Red Tail Tamarin (Anampses chrysocephalus) Wrasse Feeding?

[r.song]

Hello, new to the forum, hope I can find some expert opinions!

I have a question about my red tail wrasse. I purchased one after doing extensive research and having confidence of having enough resources to provide a steady supply of amphipods. I do not have a refugium (am looking into it), but I order them in the 1000's online (great online supplier should anyone need copepods/amphipods on eBay, seller name is piece-of-the-reef, http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZpiece-of-the-reef).

Anyways, I know they still exist in my system because I can see them at night all over the place. The concern I have is that my wrasse seems to be getting thinner (as far as not having a big bulge in her stomach compared to when I first got her...been about 3 weeks now). I have observed my wrasse eat one amphipod as it was free swimming when I first dropped them in, but now I'm not sure if she can find them. Many seem to burrow under the substrate (crushed coral), and my wrasse does not search the substrate deep enough. She searches my 105 lbs of live rock every day constantly, but have yet to observe her find any.

Should I be concerned? Is it truly possible that she cannot locate any of the amphipods? She's always picking at the live rock, but knowing that they are chewers, I haven't seen her "chew" anything.

Thanks in advance!
Robert in California

 

[rgbmatt]

Are you feeding it ordinary food also? It may not be able to survive on "pods" alone.

I've always had good success getting red tails to eat in captivity - they usually start taking mysis a day or two after being caught. However, I think they need to be fed several times a day or they'll be malnourished.

 

[sanjay]

RGNMATT;
are you having good luck keeping this fish alive for a long time . I have always wanted a pair of these, but shied away based on the limited sucess people have had with the anapses species.

I do see you are in Hawaii, and so the fish are not going through shipping hell before you get them.

sanjay.

 

[jason edward]

if the females ship ok, they take to frozen pretty quick. I've had a couple for several years.
the males, on the other hand are a whole different story. they ship incredibly badly, and I have yet to see one survive more than a few weeks.

Also, you may want to consider changing your substrate to sand, they bury at night, and crushed coral is not ideal for them.

 

[rgbmatt]

RGNMATT;
are you having good luck keeping this fish alive for a long time . I have always wanted a pair of these, but shied away based on the limited sucess people have had with the anapses species.

Nope, never tried keeping one more than a week or two. My only experience has been holding them briefly for resale (I work as a fish collector, so these are all ones I've caught myself).

The species seems to adjust really well to captivity before the whole shipping/holding process starts.