extremely lucky to have multiples options - other tanks, several friends in the hobby and LFSs nearby. I also originally had a leopard wrasse on the order but canceled it shortly after ordering because the one I thought I lost suddenly showed up again after 3 weeks of not seeing her. (Different story - had her for a year before she seemingly just forgot what time it was and slept all day.)
Anyhow, I really do wonder what is expected of customers when they don’t have those options and both fish are healthy. Just let them fight it out? I was concerned when I thought this was a fluke and now I just wonder what happens to all the extra unfortunate fish out there. Stepping off my soapbox now.

I'm sure in most cases people manage to re-home them or get them to an LFS. Mike takes a big hit when he has to do a lot of reshipping, and these wrasses are notorious for arriving in bad shape or dead. Still would be good to give you a heads up right before shipping that two are on the way as a hedge.

Did they get shipped with sand in the bag?

I did a trial run with him shipping one in sand and one in a "blacked out bag" for comfort. Both Halichoeres arrived alive and well, but only the sand bag leopard arrived alive. I wonder if he is sticking with just water for Halichoeres and sand for leopards...

 

[Brit’s Fish]

The sand is a great idea for Leopards! Mine were shipped in the half blacked out bags. And as a fellow small business owner, I completely understand the thinking behind why he does this. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not necessarily complaining about a free fish either.

On a high note, the one who was looking pretty good from the beginning immediately buried herself in the sand bed when I was done acclimating. And about an hour later, she was and still is swimming around and getting to know her surroundings. She hasn’t eaten yet but I’m not concerned.

The other one who wasn’t looking so hot went into my other 150 and laid on the sand breathing hard for a while. I walked away for a bit and when I came back, she was nowhere to be seen. I can only hope she dove into the sand and will emerge healthy later.

All in all, crisis has been averted & the three other fish that came in our order seem to be doing great. I split the order with a friend of mine so the other 3 went with her.

I would definitely order from Mike/Dr Reef’s again and now I will know what to expect too! Thank you to this lovely community for being so helpful!

 

[Brit’s Fish]

I'm sure in most cases people manage to re-home them or get them to an LFS. Mike takes a big hit when he has to do a lot of reshipping, and these wrasses are notorious for arriving in bad shape or dead. Still would be good to give you a heads up right before shipping that two are on the way as a hedge.

Did they get shipped with sand in the bag?

I did a trial run with him shipping one in sand and one in a "blacked out bag" for comfort. Both Halichoeres arrived alive and well, but only the sand bag leopard arrived alive. I wonder if he is sticking with just water for Halichoeres and sand for leopards...

sorry, my last reply was meant to go to you!

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Welp, after all the posts today, it seems that Mike/Dr Reefs is onto something because only one of the wrasses made it. I just found the one that was looking pretty rough under a pile of hermit crabs. Heartbreaking.

 

[i cant think]

Welp, after all the posts today, it seems that Mike/Dr Reefs is onto something because only one of the wrasses made it. I just found the one that was looking pretty rough under a pile of hermit crabs. Heartbreaking.

Honestly, wrasses should ideally be shipped with sand. They just don’t cope well without it in most cases - especially if they’re already stressed from being taken out of the holding tank.

 

[Brit’s Fish]

Another update - the wrasse that seemed to be doing well did not make it either. I’m super bummed about these poor fish… I’m sure they were very healthy and I certainly trust the vendor but I think I can just conclude that they really don’t ship well. And there’s certainly something to the idea that they should be shipped with sand. What a sad day for these guys.

 

[JoJosReef]

Another update - the wrasse that seemed to be doing well did not make it either. I’m super bummed about these poor fish… I’m sure they were very healthy and I certainly trust the vendor but I think I can just conclude that they really don’t ship well. And there’s certainly something to the idea that they should be shipped with sand. What a sad day for these guys.

Did you notice any problems with their jaws? Sometimes they break their jaws slamming into the bag.

 

[MnFish1]

Did you notice any problems with their jaws? Sometimes they break their jaws slamming into the bag.

Though it sounds correct - my guess is that it would be a very very rare occurrence