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Hologymnosus Wrasse sp; comp. w/ corals
1/13/16
Hologymnosus doliatus Growth Rate? 3.10.05 Dear Mr. Fenner, <Ryan helping you today!> About 3 months ago I became a first-time salt-water aquarium owner. Luckily, my friend who set it up knows what he's doing, so it appears to be healthy and thriving. Naturally, I've started hanging out at a local fish store, gazing longingly at all the interesting sea life. One day I noticed a big, striking fish in a stark tank. The label said "black and white striped wrasse." I thought the name odd, since the fish's stripes were more of a rust color - three of them running from his nose all the way to his tail. His lower half, the belly, was pure white. With a price tag of $69.95, he would clearly have been out of my league, except that the poor ol' boy was missing an eye. Being a native Texan, I'd heard more than enough stories about horse-tradin' to know that I had a shot at him after all! I politely asked the owner if he would consider cutting the price of the one-eyed fish to $20, and he readily granted my request. He told me that they had had him for a while, because nobody wanted a fish with one eye. Correction: ALMOST nobody. When I got him home, I went to the internet to find out what sort of fish he REALLY was, and although he was obviously a wrasse, he bore no resemblance to any I found with "striped" in its name. A mystery fish -- how exciting! I named my fish M.T., because he's so cool that he just had to have a cool, informal-sounding name. This 8 inch fish is a true delight. He's both comical and dramatic. He pulls sandy covers over himself to sleep; he sometimes stands on his head or leans against a rock while at rest; he ate my fire scallop; now and again he pokes his head out of the water; he's quite an eater; he frightens me by "playing dead"; he'll shake a piece of shrimp like a dog will shake a bone. I'm crazy about him! Recently, an interesting thing began to happen; my fish started changing color! His once snow-white belly began to darken. This spurred me back to the internet to, again, search out what sort of fish he is. Tonight I found your site and decided that my wonderful fish is Hologymnosus doliatus. <You have done a great job reversing the nutritional issues he was fighting!> I learned many facts about him -- about the color changes he'll go through, the size he might grow to be, what sort of food he prefers, etc., and now I'm worried. Apparently this fish is supposed to get big, but will languish if he isn't in a large enough aquarium. I can't afford to get a larger aquarium, and my fish is handicapped and can't be released back into nature. I'm just at a loss as to a solution! <Many new aquarists run into this predicament- The good news is that you've realized this early. You can post in local saltwater clubs, web pages, etc, about a free beauty like this to the right tank. Then, it's as if placing a foster child...You may even be able to trade him for something more size appropriate.> I was wondering if you can give me some sort of idea as to my fine fish's age. He's just begun to darken, and as I mentioned, he's about 8 inches long. I also welcome any advice you can give me about how to take care of a happy-go-lucky, one-eyed, Indo-Pacific wrasse who has found himself in the possession of a 52 year old elementary school teacher in the Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas! <Ha! He's on the younger side, as these fish are serious eaters who grow quickly. I'd guess a 12-18 months. An examination of his scales may lead to a better approximation. Good luck! Ryan> Hologymnosus doliatus pt. 2 (3.15.05) Thanks to Ryan for the information about my adorable Hologymnosus doliatus. <Not a problem!> This fish has such a great personality that I wouldn't be surprised if he got his own TV show. In fact, that might be the answer to the housing problem I'm facing with him. If he were to begin earning an income, I could use the $$ to buy him a fittingly sizeable tank! Oh, and one last thing: M.T. is definitely a very handsome fellow, much more so than any of the Hologymnosus doliatus I've seen on the internet sites. He's available for pictures, but he doesn't sign autographs. <Ha! Everything in Texas is full of personality, it seems. Good luck! Ryan> |
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