Christmas Wrasse Needs Christmas Miracle; OVER-RXN      12/22/13
Hey WWM,
<Mike>
Happy Holidays. This is a somewhat urgent question if you can help that would be great.
<Ok>
My Christmas Wrasse of 2.5 years, Isis, is not well. Two days ago I noticed she was swimming oddly and would not eat. She would not sleep in her regular spot but would just lay on the sand on her side in visible areas.
I see no physical abnormalities on her body and she is the only fish with this issue.
Really sad to watch and I thought to euthanize her in the freezer until I read that it was not advised.
<I'd hold off>
I figured she only had a day left or so but she is still alive two days after on one side breathing seemingly normally, maybe a little slower now and moving her fin. I did not separate her because I thought the shock would kill her so I left her in the tank to die peacefully.
If I touch her she swims around a bit awkwardly and eventually goes back to the sand.
<And not touch>
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to help but am not sure what to do.
<... anything else going on w/ other stock here? Just patience for now. Bob Fenner>
Re: Christmas Wrasse Needs Christmas Miracle     12/22/13
Additionally her color is a little darker than normal and she is moving her eyes.
<Ditto>
Thank you,
Mike
Re: Christmas Wrasse Needs Christmas Miracle     12/22/13
The rest of them seem to be doing ok, I will hold off but it has been three days now since she ate.
<Not a worry (very long interval to go sans feeding)... do keep proffering favored food items daily... Perhaps soaked in HUFA/Vitamin prep.
(commercially available through the fish biz). B>

Halichoeres chrysus (golden wrasse). Hlth., fdg. f's     6/17/12
Dear Sir Bob and all at WWM, thank you for your quick response firstly I'd like to let you know that everything turned out brilliantly, I did another 25% water change to be on the safe side and we cleaned out the filter and all my crew had no awful side affects, well not to date, I checked all the water parameters again that evening and everything was the same as the last tests (in other email) so no damage there either, thank you for the reading material, I found it very educational. 
<Ah good>
Unfortunately I have another problem but this time with my Halichoeres chrysus (golden wrasse) female named Allie, yesterday at around 5 pm she found a live Gammarus shrimp in our live rock and attacked it and held it in her month while quite violently smacking the shrimp on to some live rock, I'm assuming to kill it and break it in to smaller pieces, after around 10+ smacks on the live rock, the shrimp was dead (I think we all would have been with that violent attack) but the shrimp never broke in to small pieces, she dropped it and I then noticed she was hovering around with her mouth wide open and couldn't seem to close it, so I quickly turned off the lights as I was worried about stress and hoped she would go and rest in her comfy bed in the sand, which she did as I made the room dark as well.  This morning she has woke up just a tad late but only by half an hour (I was so worried I wouldn't see her today if ever) and I've noticed her mouth is still slightly open but not as much as yesterday, she is swimming a little differently but nothing I'm to upset about at the moment, as I'm thinking she is still stressed,  but I am about her mouth, she also every so often opens her mouth wide open, but I have seen her do this before, also.  I've seen her eat a Gammarus shrimp before and this never happened, is there anything else I can do?
<Mmm; no>
 And will she be ok? (can you maybe run your magic wand or look into your crystal ball for me)
<Only time can/will tell>
I feed all my crew frozen or live food from copepods to Mysis shrimp and everything in between and I always pre soak the food in vitamins, Selcon or Zoe. She eats all the food I offer them and also rummages during the day on the rocks for other goodies.
I'm sorry for such a long email again, but I couldn't find anything on your website about this same problem.
<Perhaps a piece of the shrimp stuck in the fish's throat... will work out in time>
Kind regards again.
Jenn Bailey. England U.K
<Cheers, Bob Fenner>

