Unknown Bubble Web?

wcolwell88

wcolwell88

AC Members
Jun 25, 2007
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Oakland, MD./Terra Alta, WV.
www.waynecolwell.com
This morning when I was looking at my aquarium, I found my 6 line wrasse behind a rock in what looked like a cacoon/spider web type thing. It was round and thin enough to see through, about 1.5 to 2 inches wide with a 1/2" hole in one side where the fish had his head sticking out. At first I thought he was dying because he was just inside it moving his mouth just a little, I grabbed the top of the web like thing with some tweezers and the whole thing came apart very easily. The fish swam out but was still moving slow so I put him in my new aquafuge(currently empty) and through a bag of chemi-pure in the small section where the water comes in. After I got off work, he seemed to be doing just fine so I put him back in the display and so far he seems to be completely normal. I've never seen this before. Any ideas? I have a couple pics that didn't come out too good, will try to get them on the computer tommorow.
 
hello,

Chirrilabarus ( i think that is how you spell it) and a few other members in the wrasse family will build a "spit caccon" to sleep in, this hides their scent and if a bypasser like an eel it will not smell the fish in there! Just a good bed to sleep in!
 
Yep Discus4meOC is right.
Some fish, including some wrasses and parrotfish, build a thin cocoon to sleep in to protect themselves at night. They can't see well at night so they need to stop predators from finding them in the dark. My wrasse doesn't build one everynight, he seems to only do it occasionally.
 
Can someone provide a photo of this? I'd like to see what I might need to look for one of these days. Sounds very interesting.
 
Many Labrids (wrasses) will use a mucus "cocoon" at night. Pseudocheilinus spp. are no exception. Also, Scarids (parrotfishes) will undergo the same behavior. Here is a picture of a parrotfish doing it:


Sleeping%20Parrot%20Fish.jpg


I can't really find a pic of a wrasse doing it, but rest assured that they do.
 
I thought most wrasses sleep in the sand...
 
That is very cool.
 
mcsassy said:
I thought most wrasses sleep in the sand...
Click to expand...
Many wrasses like Macropharyngodon meleagris (Leopard Wrasse) and Halichoeres chrysus (Yellow/Coris Wrasse) bury themselves at night, but a Cirrhilabrus lubbocki (Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse) will find a place to wedge in and create the cocoon.
 
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