wrasse---the downside and cautions, please.

[Sk8r]

I'm growing a little weary of the snail hunt (predatory on corals) and am thinking about a wrasse of some sort---I'd rather not lose the crabs, but the snails are expendable. I have never kept a wrasse, but understand the non-reef-safe ones are mostly hard on the CUC and leave corals alone.

The fish needs to be self-protective enough to dive for the rockwork (there's a lot of it) and introduce himself somewhat slowly. This is a mature damsel tank, and the 4.5 dascyllus is attitudinal for the first few days. After that, no problems. Tank is a 105 bow wedge, sort of a 36x36x36.

I need something that eats these snails: I'm getting tired of fishing them out. They're not the little pyramellids: they're a variation on strombus grazer, but these graze on corals, about a third of an inch long.

 

[biomek]

great topic, following along

 

[scooter31707]

The Halichoeres are good for eating some unwanted pest and can be 50/50 on eating your CUC too. Most of the Fairy and Flasher wrasses are good of not eating the CUC. I melranurus wrasse will investigate the CUC, but will not pick at them as of now (knock on wood).

 

[Becks]

My adorned wrasse pays no attention to hermits, I don't have snails so can't say about that.

 

[Optionman]

i have a loaded 175 gal tank with the following wrasses:
6 line
fantasy
green coris
red coris

DO NOT put a red coris wrasse in your tank. it will systematically displace any corals/frags on the sand or loosely mounted on rocks. I dont notice the other wrasses causing any damage.

Not sure if this helps but thought i'd give u my situation.

 

[LJLKRL]

I was sold a Vrolik's wrasse by my LFS because it was supposed to eat little snails. It does not bother my turbo snails, but the little ones are gone, or at least not visible any more.
It does not bother my corals or hermits.
It looks almost identical to a melanarus wrasse too.

 

[joshky]

My problem with suggesting Haliochoeres is it's not a guarantee, unless you want to buy multiple, it's a shot in the dark recommending anything from that genus.

Pseudocheilinus ocellatus (Mystery Wrasse) would be a beautiful choice if you're only looking to add a single wrasse, it most likely won't play well with other wrasses long term so keep that in mind with most wrasses from Pseudocheilinus. Again there's not a guarantee but wrasses in the genus seem to be really quite good at taking care of a pest problem.

I would PM Evolved and get his opinion, him and eatbreakfast are the guys to talk to about wrasses.

 

[Sk8r]

My corals are superglued, but I do understand coris wrasses are prone to shove. They also get a little bigger (estimated 6" inches in tank) than I would like, but several varieties, incl the Vrolik's, looked interesting. A little attitude is not a problem, because a nearly 5" dascyllus has the temperament of a maroon clown of that size, and doesn't take guff, but I don't want a tail-nipper: bluff and fuss are ok---damsels understand that language.
I do appreciate the advice. Of all species, I've never kept wrasses, because I've had smaller tanks, but one might do well in this pretty rowdy tank.

 

[heathlindner25]

Maybe a smaller trigger?

 

[heathlindner25]

The bursa trigger came to mind. I currently house a blue star,black spot,dusky, and a twistii. I don't think any of those will work for you.

 

[Sk8r]

I fear a trigger would be too pushy and pretty large. And I can't go on feeding him shelled critters. The rest of the tank needs something else.

Looking however at red cori, vrolik's, and dusky wrasses...the red-lined and eight-line flasher all seem right size and habit, at least with a taste for snails and not too large.

 

[heathlindner25]

The dusky is one of the most beautiful and interesting wrasse and worth putting in your tank

 

[gone fishin]

I currently have for wrasses: grayhead, solon fairy, exquisite, pink margin, naokis, Temminicki, C. melanomarginatus and a leopard

I am fairly certain the grayhead along with the longnose hawkfish take care of my CUC.

as far as the damsels go I would suspect the grayhead and the melanomarginatus would hold their own. The melanomarginatus rules the wrasse roost in the tank, he is a supermale.

 

[CStrickland]

My melanurus will eat CUC snails if he's not overfed, which is rare. Otherwise he's not very motivated. He does constantly nibble vermetids and hydroids and worms and everything else small, maybe your little snails would be enticing like those things are. I had no idea the variety of micro organisms in my tank until I cooked some rock in the sump to kill algae. It was immediately crawling with stuff the wrasse never lets get big in my DT.

He's one of my fave fishes. Beautiful, hardy, all day mellow back and forth swimmer. I've only seen him confronted by my kole and my never-not-irate starry blenny. With both of them he just shrugged it off and swam away. No escalation but not submission either, more like a confident sort of "I don't need to fight you cause I'd totally whup you and we both know it" type of vibe. No coral nipping at all.

I always thought the candy hawkfish were real nice looking, if I didn't want to keep some snails I'd probs get one of them

 

[FirstContact]

I really like the non-reef safe wrasses, and didn't mind giving up my CUC to have one. I have a jansen's wrasse, but really like the red coris wrasse and checkerboard wrasse too. Also really cool is the comb wrasse, but we don't seem to be able to get them in the US. Stuff just needs to be nailed down really good.

 

[Rybren]

The dusky is one of the most beautiful and interesting wrasse and worth putting in your tank

I have a Dusky as well (mine is still a juvenile/female, so is rather drab); it loves snails and can be rather bossy.