my mystery wrasse is a killer

[maxdout]

well i've yet to find the body of the victim but he has disappeared. my wife p/u a firefish the other day and after hours of it being in the tank he seemed to be doing fine. I went to work outside on some stuff then my daughter starts to bang on the tank walls and screams. i was like *** and checked it out. i saw the firefish in the wrasse's mouth and he was wailing on it left and right. i stuck my hand in the tank to scare him and he let go. the firefish looked stunned but started to swim again after 20 mins or so. i should have taken him out but i didn't and 1hr later. he is nowhere to be found.
i thought that mystery wrasses' were supposed to be friendly and all. im thinking now that wow, all the other fish i've lost and some reason this guy seemed to be the only survivor.... was thinking it was my tank, now im thinking its the fish. any input?

 

[bkmorris]

unfortunately, i have heard of this before... especially with new fish added after the mystery wrasse. i wouldn't assume he's responsible for ALL of the fish deaths, but small ones like firefish, gobies, etc... it's quite possible

edit: your firefish might also be just be hiding in the rocks right now after his near-death experience... hope he appears.

 

[Twisted]

I have a strawberry basslet that has killed a Jester goby, a Yaha Haze, a fire shirmp, and a cleaner shrimp.
So my $9 dollar fish has cost me about $150 now...still can't get him out of my tank, he is smarter then your average fish.

 

[pbetito]

Mystery wrasses are just too big a pain. You should give it to me and I will replace your firefish !! In all seriousness though wrasses are tough fish and can get aggressive. You might want to try adding a fish that will put him in his place like a hawkfish or even a decent size clown. By doing so he will no longer be the Alpha Dog in the tank and will probably back off some. Anne Canfield tried this for an overly aggressive fish and it worked well for her.

Good Luck!!

-Paul

 

[Sparkss]

Re: my mystery wrasse is a killer

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10943932#post10943932 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxdout
i thought that mystery wrasses' were supposed to be friendly and all.

Unfortunately far from it. Mystery wrasses have one of the worse reputations parallelling a 6-line for it's reputation and aggressiveness. There are many accounts of mystery wrasses taking out fish several times their size. And don't even consider long term additions of any fairy wrasses (like lineatus, etc) since it is typically only a matter of time before the mystery gets tired of them and kills em. There is not alot you can do to curb it's aggression, they really are best meant for an aggressive tank.

I am sorry to hear about your loss, and especially that your family had to witness the attack. Mystery and 6-lines are the most commonly misunderstood wrasses (based on the number of posts and incidents surrounding both fish).

 

[saltykelly]

Meanest sw fish I've ever had was a six line wrasse. Not counting my frogfish. He wasn't mean, it was just business.

 

[maxdout]

yea, only thing is this guy is too purdy to let go of so he'll be in my tank for now. he eats like a mad fish, which is good. thanks for all the input.