# feeding blind wrasse



## nightsky (Feb 19, 2009)

I've had a beautiful lunare wrasse in my saltwater tank for about 2 years. He was given to me with one eye missing and the other kind of cloudy. Recently he seems to have gone completely blind. He cannot find the food and stayed hidden most of the time (usually he's very active). He's slowly starting to come out again and search for food but has trouble finding it. I think he scours the bottom for some flakes. Anyway, at feeding time now he comes to the top of the tank and tries to grab some food (seems to get frustrated). What can I possibly feed him by hand to make sure he's getting his food? Any suggestions?


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

Welcome to the forum and i'm really sorry to hear about the little one.

You could try to feed it by hand. Shut off your powerheads and return line(if you have a sump or refugium) that way the water is mostly stagnant and it'll knock some of the work for the wrasse out. See if that works better for it, if not then craddle your hand and try to keep the food in there and allow the wrasse to eat out of it. If you have other fish try to feed them first, with flow on, and then turn everything off and feed it. It may take a while and get a little frustrating, but after a few tries, the wrasse will get use to it. You could also use a container that has a small outlet, but wide enough for just the wrasse to go through (if it's one of the smaller fish in the tank) and put the food into it. Then once you're done, clean it out. You do this to make sure that the fish has a stress less situation as well as no competition with other fish or powerheads.

GL 
Michael


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## nightsky (Feb 19, 2009)

Thanks for the info. I think if I could feed him by hand he would eat. I just don't know what food I can try that with. Like I said, he comes to the top at feeding time and seems to just get frustrated. If I could hold something in my fingers, I think he just might try to eat it (but I don't know what). Any advice?


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Poor thing! I hope you can figure out something to help him eat.


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

you could try with brine shrimp or mysis if you want to try the craddlething... if not, and this is a long shot, you can try table shrimp from a local grocery store, Unseasoned and uncooked and you can clean off with RO water just to make sure it is clean, and dangle that in the tank and see if it'll take. You may want to add some garlic to make sure it'll stem the appitite and because it's already weak it'll improve it's immune.


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## nightsky (Feb 19, 2009)

It just may work. I'll give it a shot. Do wrasse have sharp teeth? When he eats, he seems to grab the food with such force. I'm afraid he'll bite me.


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## Kellsindell (Sep 15, 2008)

They do not. No fish have teeth. It's just cartlage (i can't spell that :-?) and it won't hurt you. If it does get your skin, it'll be a nip. Just make sure you do feed the other fish first and get the wrasse on a schedule


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## nightsky (Feb 19, 2009)

From what I understand, some fish do have teeth.


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