Melanurus Wrasse?

[blennielove]

I honestly believe that I got really LUCKY with that cleaner wrasse!
I've had him three years now and for most of the first year and a half he was exposed to all sorts of "remedies" for crypt. He then lived through a true hypo-salinity at 1.008 for four months (which was how I finally got rid of my crypt and kept all my fish). He is a champ when it come to food, he eats the algae sheets, mysis, chows down on Ocean Nutrition formula 1/2 pellets/frozen, looking into rocks for little munchies and checks the fishes out while doing flipper massages all over them!

After I learned about their dismal survival rates, I would never recommend one as they DO NOT eat crypt, so...(I know that I may be treading on thing ice here but it's what I've learned).

 

[CarlitosReef]

Would having a Melanarus Wrasse in a 55g frag tank bare bottom be a problem? The wrasse is about 4" long.

 

[aandfsoccr04]

yes that would be a problem. Wrasses need sand on the bottom because they sleep in sand. I have heard of people putting a tuperware container full of sand in QT tanks so maybe that could possibly work but I'm not sure. Someone with more experience would have to chime in here before I recommend it.

 

[SchnitzelReef]

those are sweet fish...think they will get along with a yellow corris wrasse?

 

[CarlitosReef]

Good info anyone else willing to chime in for ideas to get away with it.

 

[rysher]

i got a melanarus for 24hrs.
brought him home from lfs, swam around and started hunting, ate a couple nassarius the first day.
the next morning, the melanarus chased my yellow coris and nipped it.
i brought him back to the LFS.
i snail eating i cna live with, i can always replenish it, but attacking the yellow was another story.

 

[jakearoe]

Just said goodbye to my Melanarus in my 120 this morning. Beautiful fish, but here is the quick story:

1) Began nipping at Deresa mantle...moved calm to another tank.

2) Ate his way through most of my snails other than the biggest turbos

3) Took out both my cleaners, which meant the end.

I found a 300g for him to go to, and there he went this morning. He did well with other fish, including two other wrasses. My .02 is that they are great fish for sure, but you may wake up on any given day to an unpleasant surprise.

I still have a 3 inch Mel in my 90 at the office, he has been fine, but I watch him closely.

 

[KillerReef]

I had mine with a yellow with no issues, and the yellow was added after the melanurus. But he did take out my shrimp population...

Jake, did it actually cause damage to the clam, because they are pest hunters and it was most likely nipping at pests, ie pyramid snails(sp?). Mine does that all the time with no ill effects to the clam, it also got rid of my zoa nudi population...

 

[RealReef7]

mine is a total a hole, he bullys any fish smaller then him!

 

[jakearoe]

I had mine with a yellow with no issues, and the yellow was added after the melanurus. But he did take out my shrimp population...

Jake, did it actually cause damage to the clam, because they are pest hunters and it was most likely nipping at pests, ie pyramid snails(sp?). Mine does that all the time with no ill effects to the clam, it also got rid of my zoa nudi population...

Yeah, he was nipping right at the mantle, I watched him do it several times as the health of my clam declined, and had to pull or the clam would have died for sure.

The clam is in my office tank happy as a.....:beer:

 

[KillerReef]

:beer: glad to hear the clam is ok. I guess just like with Angels, they're hit or miss...

 

[Korrine]

Just goes to show there are many faces of this fish Mine was about 4" long. I sold all my fish to a local guy when we were selling the house and I took down my tank. She was gutted by a six line in a 125! She was with peppermint shrimps, which mostly came out at night when she was sleeping anyway.

I wouldn't recommend this fish w/out sand unless it has already lived without it. When I first got her and put her in QT she was swimming around nose down on the bottom of the tank trying to bury. I put this tupperware in and she found it pretty quick. I think she stayed there almost a week, if I remember right. It was quite a while!

 

[blennielove]

Yippi!
I have had mine little girl Melanurus since Tuesday! I got her from Liveaquaria and asked them to ship her in an extra large bag and she arrived beautifully. She is in a 20 long quarantine. She is eating like a champ and slept in the first day but has been very consistent on waking up around 10:00 and going to bed around 8:30. The quarantine has a pile of sand in one corner and she will go there. Otherwise it is filled with chaetos and rubble for with lots of copepods for her to graze on during the day.
She is alert and will come to me when I'm in the room to beg for food.
I am thinking about treating her with prazipro but am hesitating because she is looking good.
Any thoughts on prophylactic treatment with Prazi?

 

[Korrine]

Go ahead and treat with prazi. Won't hurt at all and it's a good preventative.

 

[KillerReef]

Prazi is a very good prevenative measure, Just be very careful with prazi as it is possible to overdose. Follow the directions closely...

 

[Jimmyg77]

Re mel. Wrasse

Re mel. Wrasse

Yes definitely keep a sand bed they go to bed early. Ive seen mine eat bristle worms and flat worms, pellets, flake and frozen. Hasnt really bothered snails but got fat quick

 

[TX_Punisher]

So just found this thread.

I found my prized gold torch closed up recently and after some research and a dip I found some sort of flat worm attacking it. After some reading, the melanarus may eat some of these flatworm species? I have a coris and carpenters in the tank doing well and I hope they get along as I will be picking one of these up soon.

 

[nereefpat]

Yes, melanurus will eat flatworms. What kind of coris wrasse, and is this in your 750 xxl?

 

[OrionN]

My Melanurus. I have had him for about 2.5 months. He colored up quite a bit and his tail start to have a pattern.


2.5 months ago

1.5 months ago

A few days ago

 

[mav.23]

Looks like you are already sold on the fish. My only recommendation is to get a male, they are more colorful. The one i have has been a great fish. Doesn't mess with any inverts i don't want it to including cleaner, fire and peppermint shrimp.

females turn into males I believe