John Bunton - 2012-04-05 I have four of these in a 90 gallon tank and they can be tough to acclimate for sure. I would highly suggest having every single possible food type on hand before they arrive. Start with freeze dried mysis, brine, bloodworm, whatever else soaked in Selcon or the like. If they don't take this move to frozen mysis, brine, bloodworm, or whatever else you can think of. Use the freeze dried first since you can reconstitute it with the Selcon and get more nutrients to your fish, this is much harder with frozen food. The best way that I have found to get these guys to take pellet or flake is to mix the flake or pellet with whatever else they are taking first. After you have done this for a week or two space out your feedings a little bit. Don't starve them but make them hungry and feed only the flake for a day or two. Don't feed the flake too long by itself if they are not eating. Patience is the key with these fish, don't push them too hard and don't underestimate them. I had one stay under the sand for 3.5 weeks before she finally came out during daylight hours.
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Bdog - 2017-02-15 I had 2 until one jumped. They are easy fish in a mature reef but quarantine is a must due to internal parasites
Oliver Bailey - 2006-09-06 This wrasse requires expert ownership and should only be kept or attempted by the most experienced aquarists. Its diet is the main problem as it relies heavily on copepods and amphipods and this diet cannot be constitued unless in a large mature tank and like many other difficult fish possibly has another dietary requirment that often leads to their premature death, i.e the morrish idol. This fish is best left in the ocean, and other fairy wrasses utilised as these are far more suitable and in my opinion the perfect reef inhabitant.
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Eugene Searle - 2011-11-22 My splendid leopard eats like a little pig. She loves mussel, brineshrimp and is a massive fan of hikari pellets. It took a few weeks for her to take the hikari, but she loves it and has gained some good weight.
With the spectacular colors on this fish and its distinctive spotted patterning...this fish is definitely a 'splendid leopard'!
I have four of these in a 90 gallon tank and they can be tough to acclimate for sure. I would highly suggest having every single possible food type on hand before they arrive. Start with freeze dried mysis, brine, bloodworm, whatever else soaked in Selcon or the like. If they don't take this move to frozen mysis, brine, bloodworm, or whatever else you can think of. Use the freeze dried first since you can reconstitute it with the Selcon and get more nutrients to your fish, this is much harder with frozen food. The best way that I have found to get these guys to take pellet or flake is to mix the flake or pellet with whatever else they are taking first. After you have done this for a week or two space out your feedings a little bit. Don't starve them but make them hungry and feed only the flake for a day or two. Don't feed the flake too long by itself if they are not eating. Patience is the key with these fish, don't push them too hard and don't underestimate them. I had one stay under the sand for 3.5 weeks before she finally came out during daylight hours.
I had 2 until one jumped. They are easy fish in a mature reef but quarantine is a must due to internal parasites
This wrasse requires expert ownership and should only be kept or attempted by the most experienced aquarists. Its diet is the main problem as it relies heavily on copepods and amphipods and this diet cannot be constitued unless in a large mature tank and like many other difficult fish possibly has another dietary requirment that often leads to their premature death, i.e the morrish idol. This fish is best left in the ocean, and other fairy wrasses utilised as these are far more suitable and in my opinion the perfect reef inhabitant.
My splendid leopard eats like a little pig. She loves mussel, brineshrimp and is a massive fan of hikari pellets. It took a few weeks for her to take the hikari, but she loves it and has gained some good weight.
the slpendid leopard wrasse needs a sandy tank bottom as it does tend to bury itself when not looking for food