Finally got the wrasse I wanted.

[Engloid]

It was the red coris wrasse that they had at Aquatic Marine, in the 1200 gallon (then the 180) tank. It foiled capture when they moved all the stuff out of the 1200 tank by hiding in the sand with water depth of only same as the sand... for about 4-5 days. When they went to put some water back in it to begin cycling, he came out. They caught him and put him in the 180. Then, they couldn't catch him in it because he would hide anytime they went for him. When it came time to put everything back in the 1200, they pulled all the rock from the 180 and Russell thought catching it would be pretty easy. He, Travis (bad with names, but I think this is it), and another guy spent about 30 minutes trying to scoop him out of the sand in cloudy water...but finally got him!! Thanks to the guys for what probably was not a fun task at all. They had water everywhere when they got done. One thing I know is that it is appreciated!!! :beer:

I brought him home and put him in my 125 and he seemed pretty happy. My Kole tang doesn't seem to like him though. The kole would follow him around with his mouth wide open, showing what looked like white teeth. The wrass just ignored him. After about 2hrs of swimming around, I haven't seen the wrasse since. I guess he's in hiding again.

How often do wrasses hide? How many hours a day, for example? Also, do they typically only burrow and sleep when the lights go off? I want to watch to make sure he's acting normally.

 

[cee]

He'll hide for a few days and then you should start to see more of him. My wife wanted him but I said "no, they get too big".

 

[Engloid]

So they hide more when you first get them, and afterwards will be out more often? I hear they will typically get 6-8" in captivity.

They have a Christmas wrasse at AM now that looks really nice also. Maybe your wife would like it better.

 

[modifyd]

Say good by to your pod population, you just bought a pod hunting/eating machine!

 

[cee]

So they hide more when you first get them, and afterwards will be out more often? I hear they will typically get 6-8" in captivity.

They have a Christmas wrasse at AM now that looks really nice also. Maybe your wife would like it better.

I'm definately a wrasse guy but already have an adorned wrasse, arguably the best flatworm preditor in the ocean. They are VERY similar to the XMas wrasse. I guess you haven't seen my tank, I probably have about 6-8 wrasses.

 

[planejane]

I have a Lepoard Wrasse that you could set your watch by. Burries himself in the sand at night at 8:30 , wakes up at 8. He is by far my most interesting fish. Luv him.

 

[Engloid]

I'm definately a wrasse guy but already have an adorned wrasse, arguably the best flatworm preditor in the ocean. They are VERY similar to the XMas wrasse. I guess you haven't seen my tank, I probably have about 6-8 wrasses.

How do you keep that many fed, and in what size tank?

I have a 125gallon and the only two pod eaters are the wrasse, which is still about 3.5" and a small mandarin. As long as these are the only two pod eaters in the tank, they should be fine, you agree? I have already seen the wrasse eating food I put in the tank. He has troubles with a medium sized pellet, but the small powdery stuff he will eat. I've not seen him eat flake food yet.

 

[GPhiAce]

I love wrasses. Any other pod eatter in the tank can spell doom for a mandarin if the pod population is not constantly repopulated. Just monitor him. Dave can probably keep any fish and any coral in his tank. Never seen an adorned wrasse.

I am looking to get a pink margin pair, red velvet, McCosters and a Xmas. Still on the fence with getting a flame, rhomboid. or lineatus pair. Still not convinced the last 2 are prettier than the pink margin unless they are supermales.

 

[Engloid]

The new fish has been doing well today, tipping over every frag disk he can, even knocked over a neon candy frag with about 4 heads, on a rock that's about 2"x3". I've been busy glueing things down to more sturdy places, and moving them against big rocks, etc.

It's 9pm now and I haven't seen the wrasse in about 10 minutes. Perhaps he will be one that goes to bed early. He may not yet understand that I run my lights until 11pm, and they don't come on until about 11am. I guess it doesn't matter when you're buried in the sand.

