Black Wolf Fish (Hoplius curupira)

[shivam]

Just bought a 6inch Curupira and it looks amazing. It's been about a week and all its been doing is hiding in its cave. The reason I got the curupira is because it's known to be very active, unfortunately this guy never moves unless it eats a bit of tilapia or beef heart and that's only if it's right next to it. It also stays mostly light brown showing off that black line across its body but I never usually see it black like in the pictures. Any advice you guys can give me.



75 gallon- black wolf (6inch), 4x panda Cory cats, pictus catfish (4inch)

Diet- frozen tilapia, frozen beef heart

 

[kno4te]

Nice pick up. I think most wolves are lay low except when food is around. Really depends on personality. I would just skip feedings to 3x per week. This helps to keep from being to lazy/boring.

 

[Yuki Rihwa]

Dim your light or use surface plants (fake or real it's your choice) and give it sometimes, it will come out when see you approach the tank and beg for food, I just bought an Aimara too and I noticed it very active after daylight out and moon light up.

 

[shivam]

Appreciate both comments I'll try them both out, I guess since it's still new to the tank it's still kind of in the shy phase. I'll block out half the lights and skip on the feeding, I even put some rosy minnows in to see if it'll keep it active but NOPE. I always thought wolf fish were diurnal so I figured lights would keep them active.

 

[Jakob]

Just give him time, maybe he's just a shy personality, maybe he'll grow out of it, maybe not.
Add surface plants, add dithers. Perhaps it won't do much of a difference for the first weeks or months, but it sure won't make him more shy.
But I would keep him fat and happy for the first few months, instead of making him beg, having a full belly will make him feel more comfortable and therefore less stressed out.
Try skipping feedings when he's more settled in, in a few months.

 

[shivam]

Yeah I'll try that, going to order a bunch of cheap plastic aquarium plants on Amazon to float. My tank lights has a moonlight setting so I'll just leave them one through out the day until the plants come in. How's the diet I'm feeding it, anything I can add to it or take out. The place I got it from fed it live minnows and tilapia.

 

[moe214]

Well you did just get him, it took mine 2 months to get comfortable swimming out with me in the room now I just can't approach him to fast. He still runs from me. Wolves aren't diurnal but they adjust to your feeding schedule that's about it. I started feeding at night and slowly moved it to earlier in the day. I started with one light off to dim it for him and slowly he came around and got more comfortable, he's still shy IMO but a wonderful fish. Yours being light could be based on origin but mine changes its pattern, though haven't noticed any patter with the changing of its pattern is assume it depends on the mood of the fish like malas.

 

[shivam]

Well you did just get him, it took mine 2 months to get comfortable swimming out with me in the room now I just can't approach him to fast. He still runs from me. Wolves aren't diurnal but they adjust to your feeding schedule that's about it. I started feeding at night and slowly moved it to earlier in the day. I started with one light off to dim it for him and slowly he came around and got more comfortable, he's still shy IMO but a wonderful fish. Yours being light could be based on origin but mine changes its pattern, though haven't noticed any patter with the changing of its pattern is assume it depends on the mood of the fish like malas.

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Yeah I have already noticed it is a little more active with the lights dim. Wow 2 months! I'm sure it's worth the wait, everyone I have talked to who has owned a wolf fish says it's a great experience. I'm not sure about the coloration on mine, during the morning it's a lot lighter and then at night it's jet black. So maybe it just depends on the light, some sort of camouflage.

 

[shivam]

Also if anyone has ANY wolf fish species (even if it's a Erythrinus) It would be awesome if you post some pics of it and your aquarium setup

 

[moe214]

Yea, I didn't expect it to take that long either lol, but to me it was worth it, he comes out and just hovers around and its, to me atleast, an amazing sight, I can't explain it, mines is jet black a lot but my gravel is black too so, very rarely does he show the light Browns that I really like, right now he's a little brown like driftwood when out the water. He doesn't really bother my mala or ery that's in with him, the mala he chases once in a blue but only like a short one while he's in his face pretty much.