McCosker flasher wrasse

[GPSReef]

I've been dead set on a small harem of flasher wrasse and finally found a couple females to start. I have't received them yet but my plan is to qt the two females then as soon as they are in the dt put a male into qt. I would add them all together but my qt tank is on the small side (7 gal) I don't think it'd be wise to put all three in together. My question is will one of the females become a male in the ~2 months they would be on their own until the male is added (assuming 4 weeks per qt)?

 

[Deinonych]

You'll likely end up with more than one male. I was going to go that route but elected to keep a few males from different species instead.

 

[Nina51]

where are you finding female mccoskers??

 

[MondoBongo]

is there any chance of upsizing your QT tank?

a 7 gallon is teeny tiny for one of these guys. i have a Carpenter's, very similar, and he uses every inch of my DT. when i had him in QT it was a 20 long, and he seemed a little cramped in there.

they definitely like room to roam.

 

[GroktheCube]

It's very likely the dominant female will turn male. I had one start to turn after a month (QTing female trio), and she did not turn back or halt her transformation once introduced to my male. I had to give her (now him) to my girlfriend.

I agree that a 7g QT is really small.

 

[eatbreakfast]

There is a very good chance that in 2 months one of the females will transition into a male. Nina's comment on the likelihood of ending up with multiple males is correct. Going with males of different species might be the way to go.

 

[evolved]

I've been dead set on a small harem of flasher wrasse and finally found a couple females to start. I have't received them yet but my plan is to qt the two females then as soon as they are in the dt put a male into qt. I would add them all together but my qt tank is on the small side (7 gal) I don't think it'd be wise to put all three in together. My question is will one of the females become a male in the ~2 months they would be on their own until the male is added (assuming 4 weeks per qt)?

It is extremely likely you'll already have a male in the making after 2 months time. Any time longer than 1-2 weeks and all bets would be off.

You'll likely end up with more than one male. I was going to go that route but elected to keep a few males from different species instead.

Agree, and good suggestion.

where are you finding female mccoskers??

And are they actually female and actually P. mccoskeri?

 

[Marshall O]

I fourth the comment on getting multiple males. I would just get the two females and let them chose which will turn (first). Even then, you still may end up with two males, but better than three males!

As long as they are small enough, and the tank actually has 7 gallons in it, the tank may be large enough. I am currently QT'ing a young male P. carpenteri in a ~7.5 gallon tank and it is doing just fine in it. The tank is long for the gallons though, which works well with this fish.

 

[GPSReef]

Hmm all that is really helpful makes me think I should have stuck with my original plan. Soo more details I found them through one of my local lfs who had them coming in and told me they were mine if I want them. I haven't seen them yet so I can't even confirm they are female but I did stress I was looking for females.

It looks like the multiple male group is the consensus this is how I had originally thought but after getting a chance at some females changed my mind.
Since I'm not committed to them financially I think I'll try to find a male then add 1 or 2 more males as my next two additions. Of course different species I like the linespot and yellowfin flashers as well.

I've only kept small fish up to this point thus never needed bigger than 7 gallons. These guys will need the most space of my stocking list so I will probably see how the first one handles it and adjust qt size from there(I'm not against buying a cheap 15 or 20)

 

[Marshall O]

You could always just buy one of the (potential) females at your LFS. It will likely be a young or transitioning male anyways. That way you will get the most time with it since they are not all that long lived compared to some other fish in the hobby.

 

[GPSReef]

While I've read a thing or two about how to tell them apart what's the best way to tell male/female? Is it basically just color? I guess maybe size too but not necessarily. I was concerned originally I wouldn't be able to tell if they were actually females or not.

 

[Marshall O]

Males have brightly colored dorsal, caudal, & anal fins, along with an elongated dorsal filament. Females have smaller and clear fins.