Pick apart my wrasse purchase...

CedzAquAddictio

New member
Alright. I'm about to pull the trigger on my wrasse purchase. I have decided to move forward with my wrasse purchase. They will be going into a 225g reef with about 260 pounds of LR, and plenty of pods being supplied from the inline sump. The leopards are my main priority, and I expect my list to be trimmed back, so please let me know what you all think...

They will spend 6-8 weeks on a 75g QT with new sand and about 40-50 pounds of LR from the DT.

Here is my list. If anyone sees any signs of overstocking or potential issues with aggression between my wrasse selection, please let me know. I also have shrimp, so please let me know if you see anything on my list that will eat my shrimp, crabs, or snails.

1 - Blue Cleaner Wrasse
1 - Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse
1 - Clown Fairy Wrasse
2 - Female Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse (Hopefully one transitions to male.)
1 - Female Meleagiris Leopard Wrasse
1 - Potters Leopard Wrasse
1 - Filamented Flasher Wrasse

Current stock: BlueJaw Trigger Pair
Scarus Parrotfish
Yellow Tang
2 Clowns
2 Chromis
 
Cleaner wrasses are best left in the ocean.
Solar wrasses can be aggressive. I would choose something different to go with the Leopards.
 
I've had pretty good luck with cleaners in the past, but fair enough... If we stop buying them, they'll leave them in the ocean.

I don't have any experience with the solar wrasse, so thanks for your input. It's off the list. I want to continue to have a somewhat peaceful tank...

Thanks for your input...
 
I'm thinking about dropping the Female Meleagiris Leopard Wrasse and replacing it with another juvenile potters. Any issues with having two potters in the same tank? They do the change in sex as well, right?
 
Cleaner wrasses are best left in the ocean.
Solar wrasses can be aggressive. I would choose something different to go with the Leopards.
Agree x2
You'll especially want to skip C. solorensis alongside C. cyanopleura.

I'm thinking about dropping the Female Meleagiris Leopard Wrasse and replacing it with another juvenile potters. Any issues with having two potters in the same tank? They do the change in sex as well, right?
Not sure I'd do that; Potter's is a very touchy species to keep (only second to choati). Have you kept leopards in the past? If not, I'd probably skip on Potter's all together for now, and consider it a later date after a bit of experience with the others. But yes, you'd likely end up with one of them transitioning.
 
Curtis, Marshall, and Hunter: Thanks so much for your input as well as everybody else...

So, the C. cyanopleura is fine as long as I skip the solorensis, correct?

Hunter: Though I've kept a couple of leopards, I by no means consider myself an expert. This is just the first time I've kept more than one in the same tank. I've read several of your posts here and on several other boards, and very deeply respect your opinion, so please don't think I'm being objective to your advise on the Potters. Just looking for a little more insight. The main reason that I'm even considering it right now is because I'm setting up a QT just for wrasses exclusively for my DT, and figured if I were going to try it, I have the best setup possible for trying it at this time. My experience is going to be my learning curve for the Potters. I haven't made up my mind yet, but if I do move forward with the Potters, what kind of advice or things to look out for can you provide? After a 2 week observation period, and getting all of the fish eating, I was going to start my first round of PraziPro.

One more thing to add. I have a foxface that has outgrown my office tank, and will be moving to the 225g DT as well. Shouldn't make a difference. Just wanted to make sure I disclosed everything...
 
Cleaner wrasses are best left in the ocean.
Solar wrasses can be aggressive. I would choose something different to go with the Leopards.

Agreed on both!

I see a lot of people say this but I don't see it. My current wrasse stock, with my leopards:
2 female meleagris
1 female bipartitis
1 very male exquisite (king, but still fairly passive)
1 male solarensis, added after others and still very passive.

I would say add the leopards first, then buy/qt all the other wrasses after your set with leopards. I have nothing to offer about the blue sided but being so close to the solorensis you could have a problem with them together. I'd suggest an exquisite though, a little more flashy than the solorensis and blue side.

I also don't agree about the cleaner wrasse. They need to be fed as many times a day as you can though. Much like the leopards.
 
Alright..... Been doing some brainstorming, reading, and research...

Here's where I'm at... I do want the Potters, but I have to remember that it's about the fish. Not me... So, I'm going to forego the Potters for now. I'll get some more experience under my belt with the leopard wrasse before getting a potters. After keeping a couple of leopards for a year, or so, I may venture out to a Potters, Tamarin, or both. I'll admit and submit when I'm not 100% ready for something. My tank is too big to take apart to catch a fish, and I don't want to risk one because of my anxiousness.

