Melanurus wrasse

[Grkgod36]

Will this wrasse go after my skunk cleaner shrimp and is it reef safe?

 

[Winwood]

I had a large one that loved eating cleaner shrimp. Like most wrasses it didn't bother coral though.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yes, they go after ornamental shrimp.

 

[Maxxingout]

My snails have become shells of there former self, lol. I need to get more, and even though I feed him 2x a day he still picks them off.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

My snails have become shells of there former self, lol. I need to get more, and even though I feed him 2x a day he still picks them off.

Yep, mine does too. His favorite are nassarius. He slams them into the tank walls to stun them then eats them.

 

[SecretiveFish]

This wrasse will eventually go after the cleaner shrimp, and it depends on your definition of 'reef-safe.'

I had one melanurus that got along well with other fish and left my cleanup crew alone (hermits and snails)... I had him for many years and was sad when he passed. The latest one I had was just mean and he went to the LFS with full disclose. He massacred the cleanup crew and killed one of my fish. Both were safe with corals though.

 

[PeterHall]

I have had my melanarus with cleaner for 6 months, no problems so far. The wrasse sometimes picks at the smaller crabs when he's feeling peckish. I also keep everyone well fed

 

[RGS2]

My Melanurus is a model citizen. He has never bothered my peppermint shrimp.

 

[Neebles]

I got rid of mine as he was an absolute terror to the clean up crew. I would literally toss snails in the tank and they would be dead by the time the reached the sand. Killed all my hermits as well. Only thing he didn't bother was the Mithrax.