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gist41980

Blue Star Leopard Wrasse

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by
gist41980
, 07-05-2011 at 08:36 PM (3999 Views)
I wanted to announce I have joined the wrasse club for the first time (I have an ever growing affection for wrasses), more specifically the Blue Star Leopard Wrasse (Macropharyngodon bipartitus) club.

Blue Star Leopard Wrasse

The best shot I could get.

On July 1st I got 3 of them from a LFS, www.saltycritter.com. They had received them 2 weeks prior and we had worked out an arrangement so that they would hold them in a tank with a nice sand bed (I made this arrangement based on info I had read. I wanted to give them some time between introductions to new systems to reduce overall stress). The sand bed is vital, as some of you may know, because the Leopard Wrasse sleep and hide in the sand bed.

Since introduction into the tank I have seen 2 of the 3 out and swimming, albeit at separate times. Both of the ones I have seen have been picking at the rocks as well as eating pe mysis, nutramar ova prawn roe, and cyclopezze.

I think I will treat the entire tank with Prazipro, as advised by many wrasse keepers. I do have a question about Prazipro's effect on feather dusters and bristleworms. I have a very large population of bristle worms and I worry about a massive die off and polluting the water from their decay. Has anyone wittnessed the effect of Prazipro on bristleworms?

All 3 of my Blue Star Leopards are currently female.

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  1. mulebutter's Avatar
    I don't know anything about all that, but, WOW! What a great pic! NICE!!
  2. jlemoine2's Avatar
    From my experience with using Prazipro in quariantine, fish tend to lose their appetite. So if you have a picky eater, as this type of wrasse is known to be, you will want to make sure they are eating well and have a little extra meat before beginning treatment. Of course, if you have clear signs that one or more of them have an internal parasite, it would be better to start treatment right away, regardless of eating habits.

    You stated that these are "currently female". Does that imply these wrasses change sex?

    Nice picture too! Gorgeous fish.
  3. mulebutter's Avatar
    I've never tried it, but hhave heard that mixing garlic with their food helps a fish's apetite. Saw it at the l.f.s. in a.z.
  4. gist41980's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by jlemoine2

    You stated that these are "currently female". Does that imply these wrasses change sex?

    Nice picture too! Gorgeous fish.
    Thanks for the info on prazipro use. Yes, they do change sex. The dominant fish will eventual turn male, in doing so it completely changes appearance from the spotted pattern to a green and red stripped look. Here is a google search for pictures of the male/female patterns
  5. Mits's Avatar
    Those are beautiful, and I love the coloration difference between males and females. I'm sure they'll be a great addition to your tank.
  6. jlemoine2's Avatar
    I've tried using garlic with my QT. I don't really see a difference in the excitement, or lack thereof, when food is added to the tank. I've tried garlic on fish being treated with Prazipro... it did not seem to make a difference in appetite. The good news is that a Prazipro treatment is about a week long. Most well-fed fish can withstand that... but....

    I've also noticed that prazipro does not get along with protein skimmers. My HOB skimmer on the QT tank seems to overflow when Prazipro is added... even at a half dose. The manufacturer does state that the skimmer must be off during treatment. This can be a problem in some tanks. Going without a skimmer for a week or two to dose Prazipro might do more damage than good depending on the situation.
  7. bbandu's Avatar
    I as well just joined the wrasse keepers club, here is a list of my wrasse's.

    Male/Female African Leopard Wrasse pair
    Female Flame Wrasse
    Male Exquisite Wrasse
    Male Pink Margin Wrasse
    Yellow coris wrasse
  8. gist41980's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by bbandu
    I as well just joined the wrasse keepers club, here is a list of my wrasse's.

    Male/Female African Leopard Wrasse pair
    Female Flame Wrasse
    Male Exquisite Wrasse
    Male Pink Margin Wrasse
    Yellow coris wrasse
    Holy smokes, you really joined the club didn't you. Nice list of wrasses, I would love to see pictures of them if you get the chance
  9. bbandu's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by gist41980
    Holy smokes, you really joined the club didn't you. Nice list of wrasses, I would love to see pictures of them if you get the chance
    Yea I will get some picks posted in the next coupe of days.
  10. bbandu's Avatar
    ok here are some pics of my wrasse's, the only one mot pictures is the pink margin and yellow wrasse, they were camera shy.

  11. gist41980's Avatar
    bbandu, some nice wrasses. The bluestar leopards make a fine pair! As I said, I bought 3. One of them is out first thing in the morning and into the evening. One has come out a couple times in the evening but is easily spooked and jumps back in the sand. I have not seen the third since its intro into the tank. They all seem to be on different schedules.