So, Here's what I'll be ordering...

1 - Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse
2 - Female Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse (Hopefully one transitions to male.)
1 (possibly 2) - Female Meleagiris Leopard Wrasse
1 - Filamented Flasher Wrasse

If this goes well for a while, I'll reconsider a Potters and/or Tamarin...

Hopefully with this mix, I haven't ruled out adding a wrasse or two in the future...

Thoughts???

Thanks all...
 
Curtis, Marshall, and Hunter: Thanks so much for your input as well as everybody else...

So, the C. cyanopleura is fine as long as I skip the solorensis, correct?

Hunter: Though I've kept a couple of leopards, I by no means consider myself an expert. This is just the first time I've kept more than one in the same tank. I've read several of your posts here and on several other boards, and very deeply respect your opinion, so please don't think I'm being objective to your advise on the Potters. Just looking for a little more insight. The main reason that I'm even considering it right now is because I'm setting up a QT just for wrasses exclusively for my DT, and figured if I were going to try it, I have the best setup possible for trying it at this time. My experience is going to be my learning curve for the Potters. I haven't made up my mind yet, but if I do move forward with the Potters, what kind of advice or things to look out for can you provide? After a 2 week observation period, and getting all of the fish eating, I was going to start my first round of PraziPro.

One more thing to add. I have a foxface that has outgrown my office tank, and will be moving to the 225g DT as well. Shouldn't make a difference. Just wanted to make sure I disclosed everything...
You're very welcome.
Yes, cyanopleura is fine.
Oh, no worries at all; understand. Just knowing what you're getting into ahead of time is half the battle.

Alright..... Been doing some brainstorming, reading, and research...

Here's where I'm at... I do want the Potters, but I have to remember that it's about the fish. Not me... So, I'm going to forego the Potters for now. I'll get some more experience under my belt with the leopard wrasse before getting a potters. After keeping a couple of leopards for a year, or so, I may venture out to a Potters, Tamarin, or both. I'll admit and submit when I'm not 100% ready for something. My tank is too big to take apart to catch a fish, and I don't want to risk one because of my anxiousness.

So, Here's what I'll be ordering...

1 - Blue Sided Fairy Wrasse
2 - Female Bipartitus Leopard Wrasse (Hopefully one transitions to male.)
1 (possibly 2) - Female Meleagiris Leopard Wrasse
1 - Filamented Flasher Wrasse

If this goes well for a while, I'll reconsider a Potters and/or Tamarin...

Hopefully with this mix, I haven't ruled out adding a wrasse or two in the future...

Thoughts???

Thanks all...
And I think that's a fine plan with much future flexibility.
 
How do these fish get along?

Cirrhilabrus lubbocki
Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura
Cirrhilabrus laboutei

Any issues with aggression like the solar?
 
Yeah. I'm seeing that in a couple of posts...

I'm assuming like most cases, small tank size adds to the aggression...

Did you have yours in your 770g? Was it aggressive in that monster tank? I've got a 225g...

Thanks...
 
I do well with cleaners, however when mixed with fairy/flashers it always ends badly. They pester them so much they jump or hide all the time. I would honestly leave it out for this reason.

Laboutei's have never been an issue with me, usually large males are more passive than their female/sub counterparts (as in most species)
 
Yeah. I'm seeing that in a couple of posts...

I'm assuming like most cases, small tank size adds to the aggression...

Did you have yours in your 770g? Was it aggressive in that monster tank? I've got a 225g...

Thanks...

Because of previous problems with Labouti wrasses, I did not add one to my 450g DT. I had them before in my 300g and 170g tanks
 
How do these fish get along?

Cirrhilabrus lubbocki
Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura
Cirrhilabrus laboutei

Any issues with aggression like the solar?

Agreed on the only issue being the C. laboutei. I have a 4" terminal male (not quite full grown yet) in my 125 along with a TM C. bathyphilus, TM C. lubbocki, TM P. attenuatus, and just recently added a female C. jordani and submale C. lineatus. The C. laboutei is definitely the boss of the tank. The only one it really goes after at all is the C. bathyphilus. Nothing serious at all, but time will tell if it will get worse or not.
 
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