Let Them Flash!

Thanks for your help, Laurence, and now I am back the web.

Raymond,
Whipfin Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus filamentosus) vs Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse are shown here. They belong to two different genera, but some similarities are seen. Yes, both species have filaments on dorsal fin; one (rarely two) in C. filamentosus and two to four in P. carpenteri.

Young males or females may become males, but usually one of them will do if it will happen, and the rest will stay females. However, I experienced two out of five of flashers became males eventually, but one of them became larger and another rather smaller.

females of C. filmentosus are reddish overall with several narrow lines on side, a white abdomen, a small black spot on caudal peduncle, and a white spot on upper lip. Those of P. carpenteri are red overall and whitish ventrally, with a white line on eye and several narrow black lines on side.

See the photos of males of the two species.

122564WhCa.jpg
 
I AM NOT HIJACKING(BUT I AM FOR THIS ONE POST) blue n white--------it was a name given to me on xbox live(the video game thingy) and since i was #1 in the world for a year in a game i kept it...moved on to internet poker....won lots(relative) of money(to finance this horrible addiciton we are all afflicted with)....so i kept it on here....no real meaning

The dispars i had (3) all lived in my tank....but one jumped out and died and since i had them in a 55g for a year(i know just horrible, call peta) i gave them to a buddy with custom 180 and they are all still living...took live brine to get them eating then they started killin some cyclopeeze....

On the to flashers and the end of the momentary hijack(sorry),

All of these brilliant folks and no one can come up with an idea to keep them in besides a canopy(letting them bounce of bulbs), egg crate(doesnt necessarily work and cuts down on light for us SPS keepers) and glass tops( which cuts down evap so i cant dose Kalk as much for my SPS)....NO BRILLIANT IDEAS...COME ON NOW
 
seran wrap????? I wonder how much it cuts down light.....it is fairly transluscent.....I bet they can pierce right through it cant they? I know it would look well for lack of a better word---ghettoish----but could it work? Would they bounce off or go right through?
 
I think there is something to be said for all of you dedicated F/F wrasse keepers getting the standard reefers involved with your loved species...it would be great benefit to the species as awhole(excluding pulling them out of their natural habitat)
 
Hope this helps a little, without much of a hijack.

Serioussnaps, you've been asking how other reefers prevent jumpers. I realized I needed a way to prevent jumpers myself when I was looking at my tank, from the front. It's an inwall that I have complete access to from the rear. From the time I saw my flasher (viewing from the front) to the time I walked to the back of the tank (about 3 seconds!!!) and saw him on the floor, flipping about, I realized this would only be the first of many carpet surfing incidents. BTW, I gently picked up the flasher and placed him back in the tank. That was about 6 weeks ago, and he's none the worse off for it. :D

So how was I to prevent this from happening again? I have sps in my tank as well and didn't want to compromise the lighting (too much). I decided eggcrate was the answer. But not the traditional way. I constructed a wall of eggcrate to surround the top.

Keep in mind I have an acrylic tank with a eurobraced top. I only needed to restrict jumping from the reduced size opening (as opposed to a standard glass, open top tank).

This design does block a little light, but not nearly enough to limit my sps and clams from getting what they need. Here's what I came up with:

Constructed design (on the floor for reference):

EggcrateonFloor2.jpg


Looking down at the tank top with eggcrate in place. Notice the eurobracing and tank openings are within the eggcrate 'wall':

EggcrateLookingDown.jpg


Relationship of tank top, to eggcrate, to light fixture:

EggcrateCorner.jpg


Standing back (from the back of the tank, which is a black background):

TanktopwithEggcrate.jpg
 
I think that solution is about a 98% solution which is better than almost anything else I have seen. I know that egg crate will not keep them in but the way you did it makes it really difficult for them to get out. If you had more room between the top and lights I don't think it would work as well. Good job!
 
Thanks Steve. When I had my jumper he was only in my tank for about a week. No jumpers since the installation of 'the wall'. Not sure if any solution will be 100% without any other ramifications, so I'll take your kindness with 98%. Thanks.

Hey Doc, sorry for the hijack. I was hoping this quasi solution would benefit others reading your magnificent thread. Thanks for all the great information.

swimmer
 
Hey master...sorry tanaka ...not trying to hijack but this is pertinent to keep the fish which are the topic of this thread..

You are THE man master.....i was getting desperate with the seran wrap...not like i would really do it.....that looks absolutely pure-t-fing brilliant. Its like a WWF cage match.lol....That would definitely work...only thing is i dont have an in wall tank, so it would be unsightly...however it would actually work and NOT really affect the light for my SPS too much..Thank you for the pics.....

Thats the reefcentral brightness i was looking for..appreciated.....should i get over the unsigtliness in my kitchen that would be....it will be wrasse time and DIY time
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7682632#post7682632 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by H.Tanaka
...Raymond,
...Young males or females may become males, but usually one of them will do if it will happen, and the rest will stay females. ...males of C. filmentosus are reddish overall with several narrow lines on side, a white abdomen, a small black spot on caudal peduncle, and a white spot on upper lip. Those of P. carpenteri are red overall and whitish ventrally, with a white line on eye and several narrow black lines on side.

See the photos of males of the two species.

122564WhCa.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information on these two wrasses. I had to delay my visit to see these fish until Thursday (twelve hours from now). Would you have any pictures of the females for both of these two species? Also, another species available is the Yellow Fin Fairy Wrasse, but from the picture that I've seen of this species, it doesn't look as attractive as the others. Or am I seeing the wrong pictures?

