Neptune Aquatics

Another wrasse sandbed question

--E--

--E--

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My floor is covered with rock but there are two 7"×3"×3" sandbeds I created for my two halichoeres. They don't use them. The yellow wrasse slept in a shallow patch of sand the first day I got it but I cleared the sand away while adjusting the rockwork. It started using a cave for sleeping and hiding. I replaced the sand but the yellow wrasse never went back to it. The red wrasse also retreats to the cave and probably sleeps there too. I've never seen them dive into the sandbeds I made. Will they start using the beds when they outgrow the cave? Or will they start stressing?
 
There are reefers that have sand dwelling wrasses in bare bottom tanks who do “fine.” I don’t know how you measure their stress, but as long as the remainder of your husbandry is good, I think it’ll be ok.


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Not all wrasses use a sand bed. Don’t know what your red wrasse is? I’ve also heard of people who have a thin layer of sand or none at all and there wrasses do ok. Mine retreat to the sand when their scared or when it’s bed time..
 
Many species cocoon and don't use sand beds. Your presumably Halichoeres chrysus normally does use a sand bed, but mine doesn't either. Like everything else fish -- not all are normal. :)
 
As to stress that would be more a function of the level of aggression in your tank than the depth of the sand bed. If it's a peaceful tank they may simply not feel the need to hide.
 
When I had my leopard wrasse recovering from a torn fin in a 20 gallon bare bottom, I put in a container with sand and he slept in that. I think as long as you give them the option to have sand then you should be fine
 
Just two halichoeres. No other fish. Would it be ok to add a flasher and/or wetmorella and/or cirrhilabrus? Tank is 48x12x12.
 
--E-- said:
Just two halichoeres. No other fish. Would it be ok to add a flasher and/or wetmorella and/or cirrhilabrus? Tank is 48x12x12.
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Depends on the Halichoeres. I have eight or nine Wrasses in my wrasse tank. Simply depends on making good choices of particular fish (not necessarily species) in the tank. The best overall advice I can give is adding any wrasse to a wrasse dominant tank should be done via an acclimation box. You can monitor aggression and wait till it subsides (if it does) before letting the new wrasse swim free. Usually about four days.

Beyond that post what particular wrasses you have and what you want and there's a lot of wrasse owners here that can help.
 
Bruce Spiegelman said:
Beyond that post what particular wrasses you have and what you want and there's a lot of wrasse owners here that can help.
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What I have:
Halichoeres leucoxanthus (yellow)
Halichoeres biocellatus (red)

What I'm considering:
Paracheilinus (McCosker or Carpenter only)
Pseudocheilinops
Wetmorella
Cirrhilabrus (Exquisite only)
or another Halichoeres of a different color
 
Some people say their melanurus became a bully. I wasn't sure if that was a problem with the genus, species, individual, or other tankmates.
 
and now that I've posted a topic about sleeping, my yellow wrasse finally used the sanded yesterday...and my red wrasse tried to jump, hit the lid, and hasn't been seen since yesterday morning.

platygyra stung a ricordea.

are hobbies always this fun?
 
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