melanurus wrasse feeding     6/7/12
Dear Crew,
I have an established 60 gallon tall mixed reef tank with a clown fish, coral banded shrimp, melanurus wrasse and substantial clean up crew.  I also have a 10 gallon refugium below the tank that hopefully produces some pods for the main tank. I have two questions.  The wrasse is healthy and normal.  I feed formula one, frozen marine cuisine and brine all soaked in Selcon or garlic.  I also have a FW planted with a very healthy colony of red cherry shrimp.  I have been feeding small shrimp to the wrasse and he eats until I stop feeding.  Is this a nutritional benefit or detriment?
<Of benefit>
 I have even gut loaded them with algae wafers before feeding them to the wrasse.  Second question is about compatibility.  What's are some good options for another fish in my mixed reef?
<Mmm, many. Scan/read here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/SmSWStkF15.htm
and the linked FAQs files above in the series>
 My wife wants something big
<Mmm, not too>
and colorful although I'm just looking for something interesting.  Thanks for all your help and sharing your knowledge.  I couldn't have done it with out WWM! Rob
<Cheers, Bob Fenner> 
Re: melanurus wrasse feeding, stkg. poss.s      6/7/12
Thank you for your reply, you have made my wrasse very happy!  I've been reading WWM for years and appreciate all you do for the hobby.
<Ahh!>
I am considering a few specific fish to add.  Can you comment on suitability and acclimation / QT advice for them? 1. Yellow Tang is top of the list but I know size could be an issue in the future.
<Mmm, yes... a sixty is right about the limit, small-wise of what I'd recommend>
 2. Royal Gramma
<A good choice; though can be feisty toward some other fish species, and more than a bit reclusive>
 3. Dwarf Angel either Flame or Coral Beauty.
<Same issue as per the Zebrasoma... perhaps one of the smaller Centropyge species:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/dwfdwfangels.htm
Thanks again, Rob 
<Welcome. BobF>

Christmas (ornate) Wrasse Not Eating Hi Bob/all, I brought back a Christmas wrasse (I think it's an ornatissimus) from vacation in Hawaii last Saturday. It did ok on the plane, but looked like it was ready for more room when I put it into my aquarium. My blue (hippo) tang, currently king of the hill and eating like a horse, immediately started picking on it, causing it to bury itself in the gravel night and day. <Normal and necessary for this fish to bury itself at night in the sand. Unusual to be buried during the day. Agreed, probably scared.> I've since moved it to the sump, to be by himself. <Doesn't sound like a good home unless your sump has a refugium, too.> However, he hasn't eaten since I've brought him home. I've tried flake, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen shrimp. Do you think live brine shrimp would help? <Perhaps as an appetite stimulant, but poor nutritionally. Maybe try some frozen bloodworms, too.> Or, if one of these guys fails to start eating, he usually keeps failing and he's a goner? <No quick reactions please.> Thanks. I've enjoyed your website, definitely my favorite reference. Tim <Good luck. -Steven Pro>

Halichoeres chrysus (yellow Coris wrasse) We purchased a yellow Coris a little over a week ago and the LFS told us it was eating flake and frozen food.  So far we haven't been able to entice it to eat anything--we've tried frozen Mysis, krill, blood worms, daphnia, brine shrimp and formula 1 flake. No luck with anything.  It seems to be checking the rock and bottom for copepods etc but we doubt there is enough in the tank to sustain it.  Any suggestions? <Live brine shrimp. Brine will not serve this fish's nutritional needs for a long period of time, but it will likely get him started feeding. Gradually wean him off the brine with some Mysis>   We would catch it an return it to LFS but it hides in the sand at the bottom and, only comes out a few hours a day.   <Are there other fishes bothering the Coris? He may be hiding from them or he may just be checking the place out. Sometimes it takes several days or a couple of weeks for fish to adjust to captivity and sadly...occasionally fish never adjust..> Thanks for the help. Karen <My pleasure! David Dowless>

Yellow wrasse and flatworms 2/17/04 It has been a couple of weeks since  I got a yellow wrasse to take care of some flatworms. I am happy to say that I  can not find any flatworms anymore so either they're all eaten or they are in hiding. <once in a while I'm right about some things <G>> Anyhow, along with the flatworms, the wrasse has also eaten all the little white pods on the glass and rocks (and I had LOTS). <heehee... yeah, they are funny that way. Most wrasses are this thorough on microcrustaceans> How do I go about re-introducing pods into the tank without a refugium? <there is no other way to sustain them with active predation in the tank. That's one of the reasons why refugiums are so very beneficial. I feel most every tank should have one> I was told by my LFS that the wrasse shouldn't be able to eat ALL the pods. <ridiculous> Was wondering if perhaps I don't feed enough. <nope... no worries. This wrasse and so many other fishes would have reduced the pods just the same (Pseudo's, mandarins, etc)> Tank is 55G with also 2 ocellaris and 1 cleaner shrimp and snails/hermits. Feeding is 2-3 times a day alternating between Cyclop-eeze and Spirulina flakes (I think there's enough at each feeding because they stop eating even tho there's just a little left). I also feed 2-3x/week some SF bay frozen food (the Marine cuisine blend). Is this feeding regime good enough for them? Thanks. <emphasize frozen foods like the Cyclop-eeze (and mysids, minced krill, fish roe, etc) rather than the brine shrimp based products (weakly nutritious at best). And do look into getting some of the internal refugium kits to help with pod growth. Anthony>