Tell Me About Possum Wrasses

[zachfishman]

I would not add a Mandarin to a 29 gallon weather you add a possum or not. even though they are eating prepared foods they still need a lot of pods through out the day when there is not frozen foods left in the tank. Mandarins eat constantly and have a high metabolism.

That's a definite, no mandarins unless I hooked up a 100g fuge to my 29 DT haha.

 

[earthguy00]

Yellow Banded POSSUM FISH

Yellow Banded POSSUM FISH

I know this is a very old posting, but was curious
if these guys are like Mandarin Gobies where they
exclusively eat ONLY Copepods, anthropods etc?

I read somewhere they eat flakes or premium pellets.
Is this the case with yours during feedings?

Since, I don't visit here much and am more active on
Manhattan reefs can you either PM me?
I go under the name of earthguy00
or you can e-mail me directly at my primary address
at>>>>earthguy00@hotmail.com

I'd appreciate the reply back.

thx.

KEVIN

My experience with a yellow banded possum wrasse is quite different than other posters. I have had mine for many years and is one of my favorite fish. Although reclusive during mid-day sun, he comes out and specifically interacts with me when the light levels are lowered. He seems to hang out with a single ocellaris clown with absolutely no aggression between the two. I have had others bully it, but it seemed to always defend itself and the aggression would stop. With that said, do not mix it with an aggressive species. He does not eat flatworms, but aggressively seeks out pods. The possum wrasse swimming behavior is one of the more interesting characteristics, more like a hummingbird or underwater ROV. He generally keeps the caudal fin collapsed so it it arrow shaped and rarely uses it for propulsion. Don't expect a dazzling color from a yellow banded, but personality galore.

Fish that initially bullied it were red hawkfish (little), royal gramma (more than a little), midas blenny (only when the possum challenged the midas, but that is the typical behavior of a midas), and a pygmy hawkfish (very little interaction). My Potter's angel does not bother it at all.

 

[trinidiver]

I have my yellow banded possum wrasse about 10mths naw and it has truly settled in. He was reclusive the first 3-4mths, but now. he is alol over. he even comes and takes food from the surface close to my hand. He knows when the pump goes into feed mode to head out of the rockworks. Only my royal gramma and the solon wrasse gives him the aggresion once in a whole, but he stands his ground. He eats mysis, plankton and krill and is always in and out the rockworks picking on the live rock. I wish i could of gotten the tanaka also in my tank. He's about 1 1/4" and he's in a 200+ reef with close to 300lbs of live rock. I have never seen him bother corals or inverts (over 60 snails, 11 shrimp & a serpant star)