Six line wrasse

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Trusty_one

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Mar 5, 2011
Messages
50
Location
Minnesota
I am not sure what to think. I have heard when a wrasse sleeps it lies on the bottom and looks dead earlier I got home from work and my wrasse appeared to be doing cropy flops on the bottom. Also been associated with sleep. Now he is just laying on the bottom and one of my big hermits was dragging the wrasse around. Should I assume it's dead it's been approximately 7 hours since I have been home.
 
Just an update my emerald crab is proceeding on eating the wrasse so I believe if he wasn't dead having it's fins ripped off by an emerald is probably incompatible with life.
 
Pretty sure it's dead but I have heard that they die kinda easy in tanks so I can't really tell you they only reason I would ever get one was to get my bristle worm population down.
 
I wouldn't have an emerald crab in a reef tank. IME and hearing from all my customers and clients they aren't truly reef safe.
 
Any crab shouldn't be considered totally reef safe, emerald crabs are pretty fish safe from what I have seen. They have never attacked any of my sleeping or swimming fish. In fact my sixline pestered my large emerald crab, I still think he became a meal for it when he molted. His favorite place to perch was in between rocks and lay sort of on his back while eating and picking at algae. The sixline would come up and grab a pincher or a leg. One thing about SW tanks each animal has a purpose and a crab is usually on the clean up crew so if a fish is dieing or dead they will take care of it to the best of their ability. Just like a sixline is a born hunter and hunt for worms and anything else they can kill. Even corals are completely coral safe I have had one acan kill off about 5 heads of my candy cane, attack a duncan and bother a mushroom. I underestimated the length of his sweepers and one night he went on a murderous spree.

How long have you had your tank and wrasse?
 
I have had the tank for a good 4 weeks but I started with all cultured LR 35 lbs straight out of the tank at the store. The wrasse has been in the tank for about a week same as my 5 chromis who all seem to be doing well and have about 18 crabs and snails all together still have I think 14 of those left so I don't think the tank parameters r too far out of whack according to my tests I may have had a slight ammonia problem maybe .25 just did 25% pwc just to be safe I don't like loosing my fishes. The emerald crab didn't kill the wrasse pretty sure the wrasse was dead. If it was sleeping I would think having it's fin ripped off would have woke it up. I would think someone ripping my arm off would have woke me up. No the crab was just doing it's job and cleaning up.
 
If you had any ammonia after you set it up with what you thought was "cultured" live rock with needed bacteria, I wouldn't treat it as a slight ammonia problem like you say. Your tank likely didn't get what it needed from that rock to be considered fully cycled.

Keep water ready for constant water changes daily even if needed. Any ammonia is not good. .25 is substantial IMO.
 
Hopefully it was a one time thing but make sure you have enough water to do a major water change. It is a lot more work when a tank isn't full cycled when you put fish in. The stress of being a cycle fish can cause diseases to develop as well.
 
I live only about 5 blocks from pet store and he gives out RO water for free if u purchase a SW system from him always have at least five gallons on hand and I wouldn't say it was .25 just a guess test strips say 0 or .5 it appeared darker than 0 but wasn't .5 took water sample to pet store he tested it and said the parameters were identical b4 and after water change so he said we will chalk this one up to the fish and not the tank. He had also just got the wrasse in on a shipment when I purchased it so the health could come into question. Hard to say. Like I said 5 chromis doing awesome. I am however going to look into some better testing supplies I would be happy to accept any suggestions on brand or type of test supplies.
 
I like and use the API brand they are easy to use and read.
 
Thanks joy so far u have been the most helpful to me on my journey of new saltwater tank. I am going to go look at the test brand u suggested right now.

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