China Wrasse  7/23/06 Hello Again, I have a few questions concerning a Anampses neoguinaicus that was recently donated to me (don't ask, not a story to tell to young children). <Mmmm> But anyway, I have had her for about 4 days now and she is in great health about 2" in length in my 75 gal. with 70lbs of Tonga branch.  My water quality is great, and she is surveying her new surroundings and picking my live rock to death ({1} I am not sure for what though). <She, later he does> At present, I am culturing amphipods for my mandarin goby and introduced some today, I believe between the both of them, they devastated what I put in already ({2}I cant be certain though). {3} But what else should I feed her,{4} are bristle worms on her diet considering she will sleep in the sand with them? <Yes> {5} Are live brine shrimp on there as well, <Affirmative> and {6} what about zooplankton, or is that too small? <Many sizes available... palatable>   Just experimenting I have tried frozen brine shrimp and blood worms,  she shows little interest {7} <This fish is still "settling in"... takes weeks, months> Are there any frozen or preprepared foods you know of that she would eat? <Most all of "bite size" in time>   I would take her to a LFS, cause I am not sure what I have been volunteered into, but I don't trust my LFS and I would really like to try and raise her, she is a gorgeous fish.  I would have the abilities to suit her diet, if I knew what her diet is.  Okay, I know I said a few, but hey who is counting (other than me).   Thanks O' Guru's of the aquariums, Michael <This genus has many such species... though historically difficult to keep in captivity: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/fishes/wrasses/anampses/index.htm and the linked FAQs file above. Bob Fenner>

Red-Tail Tamarin Wrasse...Feeding Anampses chrysocephalus -- 08/29/07 Greetings WWM crew! <<Hello Robert!>> I have a question about my Red-Tail Wrasse. <<Ah yes, Anampses chrysocephalus...not easily kept>> I purchased one after doing extensive research and having confidence of having enough resources to provide a steady supply of amphipods. <<I see>> I do not have a refugium (am looking into it), but I order them in the 1000's online (great online supplier should anyone need copepods/amphipods on eBay, seller name is piece-of-the-reef, http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZpiece-of-the-reef). <<Mmm...the 'pod booster shots' are a good thing and should help...but the fish may well require more than this can provide...in both quantity AND diversity of species>> Anyways, I know they still exist in my system because I can see them at night all over the place. <<Okay>> The concern I have is that my wrasse seems to be getting thinner (as far as not having a big bulge in her stomach compared to when I first got her...been about 3 weeks now). <<Troubling indeed>> I have observed my wrasse eat one amphipod as it was free swimming when I first dropped them in, but now I'm not sure if she can find them. <<Much is not understood/well known about the feeding requirements of these fish...it is possible that the 'Amphipods' are not suitable fare. Perhaps these 'farmed' food items are nutritionally deficient, or even just 'too big' for the fish to ingest easily. Or maybe more likely...the fish needs a 'broader range' of food organisms to meet its dietary needs>> Many seem to burrow under the substrate (crushed coral), and my wrasse does not search the substrate deep enough. <<Mmm, yes...a fine sand would prove more suitable here>> She searches my 105 lbs of live rock every day constantly, but have yet to observe her find any. <<The fish has probably consumed whatever suitable food items were in/on the rock>> Should I be concerned? <<Oh yes...these fish have miserable survival rates, most often perishing from starvation>> Is it truly possible that she cannot locate any of the amphipods? <<This may well be, considering the crushed coral substrate...or the population density is just not high enough. Also...Copepods would likely prove a more suitable (size and nutritional value) food source>> She's always picking at the live rock, but knowing that they are chewers, I haven't seen her "chew" anything. <<The fish can eat without 'chewing'...but the fact its belly is looking thin/pinched is telling here. Swapping some of your rock for 'fresh' live rock may help for a bit, but without a large in-line plankton-generating refugium I hold little hope for this fish's long-term wellbeing...and even this is no guarantee>> Thanks for the help! <<Wish it were more...>> Robert in California <<EricR in South Carolina>>

Re: Red-Tail Tamarin Wrasse...Feeding Anampses chrysocephalus -- 08/30/07 Thanks EricR for the prompt reply, and thanks to all the WWM crew for running such a great public service! <<You are quite welcome, Robert from California>> I did want to ask a couple more questions that your responses raised. <<Okay>> If I was to switch substrates to fine aragonite sand or other finer sand, how would I go about doing so (currently 1.5" deep)? <<Were this me, I would remove and replace about a third of the accessible substrate at a time...giving things some time to 'settle' between>> The only way I can possibly imagine doing so is by doing a complete tear down =(. <<Not necessary, can be done piecemeal...and just to note, the fine sand will also provide a more appropriate 'sleeping accommodation' for the wrasse>> Also, I may have been naive to suspect that I would be able to take care of such a hard to feed animal. <<Possibly...these fish require very large systems with plentiful live rock and a dedicated refugium just to provide enough 'real-estate' to feed from to give them a chance at survival. Even when trained to feed upon frozen Mysis most will still perish within a year, in my experience. There can be the odd exception or