male fairy wrasse myth or fact?

[mystery_reef]

is it true that male fairy wrasse will lose their color without females or a female?

i currently have a male lineatus (large), male rhomboid, and i believe a male flame partial, a radient as well. im not sure what direction i want to take with adding more wrasse, especially fairy. should i attempt to make 3 pairs or maybe just add one female to make one pair? what other fairies would mix well with these guys, what are some of your favorites? i also plan to add a leopard, maybe a flasher, maybe a possum and a melanarus too. i love wrasse :lmao:
TIA.

anyone know where i can find a Cirrhilabrus earlei?

 

[aquaph8]

Its true for certain species. Im gonna let someone more qualified answer the rest of your ?s though.

 

[CeeGee]

Generally the blue wrasses like scotts tend to lose their color. The reds like flame wrasses tend to keep them.

There are exceptions though like rhomboids and lineatus. For someone more knowledgeable I sugges bradleyj and Snorvich.

 

[snorvich]

Yes, the "blue group" (as Cee Gee says, C. scottorum as an example, or C. balteatus) will lose a fair amount of coloration absent a female. The "red group" will lose the least (perhaps, unnoticeable to some), and the "in between" will lose some but will still remain somewhat colorful.

 

[snorvich]

Also, remember that for some species, the female is more aggressive than the male. If the male of a species is aggressive, the female is a terror.

 

[mystery_reef]

thank you for the help so far. is there a link that better talks about the groups you are referring to? any suggestions on which kind to add?

 

[snorvich]

What sized tank? What fishes in the tank?

 

[mystery_reef]

sorry that would help. 180, 6' 2' 2'
2 clowns, rabbitfish, sailfin, pair of yasha gobies, solomin springer damsel(i think, harmless had for years now) and the 4 wrasse. plenty of room for more fish and wrasse imo. i have a long list of fish id like to add. like a spotted filefish in a year or two when the sps are grown out more. snorvich do you have any links to threads about your tanks and pictures id love to see them.

 

[snorvich]

sorry that would help. 180, 6' 2' 2'
2 clowns, rabbitfish, sailfin, pair of yasha gobies, solomin springer damsel(i think, harmless had for years now) and the 4 wrasse. plenty of room for more fish and wrasse imo. i have a long list of fish id like to add. like a spotted filefish in a year or two when the sps are grown out more. snorvich do you have any links to threads about your tanks and pictures id love to see them.

Actually, I don't do pictures. Sorry. Lots of information in the Fairy Wrasse Photo thread, some of which I posted. There are 3-5 of us on here who are "wrasse crazy". I have two larger tanks (240/350) as well as smaller tanks for quarantine, etc. and have been very much enamored with fairy, flasher and leopard wrasses for quite some time. Additionally, I also like angels and butterfly fish as well as anthias (a recently acquired addiction)

 

[mystery_reef]

I tried a school of lyretail anthias and they all dropped over 5 days. I have no idea why. They were at the store for three weeks before I purchased.

 

[snorvich]

I tried a school of lyretail anthias and they all dropped over 5 days. I have no idea why. They were at the store for three weeks before I purchased.

What kind of anthias? What was the problem?

 

[mystery_reef]

they were lyretail. i honestly have no idea what the probably was, maybe they got sunburn from 800w of t5s, haha. i am going to try resplendint anthias sometime later this year.

--adding a yellow band possum wrasse that i picked up today once he is done with QT. any thought, personal experiences with these fish. i have never had one before.
as always thx!

 

[snorvich]

they were lyretail. i honestly have no idea what the probably was, maybe they got sunburn from 800w of t5s, haha. i am going to try resplendint anthias sometime later this year.

--adding a yellow band possum wrasse that i picked up today once he is done with QT. any thought, personal experiences with these fish. i have never had one before.
as always thx!

I have a group of 10 resplendent in one tank and a group of 8 in another tank. Excellent fish. Possum wrasses are peaceful, initially cryptic, and no trouble.

 

[pacislandaqua]

male C. bealteatus will keep his colors if other fairies (male or females) are around. Males flash towards other males of different species which helps retain their colors.

 

[mystery_reef]

i think i have figured out the rest for my group
hooded fairy male
female flame to go with my current
eight line flasher red sea ( i will prob never find )
atteneutus flasher (maybe i will get lucky)
i think the hooded and the female flame might be the only other fairies i would like unless i see something unbelievable at a lfs.

 

[snorvich]

i think i have figured out the rest for my group
hooded fairy male
female flame to go with my current
eight line flasher red sea ( i will prob never find )
atteneutus flasher (maybe i will get lucky)
i think the hooded and the female flame might be the only other fairies i would like unless i see something unbelievable at a lfs.

Well, I really like that list. However I have not seen an eight line flasher for sale in a very long time.

 

[mystery_reef]

my rhomboid is missing a good chunk off the tail tonight my lineatus must of got too rough.

i have only ever seen one eight line in person, more than 5 years ago too. have never seen one since.

 

[mystery_reef]

my rhomboid is missing a good chunk off the tail tonight my lineatus must of got too rough.

i have only ever seen one eight line in person, more than 5 years ago too. have never seen one since.