Reef safe wrasse trio for 90 gallon

[Martini5788]

I realize that this is personal preference and that not everyone has the same take on wrasses...but to me 3 wrasses=more fun than one mandy. Not only are they more active and colorful than mandarins but also wrasses will eat almost anything. Some of my wrasses would eat Nori sheets. But whatever floats your boat
No judgment here

See I had never really considered wrasses until getting on here. Mandarins got me into the hobby in the first place. But due to their difficult nature and feeding habits, I have yet to get one. All the wrasses I have seen at the stores I have been to are reclusive, hiding, and dull colorations compared to pictures. I have never actually seen how they behave in a tank that they are accustomed to. Based on the stuff I read on here, it makes me want wrasses. I'm sure if I got them I would
Love them, but without the personal experience it's hard to pick one. Honestly, I am leaning a bit towards the wrasse grouping but I'm still torn

 

[gone fishin]

Once all my wrasses have got used to the tank they are out and about cruising the rock. The colors also seem to brighten up as well.

FWIW these are the wrasse I have. A Vanuatu exquisite, temmenicki, naokis, red velvet, pink margin, gray head, solon fairy

 

[Martini5788]

Once all my wrasses have got used to the tank they are out and about cruising the rock. The colors also seem to brighten up as well.



FWIW these are the wrasse I have. A Vanuatu exquisite, temmenicki, naokis, red velvet, pink margin, gray head, solon fairy

So would you choose wrasse over mandarin? I'm assuming so since you switched

 

[twon8]

See I had never really considered wrasses until getting on here. Mandarins got me into the hobby in the first place. But due to their difficult nature and feeding habits, I have yet to get one. All the wrasses I have seen at the stores I have been to are reclusive, hiding, and dull colorations compared to pictures. I have never actually seen how they behave in a tank that they are accustomed to. Based on the stuff I read on here, it makes me want wrasses. I'm sure if I got them I would
Love them, but without the personal experience it's hard to pick one. Honestly, I am leaning a bit towards the wrasse grouping but I'm still torn

Fish act very differently in store tanks than they do once in a tank for a few days.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

I had a beautiful mandy years ago when I first got into saltwater. It was a beautiful fish but IMO and IME they're hard to deal with. IMO keep your love and appreciation of them as it is, just in your minds eye and keep it there.

The good thing about flasher wrasses is that you can get several males of different species and they will flash most of the time and will not actually fight to kill each other. They're very colorful and out and about all the time as soon as the lights are on until the go off. They also will eat anything you feed them.

What you see here in pictures and hear is what wrasses are and do once acclimated to your tank. This doesn't take very long either. They brighten up color wise with feeding good quality foods. I too would take 3 flasher wrasses of different species over one mandy any day!

Also do not treat wrasses with copper if you do get them. Use the TTM instead along with PraziPro. Just make sure they're eating well for a while before you do any treatments

 

[gone fishin]

So would you choose wrasse over mandarin? I'm assuming so since you switched

At this point I would opt for some wrasse's over a Mandy. Both have pretty coloring. But the wrasse are more active. When I watch the tank It does not take long to spot all of them swimming around. The mandy on the other hand seems like it would get lost in the tank. Also there is less upkeep with the wrasses, IE food source.

 

[pyithar]

At this point I would opt for some wrasse's over a Mandy. Both have pretty coloring. But the wrasse are more active. When I watch the tank It does not take long to spot all of them swimming around. The mandy on the other hand seems like it would get lost in the tank. Also there is less upkeep with the wrasses, IE food source.

exactly my thoughts. that's why i chose wrasses over mandy even though mandy is one of my favorites.

 

[eatbreakfast]

A mandarin is perfectly compatible with fairy and flasher wrasses. Fairy and flasher wrasses are ill equipped to pick at pods on the rocks, they can on occasion, but physiologically unable to put any sort of pressure on a pod population. Halichoeres and leopard wrasses on the other hand are adept at picking at pods and can outcompete a mandarin.

Most fairy and flashers can be mixed. Some of my favorite 'budget' wrasses include flavianalis and filamentosus flashers, as well solorensis, lubbocki, exquisitus fairies.