Killer Mystery Wrasse?

L

LKGRenegade22

New member
So I've been reading all night again and have found numerous threads about Mystery wrasses taking out some really nice fairy wrasses like the flames and rhomboids. This has really got me to thinking....

I have 10+ wrasses in my 180 right now and other than a few normal minor squabbles I have never had 2 wrasses really fight. But...I just bought a pair of Flame wrasses and I am looking at buying a pair of Rhomboids also. I have a Vanuatu Mystery wrasse I have had for 6+ months. Other than getting fatter it has not really grown length wise. I think it is around 3". I'm beginning to wonder if it worth the risk to keep him in after all the horror stories I have read about them taking out other wrasses. Seems alot of the stories were in the 3rd person though, so my question is who has had a mystery wrasse kill some high end fairy wrasses in their tank?

I'm not talking about anything you read somewhere. I'm looking for 1st hand experience to see if this is something I should really be concerned about. Heck the only near death I have ever had was when my larger solarensis wrasse almost killed the mystery way back when I 1st got him. Ever since then all has been well.
 
From what I have read and what I have seen with my Mystery Wrasse, they tend to get more aggressive when they reach maturity for lack of a better term. Some people say once they are established in the tank but generally when they get bigger they lose the white lines on their sides. That was about the time mine got more aggressive. He won't mess with most new fish unless they are small though. From what I have found any new additions after they get established or full grown need to be big enough to stand up to them. I tried to put in a Tail Spot Blennie and it was dead in less than an hour however I was able to add some large Lyretail Anthias and he only looked at them sideways a few times and decided they weren't worth it I guess.
 
Let's just say I found 20 threads out of the million people on here, and as I said most were in the 3rd person or were mearly speculation. That's odds I'm willing to take if that is the case. Pretty much everything we do is a risk to some degree.

Heck most fish get more aggressive when they mature but so far my mystery has stayed fairly small and is the model citizen.
 
i would recommend that you just purchase some other fish other than the mystery as they can get aggressive overnight and i have heard many cases of them doing so . they will usually be fine for a while and then turn evil with no warning . many people purchase fish before they get the the proper information and it is good that you are questioning the aspects of compatibility first .
 
I have 2 reef friends and both complained about mystery wrasse. If you can catch him and re-introduced last.
 
I can tell from personal experience that I would stronly advise against adding the Mystery wrasse. I had one in a 120gal and it managed to destroy all of my other fairy wrasses. Potentially could be very aggressive, at least mine was.
 
I appreciate all your replys.

I already have the mystery. I bought him about 6 months back. He is in my 180 with about 10 other fairy/flasher wrasses and he has never bothered anybody. I got him special ordered from Vanuatu and I don't think I will ever part with him. I have another smaller tank I can move him to where he will be the only wrasse. I'm just trying to decide if I want to go ahead and move him or not. I like him in my main DT because his lines/bars are so bright and always visible.

I have also already purchased the flame pair, and am thinking about pulling the trigger on a pair of rhomboids. I was just reading about wrasses and saw where mysterys had caused some issues. Like I said mine is about 3" and has not really grown any length wise since I have had him. Almost all my other wrasses are at least his size if not bigger.

We all know not everything works out, even when you plan properly. I try to always dow hat is right and in the best interest off the fish because their care is in my hands. That's why I now have multiple tanks again (after I promised the wife I would only have the 180 when I bought it...:D) so I do have other options.
 
you may luck out and have no issues with him at all but many times they become nightmares that's all I'm trying to tell you . if you already have him then be positive but also keep an eye out and see what happens with him . you never know as he could be the best fish that you ever had . the rhomboids will certainly be a great addition in your 180 and you should post a few pictures for us to enjoy .
 
Once I get the flames and potentially rhomboids through QT and in the tank I will surely take pictures. I have a fish trap so if something does happen I can move fish if needed.
 
if you have a set up reef tank please choose wisely as it is sometimes very difficult to catch fish as the one that you want out just seem to be the hardest ones to catch .i have had to completely remove all the live rock in order to catch fish at times for customers and have learned that you can use Plexiglas's to cut down the size of the area that you are trying to catch the fish out of .good luck and i look forward to seeing some photos of your wrasses as you can see I'm a bit partial to wrasses . also if your investing money for these expensive wrasses be sure to cover the top of you tank with netting 1/4" of less so they can't jump out as they are escape artists . make sure the tank is completely covered and bulletproof cause you can lose a few hundred dollars if your wrasse finds that one tiny spot to jump through .
 
I have a large 4 to 5 inch established mystery wrasse and he took out 2 fairy wrasse when I introduced them within 2 days
 
iamwrasseman said:
if you have a set up reef tank please choose wisely as it is sometimes very difficult to catch fish as the one that you want out just seem to be the hardest ones to catch .i have had to completely remove all the live rock in order to catch fish at times for customers and have learned that you can use Plexiglas's to cut down the size of the area that you are trying to catch the fish out of .good luck and i look forward to seeing some photos of your wrasses as you can see I'm a bit partial to wrasses . also if your investing money for these expensive wrasses be sure to cover the top of you tank with netting 1/4" of less so they can't jump out as they are escape artists . make sure the tank is completely covered and bulletproof cause you can lose a few hundred dollars if your wrasse finds that one tiny spot to jump through .
Click to expand...

Oh I know all about that. The only wrasse I have ever lost was a Vanuatu Exquisite that leaped through eggcrate on one of my QT tanks. I have plexi glass lids but I was certain that fish could not make it through the eggcrate but I was proven wrong. There is no way a fish can jump out of my tank now. I have a completely enclosed canopy and the back is closed with a screen, only leaving holes for the power cords. Also the fish trap I have works great. I have had to remove a few fish and never really had any problems. Here is a picture of the tank but this picture is a few months old.
P2220080.jpg
 
Had a mystery for over 1 1/2 years, from 5 bar juvi to mature adult, harrassed any fish added that resembled a wrasse. Helped kill a a HI flame pair in 3 days. After this incident decided to socially acclimate any fish added for a min. 10 days. Have since added a supermale rhomboid, scott velvet wrasse, midas blenny, labouti wrasse, and supermale lineatus with no problems and minimal to no harrassment.
 
sounds like the ticket ,what do you mean
After this incident decided to socially acclimate any fish added for a min. 10 days
Click to expand...
are you adding them for ten minutes every day for ten days ?if so are they in a container of some sort ? my mystery wrasses have all been in tanks for some time like years and then out of the blue they turned evil and started harassing the whole tank .
 
Do you have a picture of your Vanuatu mystery wrasse? I would love to see it. If I purchase one I would prefer one with stripes as an adult. I heard the marshall island ones lose their stripes but not sure how true that is. That's unfortunate because I've seen some
really nice striped Marshall island ones lately. If the Vanuatu ones really do keep their stripes I'll hold out for one of those. Can anyone confirm the stripes issue from personal experience?

Thanks.
 
Let me check my photobucket and see if I have a good picture. I don't think I have one of a close up of the Mystery. I have a few friends with them and everybody that has a Vanuatu still has their stripes and the 2 that have Marshall Islands lost their stripes with time. I can't say it is a definate thing but the stripes on mine have only gotten brighter with time.

With that being said I added a harem of flame wrasses this past week and the male flame punked the mystery wrasse out. Hopefully I won't ever have any issues but if I do I have other tanks I can move fish too.
 
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