circumstance...I have a pair of Macropharyngodon meleagris that have been in my care for more than two years now, and have been spawning for about the last year. But let me be quick to point out that these fish are in a 375g display supported by a 75g sump and a 55g vegetable refugium. These fish also feed not only upon the tiny 'critters' they find...but will also except frozen Mysis and more importantly, vitamin-/HUFA-soaked New Life Spectrum pellets (the Spectrum pellets are truly an amazing food for all fishes...if they will eat them)>> I thought a steady supply of amphipods would do the trick. <<Perhaps Copepods would be a better food source for the Tamarin>> Problem is that they never come out when any light is on. I have never seen one crawling around in light! <<Indeed...tis not 'safe'>> When all the lights are shut off, they are swarming, but as soon as I turn a flashlight on, they run into deep crevices of rock and into the substrate. <<A natural behavior>> Are there different species of amphipods that are maybe diurnal? If so, do you have a source of where I might be able to find those particular species? <<As suggested, this has more to do with the presence/absence of active predators than the presence/absence of light>> Do you think it may be the type of lighting I have? <<Nope>> Power compact 196 watt 12K dual 98W and a dual 98W actinic. I have the blue-moon LEDs which I was excited to get, but the amphipods don't even come out when those are on. <<Likely there are still fishes moving about>> I need to keep the tank in complete darkness. <<I don't think any of this is an issue for the fish...it's not like the Amphipods would be standing around waving banners saying 'eat me' in the wild [grin]. If the population density is sufficient, the maybe the pods are just too large for the small mouth of the Anampses, or maybe the pods themselves are not feeding well enough to be of nutritional value to the wrasse. Again...I think fresh Copepods may help...along with a fine sand bed (preferably a DSB) to provide adequate/proper interstitial spaces for them (and the wrasse) to occupy>> I did want to clarify that the wrasse does not have a pinched stomach, but rather that the bulge of her stomach (to me, indicative of a full stomach) is getting smaller. <<I see>> I just ordered more amphipods and want to test the compatibility of these amphipods. Instead of dumping them in, I plan on taking a syringe and shooting them in front of the wrasse before they run and hide. So if she voraciously eats them, is this a clear indication that these amphipods are compatible with her diet? <<Not necessarily... As with many hard to feed fishes, seeing them eat does not mean they are getting the 'required' dietary supplements to survive. A case in point is the Moorish Idol... Many hobbyists have kept them and had them eat the prepared foods offered...only to see them slowly waste away. Though I would like to mention that with the advent of the New Life Spectrum pellets, some aquarists have reported a measure of success with these fish>> If so, then it brings us all the way back to the question of what do I do about these amphipods not coming out in the day? <<I think this is the least of your worries here...>> It just seems that the odds of her finding even 10's of thousands of them are against her if they are deep within small crevices of my live rock and in the substrate. <<This wrasse is a hunter...if they are there it will find them>> I have just one last question (sorry!). <<No worries>> I have a 2" blue hippo tang, a 2" ocellaris clownfish, 2x 1" neon gobies, a 2.5" Valentini Puffer, and of course the 2.5" red tail wrasse that all get along great (all in a 70 gallon). <<The Hippo Tang will need a larger environment>> Of all these animals, only the tang and the Valentini puffer consume frozen Mysis shrimp. <<The others may learn to do the same>> The clownfish and the gobies are the only ones that consume pellet food (Spectrum Thera +A). <<Mmm...would be great if you could train the Tamarin on to this...perhaps you might try soaking it in Selcon or Vita-Chem before feeding>> Now, after reading extensively through the site, I know that brine shrimp are nearly void of any nutritional values. <<Mostly water, yes>> But why is it that when I place frozen brine shrimp (S.F. Bay brand brine with Omega 3), everyone loves them, INCLUDING the wrasse? <<Obviously the appearance, size, texture, and taste are appealing...but have nothing to do with 'nutritional value'>> In our world, anything that does not have any nutritional value tastes like cardboard! <<I disagree. I/many folks like hot-buttered popcorn...but you can't 'live' on it...>> If it tastes like something, shouldn't there be nutrition to create that taste? <<'Some' nutrients may be present...but a 'balance' of nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes are necessary for the body to make and repair cells and sustain life...thus usually the need for a 'varied' diet>> Do you see a way I can use the knowledge that I know the wrasse loves brine shrimp to feed her an alternative? <<You might try soaking these in the previously mentioned food enrichment products>> Aside from the foods stated above, I've tried frozen krill (S.F. Bay brand) and not one single fish out of the bunch eats it. Other than clams on the half-shell and occasional Nassarius snails for the puffer, I haven't tried anything else. Any recommendations on foods that have known to work that may be compatible with all the fish? Frozen preferred, but as you can see I will try out live foods as well. <<Frozen glass worms (mosquito larvae) have worked well for me in the past when trying to entice finicky eaters...I would also try some frozen Cyclop-eeze...and use of the enrichment products for all your fish>> Thanks again everyone! Robert from California <<Always welcome. EricR>>