How to get marble/ checkerboard wrasse to eat?

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Amazon has flat brine shrimp hatcheries that look like black flying saucers. If you read the reviews, they are flimsy side, but I carry them on scrap wood left over in garage from a project. That helps me carry them around with water inside (from kitchen to where they sit to hatch with box over them and an incandescent lightbulb.

Eastern Aquatics is just in Lancaster PA, so shipping isn't as bad for you as me. They are doing overnight because I'm in TX and they'd be cooked black worms otherwise

Pretty expensive for fish food!

 

[ihavecrabs]

I'd recommend picking up a culture of white worms. This is what I feed all of my new comers and it gets everyone eating.

I bought my culture off eBay.. it has been going strong for over a year now.

White worms reproduce like crazy (when you feed them), are easy to keep alive, they stay alive in my QT for days if not eaten (e.g. the wrasse decides to sleep rather than come out and eat), and everything in my tank loves them.

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

I'd recommend picking up a culture of white worms. This is what I feed all of my new comers and it gets everyone eating.

I bought my culture off eBay.. it has been going strong for over a year now.

White worms reproduce like crazy (when you feed them), are easy to keep alive, they stay alive in my QT for days if not eaten (e.g. the wrasse decides to sleep rather than come out and eat), and everything in my tank loves them.

Are these them?

 

[ihavecrabs]

That is them!

Are these them?

Those are the ones!

I feed mine bread once every few weeks and keep the soil moist. It is fairly easy to pull up the bread and grab a bunch using tweezers. I then put them into a small amount of rodi water and stir. This typically separates them from the soil mixture and causes them to bundles themselves together. From there, it is really easy to pull a clump out and feed them.

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

That is them!

Those are the ones!

I feed mine bread once every few weeks and keep the soil moist. It is fairly easy to pull up the bread and grab a bunch using tweezers. I then put them into a small amount of rodi water and stir. This typically separates them from the soil mixture and causes them to bundles themselves together. From there, it is really easy to pull a clump out and feed them.

Ok I just bought them! I bought your white worms because they are less expensive than the blackworms, which I think are overpriced. Although blackworms may be better, I'll hopefully have luck with these. Thanks for the suggestion

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Ok I just bought them! I bought your white worms because they are less expensive than the blackworms, which I think are overpriced. Although blackworms may be better, I'll hopefully have luck with these. Thanks for the suggestion

Now do you know if this is a sustainable food source. Let's say he didn't eat anything else ever? Not my goal but...It may happen.

 

[SaltyT]

Your wrasse does look a little thin in the video, but not bad. Halichoeres wrasses generally aren't picky eaters but they are prone to internal parasites bc of their diet in the wild. White worms are pretty irresistible to wrasses so that should get him eating, but if he doesn't seem too interested in them either he could have internal parasites suppressing his appetite. Hopefully that's not the case. Keep us posted on how he does with the white worms.

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Your wrasse does look a little thin in the video, but not bad. Halichoeres wrasses generally aren't picky eaters but they are prone to internal parasites bc of their diet in the wild. White worms are pretty irresistible to wrasses so that should get him eating, but if he doesn't seem too interested in them either he could have internal parasites suppressing his appetite. Hopefully that's not the case. Keep us posted on how he does with the white worms.

I will!

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Your wrasse does look a little thin in the video, but not bad. Halichoeres wrasses generally aren't picky eaters but they are prone to internal parasites bc of their diet in the wild. White worms are pretty irresistible to wrasses so that should get him eating, but if he doesn't seem too interested in them either he could have internal parasites suppressing his appetite. Hopefully that's not the case. Keep us posted on how he does with the white worms.

I've been watching him for a.long time today. He went to sleep within the past hr. He woke up at around 9:30am now it is 4:00pm. I saw him pecking at the sand, so I think he is eating things but there isn't enough for him being that he won't take any non-living foods. Hopefully these worms come soon and I have luck. Thanks for your feedback. And also do you think he will be less aggressive towards my clownfish after he has a full stomach?

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Mix the foods u feed with the live white worms. He will eventually find out its a food source.
You will get fireworms. Bristles eventually anyway.
They will hitchhike unless your.doing a fish only.
D

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Mix the foods u feed with the live white worms. He will eventually find out its a food source.
You will get fireworms. Bristles eventually anyway.
They will hitchhike unless your.doing a fish only.
D

I beg to differ. But I will mix the food.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

And most will. Lol. We are human
D

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Fwiw mine ate. Until my squirrel fish ate him. He was trying to sleep in a corner of a bare bottom. At least u provided a sand bed for him to sleep in. Less stress. Now just gotta get him on prepared foods.
D

 

[SaltyT]

I've been watching him for a.long time today. He went to sleep within the past hr. He woke up at around 9:30am now it is 4:00pm. I saw him pecking at the sand, so I think he is eating things but there isn't enough for him being that he won't take any non-living foods. Hopefully these worms come soon and I have luck. Thanks for your feedback. And also do you think he will be less aggressive towards my clownfish after he has a full stomach?

Pecking at the sand and rocks means he's hunting which is a good sign. Do you have just the 1 wrasse and the 2 clowns in your tank? If so, he probably won't leave them alone until you add more fish. Having more fish should disperse his attention.

 

[ihavecrabs]

Now do you know if this is a sustainable food source. Let's say he didn't eat anything else ever? Not my goal but...It may happen.

Absolutely. You just need to feed them and keep their soil damp, they'll do the rest

Depending on the number of other fish you have, you may have to figure out how to spot feed to not impact the population of your white worms drastically. I feed my QT tanks without any concern and then feed the main display when the population booms.

You may want to get the wrasse eating other foods before promoting to display to ensure its survival.

 

[SaltwaterGuruNeeded]

Pecking at the sand and rocks means he's hunting which is a good sign. Do you have just the 1 wrasse and the 2 clowns in your tank? If so, he probably won't leave them alone until you add more fish. Having more fish should disperse his attention.

Yep.