Thanks again,
Raymond
 
See the pics shown here, and I hope you may find differences between the species, with a pic of C. flavidorsalis, male & female.
They are cheaper but quite attractive.

122564CFFPC.jpg
 
H.Tanaka, you have outdone yourself once again. The pictures that you posted with the sex symbols is PERFECT! I just printed these pictures and I will be bringing them with me when I go to see the fish today.

Thanks,
Raymond
 
OK, I just got back from looking at the wrasses.

Questions:
1) There are four (all FEMALE) Carpenters available. Price is very good at $15 Cdn. each. One of them, the largest one, is very shy and has a lighter colour so I am not considering that one.
So should I get 1, 2 or 3? (I like variety so if a F is not necessary to keep the M looking nice, then I would consider only getting one of many different F & F wrasses.)
But if F are necessary, then should I get 2 or 3 of the females?

2) There are two Whip Fins available. Currently in separate tanks, I see the M flashing already. Will adding the female make it flash a lot more? Again variety...
If yes, then I will consider getting the F too.

3) There is one Yellow Fin, but it is actually more expensive than the other two wrasses. H.Tanaka states that this should be cheaper. Plus I don't think this type of wrasse looks as good as the others. So I am thinking about passing on this.

4) Hijacking: There is also a M Randali's Anthias (that is eating). Should I go for that too?

Thank you for your opinions.

Raymond:)
 
>1) ...So should I get 1, 2 or 3? (I like variety so if a F is not necessary to keep the M looking nice, then I would consider only getting one of many different F & F wrasses.)
But if F are necessary, then should I get 2 or 3 of the females?

A) Females are not necessary but you may choose if you like. It may take a year to become males but females also are colorful addition to the tank. Any of one, two or all the three specimens wil be OK.


2) There are two Whip Fins available. Currently in separate tanks, I see the M flashing already. Will adding the female make it flash a lot more?

A) It is possible but males do not require females to display. You can have a more chance to see displaying colors with over two males than a pair. Males of different or same species will show some aggressive behavior and then they will display like while their spawning. C. filamentosus is one of the most aggressive fish among the genus and two males will fight to a serious damage in a small aquarium.


3) There is one Yellow Fin, but it is actually more expensive than the other two wrasses. H.Tanaka states that this should be cheaper. Plus I don't think this type of wrasse looks as good as the others. So I am thinking about passing on this.

A) Yes, also in Japan C. flavidorsalis was not cheaper than P. carpenteri or C. filamentosus but the price recently dropped down to some US20,- for a male.


4) Hijacking: There is also a M Randali's Anthias (that is eating). Should I go for that too?

A) Yes, you can keep it with F&F fishes with a success. Pseudanthias randalli is smaller and not so aggressive.
 
1) ...So should I get 1, 2 or 3? (I like variety so if a F is not necessary to keep the M looking nice, then I would consider only getting one of many different F & F wrasses.)
But if F are necessary, then should I get 2 or 3 of the females?

A) Females are not necessary but you may choose if you like. It may take a year to become males but females also are colorful addition to the tank. Any of one, two or all the three specimens wil be OK.

a) Wow, up to a year for a female to turn into a male! Would it speed up the process if I put in 2 or 3 females instead of one single female? You are right about the female Carpenter Wrasse, it is one of the better looking female fairy wrasses. So now I am leaning towards getting 2 females. Any comments on this?



--------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) There are two Whip Fins available. Currently in separate tanks, I see the M flashing already. Will adding the female make it flash a lot more?

A) It is possible but males do not require females to display. You can have a more chance to see displaying colors with over two males than a pair. Males of different or same species will show some aggressive behavior and then they will display like while their spawning. C. filamentosus is one of the most aggressive fish among the genus and two males will fight to a serious damage in a small aquarium.

a) Is the aggressiveness of this species mainly towards its own species, or to other males like the Carpenter and any other that I may add in the future? Will the male filamentosus attack my Dispar Anthias, or a Fire Goby that I plan to add? I saw the female filamentosus, and it's not very attractive so I would probably only get a male. So the key question here is whether a male filamentosus will attack other flashers and fairies that I add in the future?

Thanks again,
Raymond
 
a)...a female to turn into a male! Would it speed up the process if I put in 2 or 3 females instead of one single female? You are right about the female Carpenter Wrasse, it is one of the better looking female fairy wrasses. So now I am leaning towards getting 2 females. Any comments on this?

A) I am not sure but the sex change may happen or not; that is depending on the individual. I do not know which factors them to
be males, but perhaps it will take place with the tank mates.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

a) Is the aggressiveness of this species mainly towards its own species, or to other males like the Carpenter and any other that I may add in the future? Will the male filamentosus attack my Dispar Anthias, or a Fire Goby that I plan to add? I saw the female filamentosus, and it's not very attractive so I would probably only get a male. So the key question here is whether a male filamentosus will attack other flashers and fairies that I add in the future?

C. filamentosus can be aggressive toward any tank mate, but usually does not harm so seriously, and you should offer many crevices for them to hide. I think that any firefish or anthias will go well with it.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
By the way.....i think the dispar will likely be fine with the fialmentosus...however, i disagree with Tanaka(yes i know...he is the man) that it would be fine with a firefish....firefishes are well ...sissies....i think it CAN be ok...but after time it may not work....just my 2 cents

"this is what i have to keep my wrasses in the tank..."---------------------i have like 8 of those.....you cant use them on an Acropora dominant reef without losing alot of light..but master did offer a great way to keep FLASHERS in tank....
 
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