Leopard Wrasse Primer - Page 2

tdp22 · 10/14/2008, 06:18 PM

What is the min. tank size you would put one in? I have a 55 gal., 48in long, LR tons of pods set up to house a Leopard. LFS said No?? Thoughts?

RokleM · 10/15/2008, 06:32 AM

You didn't mention anything about the depth or type of substrate. I would say you have a decent chance of keeping one with enough hobby experience. That being said, I personally wouldn't keep one in a tank that size. I believe for one to be happy and thrive, a good amount of rock and larger tank is necessary. Requirements are much like keeping a mandarin.

Even though the 55 is a common tank, it's pretty painful when it comes to reefs.

brandyrb · 10/16/2008, 10:59 AM

I just recently got two Macropharyngodon bipartitus one male, one female. The LFS ordered them for me and I picked them up from the shipment to avoid acclimating them twice. The stores tank, then mine. From what the LFS read, the biggest hurdle is to get past the acclimation process and doing it twice can be too much for the fish.

Once I got them home and acclimated, the female didn't hide at all. All my other fish checked her out and within 15 min. She started searching the tank for pods. The male swam into a large piece of live rock then came out and also started searching for pods. According to what I've read, they will often bury themselves in the sand and stay hidden for a long time after acclimation.

They do sleep under the sand at night and during a large part of the day, but come out and search for pods daily. The female follows the male around the tank.

I have a 300 gal reef with approx. 5" of sand and 250-300 lbs of live rock. The 300 has been setup roughly a year and a half. I upgraded from a 125 that was setup for approx 3 years before that. The 125 was an upgrade from a 55 that was also setup about a year.

I have not seen either fish eat prepared foods yet, but my pod population is so large, I'm not worried about it. I purchased them last friday, so it's almost been a week.

Female:

Male:

brandyrb · 10/16/2008, 11:00 AM

Duplicate Post...

Mark · 10/16/2008, 01:10 PM

Species of leopard: Female meleagris
Source (LFS, online, etc): From a friend's tank, who was downsizing
Method of introduction (quarantine, straight-to-tank, etc): Straight to tank. Transported in a 5 gallon bucket with sand.
Tank set up (reef, fowlr, size, age, etc): 180G softie/lps reef.
How many other attempts, if any, you made to keep a leopard wrasse and thoughts on why this attempt was successful (if applicable): First and only attempt

I was lucky in that my female came from a friend's tank. She eats small New Life Spectrum pellets with gusto from my feeding pipe. My sand bed is only about 1-2 cm, and it seems to be just fine for her. So I would say, IMHE, a DSB isn't needed. Shallow sand bed works fine. My substrate is made up of Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade.

I've had her for a couple of years now. The previous owner did as well.

revaltion131 · 10/16/2008, 02:14 PM

This fish did not last long (internal parasite it wasn't treated for) but I "baby-sat" a young M. meleagris for a friend (240g cube) after a Yellow Tang beat the snot out of it. They tried the no-QT method to get the fish to a reliable source of food faster, and so when they introduced her, the tang went nuts. I took the leopard while they found a home for, and removed, the tang. The wrasse started eating in my tank within three days. I already used a cyclopeeze and mysis mix so I can make sure that my neon gobies get food small enough for their mouths. She started by eating the cyclops and went after the mysis the next feeding time.

As I said, she died a couple of months later with an internal parasite but the way that she started eating supports the idea of using Cyclopeeze, Marine Snow, Arctipods, and so on, to get them to start eating.

Texsun · 10/18/2008, 01:30 AM

Species of leopard: Female bipartitus
Source (LFS, online, etc): LFS
Method of introduction (quarantine, straight-to-tank, etc): Straight to tank. Drip acclimated for ~1 hour.
Tank set up (reef, fowlr, size, age, etc): 30g mature SPS/LPS dominated reef.
How many other attempts, if any, you made to keep a leopard wrasse and thoughts on why this attempt was successful (if applicable): Third attempt with bipartitus. First was successful for over six months but lost due to tank crash. Second attempt unsuccessful but admittedly shouldn't have brought her home (broken beak). Thought I could save her from certain death at the LFS.

My current bipartitus is going on 16 months now. Eats anything I throw in the tank and thriving.

I'm interested to hear from the 1 choati voter as I've tried a few and they seem to last, oh maybe 3-4 days at best.

hatfielj · 10/18/2008, 11:48 AM

I must be lucky with my leopard because it is the hardiest fish I have so far. It eats everything I put in the tank and does a great deal of foraging in the sand and on the live rock. I've had it for 6 months now and its doing great so far. I hope it continues to do well.

hatfielj · 10/18/2008, 12:14 PM

Here's what mine looks like

Shawn D · 10/20/2008, 05:08 PM

Here is my female Macropharyngodon bipartitus from Live Aquaria, that I have had for about 5 months.

