Wrasse Questions

[msujohn]

I have a 90 gallon reef tank and would like to add 3 wrasses. I have a shallow sand bed (3/4 of inch). Here are the ones that I am looking at:

- Bluehead Fairy
- Longfin Fairy
- McCoskers Flasher
- Linespot Flasher
- Melanurus
- Exquisite

I really want to add alot of activity to the tank and hoping these choices will be good. Will the Melanurus eat my snails/inverts? Will any of these wrasses lose color without femails? Are there differences in personality between the fairy's and flasher's? Do I try and get 3 males to start?

What 3 would you chose?

 

[evolved]

The melanurus may or may not occasionally go after snails and/or hermits; it just depends on the personality of the individual. The more you feed, the more the risk decreases.

They'll all keep coloration amongst other males of different species.

The longfin, being in the rubriventralis complex, does have a bit of potentially aggression. I would avoid that one if you also chose any Paracheilinus species (flashers).

 

[brett559]

Hunter is the man when it comes to wrasses.

I currently have two flashers (McCoskers and Carpenters) and an orangeback fairy wrasse. I loved my melanarus wrasse, but he decimated my shrimp and I had to sell him to a friend when I needed to add pepp shrimp to handle some aiptasia. If you don't need shrimp, definitely get a melanarus - amazing fish.

I also have kept red head solon wrasses; they are pretty but not all that interesting. Mystery wrasses are really cool as well - but expensive, hard to find and also shrimp-eaters. So if you need to keep shrimp, I'd still with flashers or fairies.

 

[msujohn]

Thanks for the replies. Any tips on choosing the fish? Is there ways to determine the colors the fish will become? Or do I buy them larger as males?

 

[Neebles]

I had to get rid of my Melanarus as well...he decimated my snail population. I thought it was a fluke until I dropped in 3 turbo snails....bam bam bam killed all 3 as soon as they hit the sand. He never bothered my cleaner shrimp though.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Most fairy and flashers will transition to males if bought as females. Females are cheaper, but, may be misidentified, and you dont have to wait for males to develop peak colors