Is there any type of CUC safe from my malanurus wrasse

[crawlerman]

I've had my malanurus wrasse for about 1.5 years and he is getting large and fat. He has decimated my cleanup crew. He's eaten all of my snails, red & blue legged hermits, harlequin shrimp, peppermint shrimp and now he finally got the cleaner shrimp. I still see one giant turbo he hasn't eaten yet. But it's probably a matter of time. He's one of my favorite fish and I like them because they eat any pests that might slip through dipping. Is there any type of cleanup crew that would be safe from him?

 

[FoxFace Fish]

sea urchin maybe

 

[HBtank]

May just have to accept they need routine restocking and are partially food, sitck with cheaper varieties of snails and hermits. I think everyone does this to some degree (my hermits cull snails).

 

[nereefpat]

What about big Mexican turbo snails? Conch for the sand, depending on tank size.

 

[FirstContact]

I have non-reef safe wrasses. A Jansen’s wrasse in DT, a Red Coris wrasse in QT, and plan on getting a Marble/Checkerboard wrasse. When I had dove snails they would reproduce faster than the Jansen’s wrasse could eat them. Same with the mini brittle stars. That was in my 46g which I took down a couple of years ago. I put up a 120g and started with no clean up crew. (The Jansen’s wrasse ate my shrimp that were in the 46g. He also killed my fighting conch.) After a couple of years of fighting algae, I just switched from a 12 hour light schedule to an 8 hour light schedule. I really miss the 12 hour schedule as the lights come on at 4pm and I have to wait so long on the weekends to see the tank, but there is SO much less algae and it’s just easier. Right now I’m toying with the idea of adding a couple of urchins and seeing if they never get eaten. If that doesn’t work, I may go back to populating my refugium and DT with dove snails, mini brittle stars, and copepods/amphipods. Right now, I’m just doing fish and chaeto.

 

[crawlerman]

Sounds like urchin might be my only choice. he already ate all of the mexican turbos but the one giant one. Thanks for the input.

 

[nereefpat]

He ate snails the size of golf balls? Whoa.

 

[crawlerman]

he did, the one that is left is between the size of a golf ball and baseball. Probably closer to golf ball but definitely bigger. I feed a lot too and he has a giant gut. never stops picking at rocks unless i put in food.

 

[gary_bergman]

he did, the one that is left is between the size of a golf ball and baseball. Probably closer to golf ball but definitely bigger. I feed a lot too and he has a giant gut. never stops picking at rocks unless i put in food.

I had one and he picked at everything. Ate all the bristle worms which is good.

 

[billdogg]

May just have to accept they need routine restocking and are partially food, sitck with cheaper varieties of snails and hermits. I think everyone does this to some degree (my hermits cull snails).

I don't have any hermits other than a couple of tiny scarlet reef hermits for that reason.

 

[JTL]

I have a Vroliks wrasse which looks similar to the Malanurus and he has not bothered any of the my CUC. I don't have any shrimp but I was thinking getting a cleaner shrimp. Hope he does bother him.

 

[crawlerman]

If he left the rest of the crew alone I'd say he is fine. I'd add it at night when he is under the sand. My cleaner was the last thing he killed. Just like angel fish with corals, some are good and some are bad.

 

[HBtank]

I don't have any hermits other than a couple of tiny scarlet reef hermits for that reason.

I have a soft spot for hermits and so does my family, done with shrimp, and not a fan of other crabs (cuc varieties at least). I tolerate them, they were "reef hermits" 20 shells ago... lol, now they are there for good.

I know their preferences for snails, and it is mostly shell hunting, so I control it to a degree. They do their job pretty well otherwise.