Is Your Melanurus Wrasse Hiding?  

You’ve spent time finding a melanurus wrasse for your tank with the hopes that it will bring new life and interest to your tank, but then it refuses to reveal itself for more than a passing glimpse. Why is the melanurus wrasse hiding? Worse yet it seems as if it has disappeared completely, giving you that little “heart attack” that a lot of hobbyists experience when they believe that their new addition has vanished forever.

So why is your melanurus wrasse performing this maddening vanishing act? Actually, there are different reasons as to why your melanurus wrasse may “go to ground,” some more or less worrisome than others. Here, are the most common reasons in no particular order.

It’s The New Fish On The Block

A melanurus wrasse that has recently been introduced to the tank will almost invariably go into hiding upon arriving in its new tank. It’s normal for the melanurus wrasse, to bury itself in the substrate when frightened or sleeping, which will very literally go to ground until they’ve settled in. It’s normal to take anywhere from hours to days or even weeks before a new wrasse may feel comfortable enough in their new environment and only emerge on a regular basis.

If a new melanurus wrasse seems to have disappeared, it can be powerfully tempting to overturn the rockwork to ensure that they’re somewhere in the tank, however, this just adds stress on top of stress for all the fish in the tank. In these circumstances, it’s best to stay calm and patient, and you can usually rest assured that it will emerge in its own good time.

Are They Being Harassed?

This can happen either to a newcomer or to a melanurus wrasse that’s already established after a troublemaking tankmate has been introduced. Sometimes the harassment will work itself out; although sometimes it won’t. In the latter case, the victim can be in a continual state of stress and may be too frightened to even go after its share of food, weakening the fish.

It’s incumbent upon the hobbyist to observe their tank closely for signs of such aggression and, if it doesn’t resolve, the person may need to rehome one of the fish in order to restore peace.

It’s Ill

A normally active, outgoing melanurus wrasse suddenly going into hiding may be a sign that the specimen has gotten sick or is suffering due to out-of-whack environmental conditions. If you think this is the case, you should check all your water parameters (specific gravity, pH, temperature, etc.) you should also test the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels to make sure they’re all in the desired ranges.

It’s Naturally Nervous

It’s common to come across a nervous wrasse and to hide whenever any sort of threat is perceived. To encourage such a nervous fish to reveal themselves more often, try providing ample hiding places and retreats, although this may sound counterintuitive, it will actually bolster their confidence; keep them only with peaceful, non-boisterous tankmates; and try to avoid situating their tanks in areas where there’s a lot of human activity.