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October 19, 2018

The Wrasse pair

I'm finding that setting up and maintaining a saltwater tank is not nearly as hard as I imagined. Of course, it takes research and a bit more $$$ than a freshwater tank, but the fish are so beautiful and interesting. As previously posted, I have a solar fairy wrasse. [I've seen it listed as "solar" and "solor" - but look at the picture, okay? They are a common aquarium fish.]

Since I have two clownfish, I wanted to get a mate for the wrasse. I also have a skunk cleaner shrimp, snails and five coral frags. From what I found in my research - the clown fish are males as juveniles and the larger one will eventually turn female when they get mature enough to mate. What I also found was that this wrasse can be kept in pairs because one will morph into the appropriate sex. Okay - so I have a saltwater tank with transitioning/gender fluid fish. Go figure.

Yesterday I picked up the 2nd wrasse. My LFS had just gotten a delivery of new fish and this one was still in the bag. It was curled up and motionless - and even the store owner looked at it twice before re-bagging it and putting it with my order. When fish are moved, they normally get a little WTF-itis. This is normal and once they are in the tank for a bit, they normally get over it. The first wrasse took a couple of days before showing herself in the front of the tank. So I expected a bit of initial shyness.

I floated the bag (as normal) and the wrasse stayed motionless in it. The original wrasse and the clowns seemed to swim by and welcome it to the reef. After a while I let it into the tank. It went to the bottom and stayed motionless. After a while it looked like it was hyperventilating. The other wrasse kept swimming by and seemed to be encouraging. But the new wrasse seemed caught up in her own hysteria. Then it moved to the side of the tank by a rock edge and just stayed there. I really thought it wasn't going to make it. Both wrasses disappeared at night (which is normal) and I decided to wait to see if she was going to show up for breakfast in the morning.

The wrasse was gone for most of the day. When I finally found her - she was motionless in the corner next to the floating tank cleaner.

I thought it was dead, so I poked it with my finger. It swam about an inch away - and I quickly removed my hand from the tank. Then it wiggled itself back into position - with its fin neatly tucked into the scraper slot. And went back to its nap/meditation.

OMG - I have an emo fish. So since she seems to be healthy and just "having a moment" (or fish ptsd) - I'm just going to let her find her comfort zone. Later this afternoon she was motionless in a crevice watching the other wrasse pace back and forth. Every now and then the original wrasse will come over as if to encourage her, but she's not having it yet.. At the end of the evening I saw her swim around the front of the tank for about 5 minutes - and then went back to motionless in a hiding spot. Let's just give her some time.

Posted by BlueWolf on October 19, 2018 09:48 PM