I need some help!

[lindsayf]

I bought a six line wrasse last Wednesday, he's been doing really well, eating from day one. This morning when I woke up he looked like he was wrapped in a tubular cob web. Has anyone ever heard of this? What should I do.

[Delphinus]

Don't panic. It's a sleeping cocoon. I'm not sure what the term is actually but some members of the wrasse family will encase themselves in a form of mucous when they sleep. Do a search on the 'net and see if this is what's happening (that's my guess though). Basically it masks their scent or something like that so that predators can't make an easy meal out of a sleeping fish.

[Delphinus]

here are some links .. I haven't read through all of them, I just did a google and just copied and pasted:

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-08/hcs3/
http://thereeftank.com/forums/printthread.php?t=29485
http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29485

[danny zubot]

Cool links, I wish I would have read a bit more before buying my 6 line. It would have saved me the headache of ripping the tank down to catch it. Doesn't really say much about the cucoon though, only that they sleep in it for protection.

[Delphinus]

Why did you have to get rid of your sixline?

[danny zubot]

I had to choose between the 6 line and my manderine, which I've had for some time now. The wrasse was competing for the same food and harrasing the manderine so I choose to get rid of the 6 line. Alan has it now and says it is doing very well.

[Delphinus]

That's the second story (or third (??) by now) I've heard regarding sixlines and mandarins. The other times were Bob and Ross (I'm not certain; I can't remember if Bob was telling me HIS story, or was recounting Ross's story. So my "two" stories may just be "one" but I guess I'm digressing a bit here..) That's really odd, I for the most part used to believe that most fish didn't bother to even notice dragonets. But I too am starting to notice problems between my mandarin and sixline. The sixline will periodically charge the mandarin. The mandarin acts as if he doesn't see the sixline. So he's not stressed but someone has taken a chunk out of his tail. Now I know it IS the sixline whom is the culprit.

Ordinarily they wouldn't have been in the same tank, but the mandarin is the only fish I was able to rescue from my own tank meltdown two weeks ago .. I had to get him out of the "tank of death" and the only option was to put him in my SPS tank.

He's a fairly trusting fish however (the mandarin that is), I think I might be able to catch him and put him in the other tank, once I've convinced myself it's OK to put fish in there again. It'd be better for him anyhow, there's no other fish to eat the pods in that one whereas there's 5 competitors in the SPS tank. Catching the sixline would be a complete impossibility without a tank teardown and if you ever saw my SPS tank you'd know why that's a completely unappealing idea.

Anyhow thanks for the info. Good to know. Thanks