Adding wrasses to a 125g tank

[DanielJay]

I am looking to add some wrasses to my 125g 6ft tank. I would like to add a couple to my current stock of non wrasses. My current stock is:
1x blue tang
1x yellow tang
1x yellow eyesd kole tang
1x large blue/green chromis
2x clowns

I am soon to be adding a couple peppermint shrimp (to try to take care of some aptasia recently introduced ) and a cleaner shrimp as I miss my last one I had.

I can't decide how many wrasses and which in particular. I have my eye on the following:
Christmas Wrasse (Halichoeres claudia)
Hoeven's Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus)
Yellow Wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus)

The reasons I am looking to add wrasses are:
more active fish to help keep the blue tang out when I walk in front of the tank
I found some pests on some zoa's I forgot to dip. Now I want to have something that can help keep bugs in check.
I have a bad quantity of bristle worms that I don't mind but are everywhere even on the sand bed.

 

[scooter31707]

I would only add one of those listed for your size tank. I just want to mention that you have too many tangs for a 125, especially a Hippo. Just saying, you might be fighting illness and parasites down the road from stress as they start maturing.

 

[DanielJay]

I figured someone would say something about my tang numbers. The fish are looking very good and healthy and have been doing well for the past 3 years I have had them.

The next time I move my fish tank size is increasing so I am not worried about their size just yet.

 

[brett559]

I love the Halichoeres....melanarus being my favorite. However, I added my first melanarus to a tank with about 8 peppermint shrimp (for aiptasia control). He ate every one of them. My current setup has a mel (plus a hawkfish and a hogfish) so I obviously don't keep shrimp.

So I'd be wary of any Halichoeres wrasses with shrimp. That also means no mystery wrasse - another favorite of mine. So that leaves you with fairy and flasher wrasses. Neither of which I care much for. I've kept McCoskers and Carpenters - didn't like either of them. I did like my orange-back fairy wrasse - very active and easy.

If it was me, I'd add a male flame wrasse, or even a male/female pair. Pricey, but gorgeous.

 

[Half Vaped]

The only Halichoeres Wrasse I've kept is H. Biocellatus, which stays a little smaller than the ones you mentioned. Never bothered any shrimp (I have Peppermints, Fires, Skunk Cleaners and Pistols--not sure what it would have done to smaller ones, like Sexy Shrimp) and was a model citizen. I lost it in a tank crash in January. If I were to get another Halichoeres, I would probably go with H. iridis, another smaller species with some great coloration.

I like the look of Leopard Wrasses better and am currently keeping a Blue Star Leopard (which survived the tank crash) and a regular Leopard (my first try lasted maybe two or three weeks; I've had my current one since June). They also eat pests--maybe not as well as Halichoeres Wrasse, but are much more attractive. The Blue Star was one of five survivors out of maybe 20 others that died. So I believe they're fairly hardy once established.

For Aiptasia control, I suggest a captive bred Bristle-Tail Filefish. Peppermint Shrimp are hit-and-miss with Aiptasia and a single Filefish can do the work of perhaps 20 - 30 shrimp. My 150G infested with Aiptasia was completely rid of them within a month.

As for other Wrasses, I guess Flashers aren't everybody's cup of tea, but I love them. The Angulatus, Attenuatus, Eight-line, Yellow-fin are some of the nicer Flashers. Fairies are usually flashier, more colorful and usually pricier. Flame, Lineatus, Pintail, Labout's and Lunatus are some great looking ones. If your budget is tight, the Lubbock's is a cheap and cheerful species.

 

[chrisfont23]

The eight lines are beautiful. Check out mine

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