I got her then put her in a temporary tank with lr rubble from my refugium and a ball of chaeto filled with pods, then over a week she slowly started taking mysis and now eats anything I put in the tank. She is by far my favorite fish.

I have a couple of questions about these fish
1. Can I add another female and will one change into a male? I am having a hard time finding a male in the area or online.
2. How do they do with other species of leopard wrasses?

flfireman1 · 10/21/2008, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Shawn D
I have a couple of questions about these fish
1. Can I add another female and will one change into a male? I am having a hard time finding a male in the area or online.
2. How do they do with other species of leopard wrasses?

1. Yes, from everything Ive read, females of the same sex can be kept together. In the wild one male keeps a harem of females. Although it is not a certainty that adding two females will cause one of them to turn male.
2. I keep a female biparitus and a female meleagris. The two get along fine. The only chasing is done by the male who very sporatically chases either female for a short burst with no bitting.

snorvich · 10/21/2008, 09:03 AM

Well, all of these postings have convinced me to try them. Nice thread, and thanks Brian for starting it. Great pictures everyone.

Sigmund · 10/21/2008, 09:13 AM

Have had my Macropharyngodon bipartitus (BSLS) for about 2.5 years. She started in my 75gallon reef, is now in my 150gallon reef.

Is just completing it's transition from a Female to Male. The process of the color change has taken about 2months or so, and is almost complete. Not sure what caused the transition to begin, inhabitants in the tank has been stable, and tank conditions have been stable. Regardless it has been a cool thing to witness.

Fuzznutz · 10/23/2008, 12:01 PM

-Macropharyngodon meleagris-female
-LFS
-Quarantine for 3 weeks with a tupperware container of sand to burrow in
-90g, mixed reef, dsb (4")
-First attempt, I only bought this gal because she was eating brine shrimp in the LFS, where as the African Leopard next to her was not.

Fuzznutz · 10/23/2008, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund
Have had my Macropharyngodon bipartitus (BSLS) for about 2.5 years. She started in my 75gallon reef, is now in my 150gallon reef.

Is just completing it's transition from a Female to Male. The process of the color change has taken about 2months or so, and is almost complete. Not sure what caused the transition to begin, inhabitants in the tank has been stable, and tank conditions have been stable. Regardless it has been a cool thing to witness.

From what I have read all females will become males in time when no male is present.

Sigmund · 10/24/2008, 07:33 AM

Fuzznutz,

Thanks for the info. Wasn't aware of that....

Fuzznutz · 10/24/2008, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sigmund
Fuzznutz,

Thanks for the info. Wasn't aware of that....

Well, looks like I was a little off...says "as the need arises", take that as you will

This site lists them all, though this is just my gal:

Source

Quote:

All are born female and change as the need arises. Adult male patterning is more streamlined; having an orange-red body with dark green spots, lines on the head, and a dark 'ear' spot.

snorvich · 10/24/2008, 10:06 AM

Greetings,
I just got my "Blue Star Leopard Wrasse" from DFS (not DD). She stays at the top of the tank and swims around rather than immediately diving for the sand. Is this normal? Thanks in advance.,

Fuzznutz · 10/24/2008, 10:23 AM

"Normal" swimming for a Leopard Wrasse is to constantly forge for food along the rock. As for not shooting into the sand, no biggie.

snorvich · 10/26/2008, 09:26 AM

Well, sadly, the fish died over night after one day. It seemed healthy and ate mysis right out of acclimation. But, it never seemed to hunt like my mandarins or scooter blenny. Any ideas?

Reeftanks6 · 10/26/2008, 10:03 AM

I am getting a Macropharyngodon meleagris female on Tuesday from Liveaquaria. Hopefully she does well.

Bret61081 · 10/28/2008, 10:24 PM

I had an Ornate for almost 2 years...ate everything I put in the tank!! Sadly the egg crate fell down one day and he jumped out. =( I ordered 2 Choati this week for the store I work for...so hopefully one of those are coming home with me!! FINGERS CROSSED!!

cirujano · 10/30/2008, 11:36 PM

I have crash coral sand bed. Are leopard wrasses be happy with that?

Fuzznutz · 10/31/2008, 04:22 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cirujano
I have crash coral sand bed. Are leopard wrasses be happy with that?

Nope

dbmtrman · 10/31/2008, 11:21 PM

I just got one today, and it is in qt tank now. Any recommendations on whether to hypo while in qt? I had an ich break out in my dt, and am just finishing an 8 week fallow period. Just want to make sure nothing is brought back in.

