oscarinw
New member
Just wanted to dedicate a special review to these species thanks to the teachings of Artie and Petey, my 2 Lubbock Fairy wrasses.
These guys have been with me for the best part of the past 6 months. I am a really big fan of the Parachelinus and the Cirrhilabrus (Flashers and Fairies) for having a great personality and beautiful appearance.
Artie and Petey came to our family separately and got their names from the fact that one of them has a slightly purple tail (PT) while the other a more 'redish' tail (RT). PT is the one that was introduced first to our tank along with a male McCoskers flasher wrasse. This is that guy:
They never showed any signs of aggression towards each other. I immediately fell in love with the colors and personality of my McCosker. I started reading about the possibility of more than one male flasher in the same tank. The messages were varied but a reefkeeping article indicated that they tend to do better among fairies. That's when the idea for a new fairy came about. The colors of PT were so beautiful I decided to try another one of the same species and a larger one that can automatically become the leader of the tank and perhaps deflect any tensions between the Lubbocks. I purchased a large Cir. Solorensis (aka Solon or clown Fairy wrasse) knowing that they are famous for being very peaceful and another Lubbocki. After about a month of quarantine they went into the DT. To my surprise the much smaller resident (PT) became aggressive towards both fairies and was switched back to the QT for about 2 weeks or so. When he came back home things had changed and the absolute leader of the gang was the larger Solorensis.
The three get along really well and although nobody ever thinks of challenging the pacific Solon wrasse, RT and PT are always trying to figure out who is the better looking. At lights out time, they tend to engage in these fast circular dances around each other until one gets tired and the dances are over. I am really not concerned about them getting hurt because I have never seen one frayed fin as a result of these hierarchical ritual. They just seem to have a need for establishing who's boss. They eat and swim around each other all the time with no issues.
The one thing I have thoroughly learned with this guys is that they are the absolute epitome of a jumper fish. They keep the inside of my canopy wet all the time. Any time they get spooked they react with violence. Both have ended in my overflow box a few times to the point that I have opened a swimming passage for them to return.
They will eat anything I put in the tank. The normal ritual is spectrum pellets and flakes 3-4 times a day and one frozen meal at night. Also one kitchen item once a week on the weekend (fresh shrimp, chopped clam, some mahi). I also try to include one meal of freeze dried hikari brine once a day (they just love this stuff). I have some herbivore pellets that I put in there once or twice a week. They just eat it all.
Some of the main characteristics of these fish is that they are very social and have an amazing personality. They will swim around my hand when I'm working in the tank and love the camera. They are not fearful and tend to spend most of the day cruising across the tank and in and out of the rock crevices. Their color, as mentioned before is just amazing and are probably my favorite fish in my current setup. I love the 2 male McCoskers I currently have but they are youngsters that haven't showed all their attributes yet. But my Lubbocks are just amazing!
Here's a picture of all the fish in my DT as of today.
These guys have been with me for the best part of the past 6 months. I am a really big fan of the Parachelinus and the Cirrhilabrus (Flashers and Fairies) for having a great personality and beautiful appearance.
Artie and Petey came to our family separately and got their names from the fact that one of them has a slightly purple tail (PT) while the other a more 'redish' tail (RT). PT is the one that was introduced first to our tank along with a male McCoskers flasher wrasse. This is that guy:
They never showed any signs of aggression towards each other. I immediately fell in love with the colors and personality of my McCosker. I started reading about the possibility of more than one male flasher in the same tank. The messages were varied but a reefkeeping article indicated that they tend to do better among fairies. That's when the idea for a new fairy came about. The colors of PT were so beautiful I decided to try another one of the same species and a larger one that can automatically become the leader of the tank and perhaps deflect any tensions between the Lubbocks. I purchased a large Cir. Solorensis (aka Solon or clown Fairy wrasse) knowing that they are famous for being very peaceful and another Lubbocki. After about a month of quarantine they went into the DT. To my surprise the much smaller resident (PT) became aggressive towards both fairies and was switched back to the QT for about 2 weeks or so. When he came back home things had changed and the absolute leader of the gang was the larger Solorensis.
The three get along really well and although nobody ever thinks of challenging the pacific Solon wrasse, RT and PT are always trying to figure out who is the better looking. At lights out time, they tend to engage in these fast circular dances around each other until one gets tired and the dances are over. I am really not concerned about them getting hurt because I have never seen one frayed fin as a result of these hierarchical ritual. They just seem to have a need for establishing who's boss. They eat and swim around each other all the time with no issues.
The one thing I have thoroughly learned with this guys is that they are the absolute epitome of a jumper fish. They keep the inside of my canopy wet all the time. Any time they get spooked they react with violence. Both have ended in my overflow box a few times to the point that I have opened a swimming passage for them to return.
They will eat anything I put in the tank. The normal ritual is spectrum pellets and flakes 3-4 times a day and one frozen meal at night. Also one kitchen item once a week on the weekend (fresh shrimp, chopped clam, some mahi). I also try to include one meal of freeze dried hikari brine once a day (they just love this stuff). I have some herbivore pellets that I put in there once or twice a week. They just eat it all.
Some of the main characteristics of these fish is that they are very social and have an amazing personality. They will swim around my hand when I'm working in the tank and love the camera. They are not fearful and tend to spend most of the day cruising across the tank and in and out of the rock crevices. Their color, as mentioned before is just amazing and are probably my favorite fish in my current setup. I love the 2 male McCoskers I currently have but they are youngsters that haven't showed all their attributes yet. But my Lubbocks are just amazing!
Here's a picture of all the fish in my DT as of today.
, and about 15 hermits. And looooots of rock. Bad for the looks, great for my chemistry (I think anyway)