 

[cee]

How do you keep that many fed, and in what size tank?

I have a 125gallon and the only two pod eaters are the wrasse, which is still about 3.5" and a small mandarin. As long as these are the only two pod eaters in the tank, they should be fine, you agree? I have already seen the wrasse eating food I put in the tank. He has troubles with a medium sized pellet, but the small powdery stuff he will eat. I've not seen him eat flake food yet.

A 125 "wide". Since both are pod eaters, it could be a problem. Unless your mandarin is trained to eat frozen and you overfeed a bit you're likely to see the mandarin decline. After many years all of my wrasses know when to go into hiding right before the lights go out.

 

[Engloid]

A 125 "wide". Since both are pod eaters, it could be a problem. Unless your mandarin is trained to eat frozen and you overfeed a bit you're likely to see the mandarin decline. After many years all of my wrasses know when to go into hiding right before the lights go out.

Mine went into hiding about 9 last night.

I have the same tank. How do you keep so many wrasses without wiping out all the pods?

I'm assuming you're saying that the wrasses will supplement enough fed foods that they don't go hungry, but if the mandarin doesn't, he may not get a lot to eat. Correct? Maybe that's the answer to my question above.

 

[cee]

Wrasses will pretty much eat anything and everything but mandarins are slow hunters and are much more picky about what they eat. In a nutshell, you answered your own question. Most of my wrasses are fairy wrasses which really eat more out of the water column and less so pick pods off the rocks. Here they are:
rhomboid wrasse pair
Katherine's(?) fairy wrasse
adorned wrasse
laboutei wrasse
Paracheilinus rubricaudalis (a new to the hobby flasher wrasse species)

 

[vwtanker]

Most wrasses will eat prepared foods but the mandarins are a different story. Until the tank raised dragonets are available the wild caught ones will require lots of pods to eat. letting the tank mature or choosing a smaller wrasse would have been a better choice for the sustainability of the mandarin. From the rumors i have heard, the tank raised mandarins should be available by the end of this year.

 

[Engloid]

letting the tank mature or choosing a smaller wrasse would have been a better choice for the sustainability of the mandarin.

I bought this tank, live rock and all about 6 weeks ago. It had been up and running for over two years, so I would have to consider it "mature." Or am I wrong on that? :lol2:

But I guess as this wrasse gets bigger, he'll be a huge eater. I have to, as he gets bigger, I'll start culturing some copepods and put them in the tank periodically. Like anything else, getting it started will be the hard part, and then it will be easy and just take a few minutes each week.

 

[Engloid]

I got a few pictures of this guy, but he's pretty elusive. Tonight, he was in hiding about 7pm....and he's pretty fast. It's hard to take a picture of a fish that never stops moving. I had to crank the shutter speed up to keep from blurring it as I'm "tracking" him across the tank.

The pictures are actually very close to his actual coloring, but he does look a little better in person.

 

[planejane]

Beautiful fish. Good luck with it.

 

[Engloid]

thanks. I think I'm pretty good on the pods for him to eat. When I put a flashlight to the tank at night, all the little bugs come over to the light. It surprises me how many little creatures are just swimming around in the water at night. At a glance, they look like little particles of trash or something, but upon looking closer, they're bugs and critters.

The wrasse eats the food I feed the other fish too, so I think he will get plenty to eat.

 

[Weetabix]

Very nice fish.
As others have said, Wrasses will eat prepared foods, they don't have to subsist on Pods alone.
The Mandarin is another story, but they can be trained to eat frozen.

 

[Engloid]

From what I have read, you pretty much have to catch the mandarin, put him in a smaller container and put in food so that he "accidentally" tastes it and finds out it's food. Problem is that he's now in my 125, so not that easy to catch anymore. I think he will be ok though. There's a lot of pods in this tank, about 3-4" of substrate, and about 200lbs of live rock...lots of small places that fish can't get to.

But if you know an easier way to train a mandarin, I may give it a shot.