Pest Control Wrasses

[rlpardue]

Hi all,

I'm putting together my fish list and want to make sure I have a check mark next to the "pest control wrasse" entry.

I bought a Macropharyngodon geoffroyi (Potter's wrasse) from an area reefer; apparently he's owned this fish for a year and a half and it's eating frozen dependably. He's still in the process of selling off the corals, so the fish is still with him.

I just set up a 5x2x2 SPS-dom tank and want to make sure that, if I ever get any AEFW, I'll have a wrasse that will take 'em out when I baste corals. Normally I'd just keep a pair of Haliocheres Chrysus (yellow coris wrasse) and call it a day, but I'm going to try stocking this tank with a large number of nano-gobies and want low-key, docile fish; I think a Potter's would be less frightening than a big Chrysus.

Will a Potter's wrasse take care of all the same pests that a Chrysus will?

Thanks!

 

[Allmost]

red tail.

malanarus.

 

[SevenStars07]

+1 on the Melenoarius "Hooven" wrasse

 

[SDguy]

H. biocellatus is a nice, somewhat smaller choice...

 

[korkus]

It is not in the genus as the hovens or the yellow. The potters diet does not look the same.

So have you had good luck with keeping 2 yellow wrasses?

 

[rlpardue]

Hi guys, thanks for the input!

Will a Potter's wrasse do a good job eating pests or no? I think Korkus's post suggests they won't do as good a job.

Korkus, yes I've had good luck with keeping 2 yellow wrasses. I bought a big one and a little one; the big one transformed into a male and changed colors to some degree. In the evening they do a kind of dance and rapidly swim to the top of the tank together. I guess they are possibly spawning, although I've never looked to see if any eggs or anything come out.

SD, thanks for the tip on H. biocellatus. It looks good on LiveAquaria. Surprised I've never seen it before. Maybe I have seen it and mistook it for an H. Hoeven's or H. claudia.

 

[evolved]

The Macropharyngodon genus will pretty much stick to the rocks and occasionally the substrate in search of food, and isn't as likely as the Halichoeres genus to start inspecting corals.

 

[Allmost]

get a wrasse straight from the ocean, and preferably larger one. so it knows about pests from experience in ocean ...

my yellow wrasses [trio] have been with me since they were REALLY small ... so they eat cyclopeze and pellets and .... mostly now, and once in a while go for pods ... so they kinda forgot or never learned about eating flatworms off acros .... [just my opinion] but when you get a larger wrasse fresh off the boat, they seem to inspect every inch of coral and rock much better for potential food.

 

[Dugless]

I'm glad someone mentioned the variability in each individual fish, even if they are of the same specie. It is understood that certain species are better suited for pest control. Most recommend the Halichoeres, specifically H. Melanurus. However, it seems that pest predation depends greatly on the individual fish. Some continue the behavior to 'hunt' within the aquarium. But it might be better explained that some learn not to hunt, and find it easier to accept prepared foods with the rest of the fish in the aquarium.

 

[hybrid]

i keep 3 chrysus & one leucoxanthus with no problems their constantly inspecting the rock work & corals & never have shown any aggression towards each other or other wrasses on the other handi have had 2 potters that i had to remove due to aggression towards other wrasses

 

[rlpardue]

Huh, good points about picking an "ocean-fresh" wrasse. I hear there is a similar pattern with peppermint shrimp and their inclination to eat aiptasia - fresh-caught Galveston shrimp (local for me) eat the aiptasia, and also sometimes acans (I caught one little bugger doing it!). CB peppermints may not eat the aitpasia.