View Poll Results: Indicate those species you keep in your tank
Macropharyngodon bipartitus	67	28.39%
Macropharyngodon choati	12	5.08%
Macropharyngodon geoffroy	24	10.17%
Macropharyngodon meleagris	78	33.05%
Macropharyngodon negrosensis	29	12.29%
Other	26	11.02%
Voters: 236. You may not vote on this poll

10/15/2008, 06:32 AM	#27
RokleM Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 9,687	You didn't mention anything about the depth or type of substrate. I would say you have a decent chance of keeping one with enough hobby experience. That being said, I personally wouldn't keep one in a tank that size. I believe for one to be happy and thrive, a good amount of rock and larger tank is necessary. Requirements are much like keeping a mandarin. Even though the 55 is a common tank, it's pretty painful when it comes to reefs. __________________ -Eric-

10/16/2008, 10:59 AM	#28
brandyrb Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mead, Washington Posts: 63	I just recently got two Macropharyngodon bipartitus one male, one female. The LFS ordered them for me and I picked them up from the shipment to avoid acclimating them twice. The stores tank, then mine. From what the LFS read, the biggest hurdle is to get past the acclimation process and doing it twice can be too much for the fish. Once I got them home and acclimated, the female didn't hide at all. All my other fish checked her out and within 15 min. She started searching the tank for pods. The male swam into a large piece of live rock then came out and also started searching for pods. According to what I've read, they will often bury themselves in the sand and stay hidden for a long time after acclimation. They do sleep under the sand at night and during a large part of the day, but come out and search for pods daily. The female follows the male around the tank. I have a 300 gal reef with approx. 5" of sand and 250-300 lbs of live rock. The 300 has been setup roughly a year and a half. I upgraded from a 125 that was setup for approx 3 years before that. The 125 was an upgrade from a 55 that was also setup about a year. I have not seen either fish eat prepared foods yet, but my pod population is so large, I'm not worried about it. I purchased them last friday, so it's almost been a week. Female: Male: __________________ Brandy Vaughn Current Tank Info: In-Wall 300 gal fish & SPS w/ 125 gal sump/refugium; 40 breeder

10/16/2008, 11:00 AM	#29
brandyrb Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Mead, Washington Posts: 63	Duplicate Post... __________________ Brandy Vaughn Current Tank Info: In-Wall 300 gal fish & SPS w/ 125 gal sump/refugium; 40 breeder

10/16/2008, 01:10 PM	#30
Mark Premium Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Atlanta, GA, USA Posts: 4,542	Re: Leopard wrasse sucess stories Species of leopard: Female meleagris Source (LFS, online, etc): From a friend's tank, who was downsizing Method of introduction (quarantine, straight-to-tank, etc): Straight to tank. Transported in a 5 gallon bucket with sand. Tank set up (reef, fowlr, size, age, etc): 180G softie/lps reef. How many other attempts, if any, you made to keep a leopard wrasse and thoughts on why this attempt was successful (if applicable): First and only attempt I was lucky in that my female came from a friend's tank. She eats small New Life Spectrum pellets with gusto from my feeding pipe. My sand bed is only about 1-2 cm, and it seems to be just fine for her. So I would say, IMHE, a DSB isn't needed. Shallow sand bed works fine. My substrate is made up of Caribsea Seaflor Special Grade. I've had her for a couple of years now. The previous owner did as well. __________________ -Mark TOTM March 2001 Current Tank Info: 225g stony reef, 38g softie

10/14/2008, 06:18 PM	#26
tdp22 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 524	What is the min. tank size you would put one in? I have a 55 gal., 48in long, LR tons of pods set up to house a Leopard. LFS said No?? Thoughts?

10/16/2008, 02:14 PM	#31
revaltion131 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Sparty Land Posts: 621	This fish did not last long (internal parasite it wasn't treated for) but I "baby-sat" a young M. meleagris for a friend (240g cube) after a Yellow Tang beat the snot out of it. They tried the no-QT method to get the fish to a reliable source of food faster, and so when they introduced her, the tang went nuts. I took the leopard while they found a home for, and removed, the tang. The wrasse started eating in my tank within three days. I already used a cyclopeeze and mysis mix so I can make sure that my neon gobies get food small enough for their mouths. She started by eating the cyclops and went after the mysis the next feeding time. As I said, she died a couple of months later with an internal parasite but the way that she started eating supports the idea of using Cyclopeeze, Marine Snow, Arctipods, and so on, to get them to start eating.

