Wrasse Suggestions

JohnnyHildo

JohnnyHildo

Member
i'm working through my fish plan and am stuck deciding what i'd like to get when it comes to wrasse. my current list is as follows...
-1 banggai cardinal (currently own)
-2 ocellaris clowns (currently own)
- 2 wrasse (undetermined)
- 1 longnose hawkfish
- 1 yellow, kole or purple tang
i'm also leaving a little room assuming a fish or 2 will come up along the way that i'll become interested in owning so suggestions welcome!
to me the melanurus look awesome and while the 6-line looks nice, i'm not interested in having one jerk fish in the tank that raises issues with everyone.
tank specs below
 
6 lines are usually evil. Dont get one. Look into flasher wrasses and leopard wrasses. A melanarus would also be a good choice. Also be sure to look up lineatus fairy wrasse. While on the more expensive side, they are amazing fish.
 
I've got a McKosker's flasher and a Lubbock's fairy. Most of the time, both are charming, and if the powerhead is running, they'll station in the current and wait for plankton. Sometimes, though . . .

When the Lubbock's gets excited, his forehead goes from peach to white. His flanks change from a soft violet to a series of blood-red blotches, raggedly edged in electric blue - and then the chasing starts. At those moments, he seems to delight in being able to make dartfish vanish into their bolt-holes - but he never seems to bother the McKosker's!

Flasher wrasses are going to be peaceful planktivores, I think. The right fairy wrasses may make a good match for your crew. Leopards and Halichoeres wrasses will inspect your rockwork for worms and 'pods. I've seen royal pencil wrasses around lately, but other than their spectacular appearance, don't know much about them. There must surely be others . . .

~Bruce
 
I recommend a melanarus wrasse. They are beautiful, peaceful and active. Mine is the largest fish in the tank and he does not dominate anyone. He and my tailspot blenny are best friends, the blenny even hangs out over the area where the wrasse sleeps waiting for him to come out in the morning.
 
mokeyz said:
I recommend a melanarus wrasse. They are beautiful, peaceful and active. Mine is the largest fish in the tank and he does not dominate anyone. He and my tailspot blenny are best friends, the blenny even hangs out over the area where the wrasse sleeps waiting for him to come out in the morning.
Click to expand...
when you say biggest in the tank how big are we talking here? 6"-6.5"? melanurus are definitely very colorful and eye catching so i had it at the top of my list. finding number 2 has been a little more challenging... if i even decide on a #2 that is...
 
I love my Rose Band, the coloration is gorgeous once fully transitioned to a male. I also have a Royal Flasher but the McCosker's and Red Tail flasher wrasses are very nice too.
You could also look into Flame and Lineatus wrasse if you don't care about the cost. :)
 
JohnnyHildo said:
when you say biggest in the tank how big are we talking here? 6"-6.5"? melanurus are definitely very colorful and eye catching so i had it at the top of my list. finding number 2 has been a little more challenging... if i even decide on a #2 that is...
Click to expand...

He is 3 inches right now, largest fish after him is a female, about a year old, tomato clown about 1 1/2". I don't have any other wrasses in there at the moment so I'm not sure if there would be a problem with the melanarus but I don't think there would be.
 
I have the same tank and I have a melanarus wrasse and a orange back wrasse. They are very peaceful and colorful. I would recommend the Cirrhilabrus and the Halichoeres species because you have some semi-aggressive fish on that list, especially if the clowns pair-up and start laying eggs. IMO, Paracheilinus species may be to docile with that list. I would not recommend a 6-Line Wrasse, they are complete jerks. Also, I would recommend the Kole Tang instead of the Yellow or Purple in a 4ft tank.
 
cirrhilabrus, flashers, possum wrasses... leopards.. many choices enought .. cirrhilabrus laboutei is a very beautifull one... leopard meleagris or so...
 
Be careful where you get leopard wrasses, as fresh caught ones may be difficult to get to feed, and eventually die. I got mine from a store that said they lost 4 of 5 to not eating, and I got the 5th. When eat, they eat everything and dive into the sand at night to sleep (so would be best to have a relatively deep sand bed)
 
There's a good primer on the Leopards to decide if meeting their requirements is something you are willing to undertake--they can be added later since you're leaving room anyways... many get the wrasse bug once they get started.

I like the H. Chrysus for this tank--they're peaceful and have a hard to beat flash of yellow in the tank if you end up with the Kole. The melanurus or Radiant are two others that should work well from that genus too and they are all good for a little pest control (CUC is at a risk and each individual seems to differ from the next in those regards).

Just about any Flasher would be great in your tank but I'd look at the link below when considering any of the Fairy Wrasses. Many can be mixed without issues (just potential aggression from the Fairy side) and multiple males, along with good diet and quality water conditions, will help maintain vibrant color.

I love the Tamarin's but they are as touchy as the Leopards and get much larger.

here's the link I often reference when choosing which wrasse to go with:
http://www.3reef.com/threads/all-about-reef-safe-wrasses.122261/#.UuksOZFRrwI

Good luck
Mike
 
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