Lunar Wrasse now in nano

sly

Active Member
I have had problems with my lunar wrasse ever since I added some new fish to the tank. He chased one of them (blenny) through the rocks and got stuck overnight. I found him in the morning and dug him out and he kind of slithered down to hide... the problem is, he has been hiding ever since. I tried to funnel some food soaked in FRESH garlic and he still hadn't come out. I battled him for about 5 weeks and never could get him to come out of hiding. He came out once only to have the other fish bully him.
Anyway I pulled him out yesterday and he is remarkably still alive. His color has faded some but he still had enough energy to run away from me while I tried to net him. I put him by himself in a 10 gallon tank with some new "dead" gravel and his live rock that he liked to hide under. It is a big piece, probably 10 pounds or more. I put in some chaetomorpha algae and one maxijet 1200 for circulation. I put a plant grow light over the whole thing.
Do you think this will be enough filtration for him? I may put in some carbon but haven't yet. I have no other filters but I think the live rock will be good enough.
What should I do to try to feed him? He may be malnurished. I gave him some mysis shrimp (frozen cube) soaked in fresh garlic today but I don't think he ate it. I will eventuall have to put him in a bigger tank or give him to the LFS as the 10 gallon is really too small for him. Any general advice or criticisms?
Thanks. :thinking:
 

stanlalee

Active Member
I'm confused is the lunare wrasse in the nano or the blenny? If its the blenny it needs greens. seaweed sheets. Doesn't need the mysis at all. If its the lunare I guess its okay if its not eating but it needs more beef than just mysis. The big mistake was getting the lunare and/or putting fish in afterwards. Lunares belong with fish like triggers, groupers, puffers and they are capable of bullying them especially if added afterwards. certainly not with a bottom dwelling blenny. How big is the main tank and what does the rest of the livestock consist of? As for the nano I'd take some substrate from the display tank as well. you may have to do frequent/daily water changes to keep ammonia down until it establishes itself. heres where the biro spira and ammonia detox products may come into play (emergency tank set up).
 

sly

Active Member
It is the wrasse that's in the nano. I have him in a 10 gallon tank with ~10 lbs. of live rock, some chaeto, and a powerhead. That's it. I would like to nurse him back to health and possibly put him back in the main tank. It is a 72 with 2 perc clowns, 3 small yellow tangs (that I will remove once they get bigger) and a lawnmower blenny. I also have some inverts.
What do you think? Can I nurse him back to health in this condition? He won't eat much if at all and I don't know what to do. Will the tangs pick on him too much to put him back in the main tank?
 

ophiura

Active Member
Let me tell you, DO NOT put that fish back in a display tank that small. They are often very unpredictable fish that can be very stressful to your other fish.
You do not want this fish in there, IMO. They belong in very large tanks with equally large aggressive fish.
 

ophiura

Active Member
I worked with one that methodically ate the eyes out of yellow tangs. Nothing else. Just ate out the eyes. (oh, and this was in several thousand gallons)
IMO, this fish, AKA the "lunatic" wrasse, is a risk to keep. It is beautiful, but more than one person has seen it "crack" and start going nuts. In a smaller tank...and no way around it, this is a smaller tank, you are definitely asking for trouble, IMO. Especially if you want to keep smaller fish too.
THere is no doubt, it is a pretty fish. But a pretty fish with an unpredictable temperment.
 

sly

Active Member
Yea, I would have to agree... He is completely crazy. I think I will try to keep him in the 10gal tank for awhile and see if I can nurse him back to health and then I may try to give him back to the LFS.
 
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