10/18/2008, 01:30 AM	#32
Texsun Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Torrance, CA Posts: 962	Species of leopard: Female bipartitus Source (LFS, online, etc): LFS Method of introduction (quarantine, straight-to-tank, etc): Straight to tank. Drip acclimated for ~1 hour. Tank set up (reef, fowlr, size, age, etc): 30g mature SPS/LPS dominated reef. How many other attempts, if any, you made to keep a leopard wrasse and thoughts on why this attempt was successful (if applicable): Third attempt with bipartitus. First was successful for over six months but lost due to tank crash. Second attempt unsuccessful but admittedly shouldn't have brought her home (broken beak). Thought I could save her from certain death at the LFS. My current bipartitus is going on 16 months now. Eats anything I throw in the tank and thriving. I'm interested to hear from the 1 choati voter as I've tried a few and they seem to last, oh maybe 3-4 days at best. __________________ Fish heads, fish heads Roly-poly fish heads Fish heads, fish heads Eat them up, yum! Current Tank Info: Dipping my toes back with an Elos Mini...

10/18/2008, 11:48 AM	#33
hatfielj Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,234	I must be lucky with my leopard because it is the hardiest fish I have so far. It eats everything I put in the tank and does a great deal of foraging in the sand and on the live rock. I've had it for 6 months now and its doing great so far. I hope it continues to do well.

10/18/2008, 12:14 PM	#34
hatfielj Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 1,234	Here's what mine looks like

10/20/2008, 05:08 PM	#35
Shawn D Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Park City, UT Posts: 725	Here is my female Macropharyngodon bipartitus from Live Aquaria, that I have had for about 5 months. I got her then put her in a temporary tank with lr rubble from my refugium and a ball of chaeto filled with pods, then over a week she slowly started taking mysis and now eats anything I put in the tank. She is by far my favorite fish. I have a couple of questions about these fish 1. Can I add another female and will one change into a male? I am having a hard time finding a male in the area or online. 2. How do they do with other species of leopard wrasses?

10/21/2008, 09:03 AM	#37
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Well, all of these postings have convinced me to try them. Nice thread, and thanks Brian for starting it. Great pictures everyone. __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

10/21/2008, 09:13 AM	#38
Sigmund Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 380	Macropharyngodon bipartitus Have had my Macropharyngodon bipartitus (BSLS) for about 2.5 years. She started in my 75gallon reef, is now in my 150gallon reef. Is just completing it's transition from a Female to Male. The process of the color change has taken about 2months or so, and is almost complete. Not sure what caused the transition to begin, inhabitants in the tank has been stable, and tank conditions have been stable. Regardless it has been a cool thing to witness.

10/23/2008, 12:01 PM	#39
Fuzznutz Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 252	-Macropharyngodon meleagris-female -LFS -Quarantine for 3 weeks with a tupperware container of sand to burrow in -90g, mixed reef, dsb (4") -First attempt, I only bought this gal because she was eating brine shrimp in the LFS, where as the African Leopard next to her was not. Last edited by Fuzznutz; 10/23/2008 at 12:07 PM.

10/24/2008, 07:33 AM	#41
Sigmund Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Michigan Posts: 380	Fuzznutz, Thanks for the info. Wasn't aware of that....

10/24/2008, 10:06 AM	#43
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Greetings, I just got my "Blue Star Leopard Wrasse" from DFS (not DD). She stays at the top of the tank and swims around rather than immediately diving for the sand. Is this normal? Thanks in advance., __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

10/24/2008, 10:23 AM	#44
Fuzznutz Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Maryland Posts: 252	"Normal" swimming for a Leopard Wrasse is to constantly forge for food along the rock. As for not shooting into the sand, no biggie.

10/26/2008, 09:26 AM	#45
snorvich Team RC member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Outlander Posts: 40,953 Blog Entries: 46	Well, sadly, the fish died over night after one day. It seemed healthy and ate mysis right out of acclimation. But, it never seemed to hunt like my mandarins or scooter blenny. Any ideas? __________________ Warmest regards, ~Steve~

10/26/2008, 10:03 AM	#46
Reeftanks6 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: PA Posts: 3,857	I am getting a Macropharyngodon meleagris female on Tuesday from Liveaquaria. Hopefully she does well. __________________ 110g Reef build in progress Current Tank Info: 110 Gallon Reef

10/28/2008, 10:24 PM	#47
Bret61081 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL Posts: 2,078	I had an Ornate for almost 2 years...ate everything I put in the tank!! Sadly the egg crate fell down one day and he jumped out. =( I ordered 2 Choati this week for the store I work for...so hopefully one of those are coming home with me!! FINGERS CROSSED!!

10/30/2008, 11:36 PM	#48
cirujano Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Westminster, Co Posts: 395	I have crash coral sand bed. Are leopard wrasses be happy with that?

10/31/2008, 11:21 PM	#50
dbmtrman Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: South Florida Posts: 144	I just got one today, and it is in qt tank now. Any recommendations on whether to hypo while in qt? I had an ich break out in my dt, and am just finishing an 8 week fallow period. Just want to make sure nothing is brought back in.