Oriental Sweetlips help..

[goober_hunter]

i just bought a Oriental Sweetlips " the one on swf.com" but bought him from a lfs. my question is that, when he eats he holds the peace of shrimp in his mouth , but doesnt look like hes eating it. he will hold it for about 15 mins, but then drops it. he nibbles on it like he eating the shrimp , but does look like the peace of shrimp is getting smaller.. is he actully eating the shrimp? or is there a special way to feed him.???? please help......
thanks josh

 

[lion_crazz]

Originally Posted by goober_hunter
i just bought a Oriental Sweetlips " the one on swf.com" but bought him from a lfs. my question is that, when he eats he holds the peace of shrimp in his mouth , but doesnt look like hes eating it. he will hold it for about 15 mins, but then drops it. he nibbles on it like he eating the shrimp , but does look like the peace of shrimp is getting smaller.. is he actully eating the shrimp? or is there a special way to feed him.???? please help......
thanks josh
Hey Josh, I am sorry to tell you this, but these are one of the fish on my fish to avoid list because they rarely live very long in aquariums and they get 34 inches in captivity. Basically impossible to keep.

 

[goober_hunter]

when i look up Oriental Sweetlips online it bring up a very different fish. the one on this site labeled "Oriental Sweetlips" is the on i own, he brown, white, and red, unless they change color. but everything that i was able to find says they only get 5-6 inches long, iam not say your wrong, iam just saying that iam confused about the two different pics or types of Oriental Sweetlips.. please look at the pic on swf.com then do a search for Oriental Sweetlips. its two different fish, unless one is a juvinile and the other is adult....
josh
. also why are they difficult to keep, i under stand why if they get to be 35 inches.. thats crazy

 

[lion_crazz]

Nope, we are definitely referring to the same fish. It gets 34 inches, is tough to get to eat, and does not hold up over an extended period of time in aquariums (like moorish idols).
I do not know what you are looking at, but maybe you are looking at juvenile and adult coloration differences? The fish totally changes when it becomes an adult.

 

[goober_hunter]

wow, thats crazy.... yeap thats the two fish, i dont know what to say,, i cant stop laughing at my self for buying a fish i knew little about.. i knew better.. okay, what do you think my options are?? i have a 55 gal reef. will he grow to the size of the tank??? a 55 gal cant handle 34 inch fish

..

 

[lion_crazz]

No, a fish that will grow too large and is not moved to a bigger aquarium will pass away due to stress.
I would seek to find him a bigger home or return him to the LFS.
On a more serious note, I don't mean to sound rude or harsh, but please try to research your purchases in the future. Buying things without knowing about them is irresponsible to the animals we keep. That is one of the reasons I made the list I did. I am not condemning you whatsoever, as we definitely all make mistakes. I am just asking that you learn from this mistake. Being able to learn from mistakes is one of the qualities that makes someone an expert in this hobby. :happyfish

 

[goober_hunter]

yeap he going back, thanks for help, i was so confused, i feel stupid, the lfs probably not refund my money, but i have done so much busness with them, ill make them

,
thanks again.
josh