Where'd my leopard wrasse go???? Gasman/rogger please chime in!!!

ghstrider · #1 09/17/2007, 08:24 PM

Got my leopard wrasse (3"+)2 weeks ago or so but after a week of normal behavior (lights come on wrasse comes out of sand and buries himself at night before lights turn off til the next day) she has disappeared with no signs. I think she is in the sand but is this normal? will she come out and stay out or are they like this all the time?

I know for a fact the she wasnt a jumper (eggcrate on top) and i havent seen my cleanup crew congregating anywhere (as if feeding on a dead fish). Could she be dead under the sand and no one tries to feed on her (my guess is that my cleanup crew would have a field day and dig her out).

Is there anything i can do to get her out? i think i know the area shes in (always went there to sleep)....can i softly move the sand?? Help please!

My clown (that i have removed) picked on her as well and may have caused this by stressing her but i really want her to come out as she was beautiful.

gasman059 · #2 09/17/2007, 09:04 PM

rider u r the lucky one I killed 3 prior to this current one that eats pretty much everything.

I'm not that good is just I get 3 of everything so when i kill the other two out of elimination one survives!

I u see her in the sand why not stir it just to please your curiosity.
The bottom line is that leopards are not really an easy fish to keep.
Good luck!

ghstrider · #3 09/17/2007, 09:27 PM

Gas, i just stirred the open sand area she normally slept in but nada...

I guess she is in the sand under some rocks or something. Is this normal??? If she was dead would there be some signs?? Anyone dealt with this before??

Bret61081 · #4 09/17/2007, 09:31 PM

I would say its a gonner if it has yet to show its face by now. One thing you can do is check at night and see if its out swimming around. I know my Radiant wrasse took almost a month to get in sync with our time zone.

ghstrider · #5 09/17/2007, 09:40 PM

Bret, if it is a gonner then where is it???? Given i have a good amount of rock work but she was big and my aquascaping has enough holes to see behind and around them. Also wouldnt my CUC be feeding on her? She was easily 3" long and an inch tall. Any ideas? Im frustrated.....

pedromatic · #6 09/17/2007, 10:25 PM

If you have the usual compliment of bristleworms, hermit crabs and snails you might not see anything. Those guys are like piranhas, you might not see any trace of you fish.

Rogger Castells · #7 09/17/2007, 10:59 PM

there is always a chance that she may still alive but if it has been a week since you last saw her then the chances are very slim, leopards do not do well with bold or aggressive tank mates, I bet the clown was terrorizing her.
If she died a week ago it will be hard to find a carcass in your tank, Basically it would have disintegrated by now.
The other thing that occurs to me is, have you checked your overflow box, I've had a Mandarin, flame angel and a damsel and neither one of this fishes are usual jumpers.

illal · #8 09/18/2007, 07:56 AM

have you tested your water to see if there was a spike since the fish went missing???

LouPhoenix · #9 09/18/2007, 10:34 AM

My leopard wrasse only shows her face when I drop in mysis or brine, then it's right back into the sand... which means I only get to see her once in a blue moon. When I moved all my tank inhabitants to a temp tank I spent quite some time raking the sand before the leopard finally came out.

ghstrider · #10 09/18/2007, 10:05 PM

Well...............

She's BACK and better than ever! I just came out of the bedroom to put a cup in the sink and i glanced over to see her just swimming all over. Now that my clowns are out of the main, she swims not only near the top like before (fear of the bottom area where the clowns would hang out) but all over the tank and constantly weaving in and out of the rocks. She also came out real hungry as she was voraciously picking at my LR for some pods so i figured i'd try some frozen brine in garlic and she took to it!! 1st time!

And as im writing this i look over and see a huge cloud of sand and shes gone...back to sleep (what a good life... wake up , eat shrimp, back to sleep). Im just happy to know shes healthy and hopefully her internal clock will get on the same page as my light timers...

coralfragger101 · #11 09/18/2007, 10:14 PM

Where did the clowns go? Are these the clowns that you hadn't even put in your tank the day I was at your house?

I might understand a maroon causing this stress. You had two false percs that were going to go in there ????

ghstrider · #12 09/18/2007, 10:22 PM

chuck...you got the wrong guy dude. im Eddy and you hooked me up with some rock at sufunks place...remember?? (rock is looking good by the way...thanks) The clowns are saddlebacks (like ocellaris blk/wht) and they were in the tank for about 10 days or so but the female is too aggressive. My friend hasnt picked them up yet so if by the end of the week they are still here then they will be for sale/trade. Post if you are interested

coralfragger101 · #13 09/18/2007, 10:27 PM

OK - way too many for me again tonight. You are right. I was thinking Sufunk when I read your thread.

Rogger Castells · #14 09/19/2007, 06:00 AM

good hear the fish was alive! good luck!