Wrasse to eat bugs

[chercm]

mystery wrasse:

It is constantly searching for live foods in the form of small crustaceans like pyramidellid snails and commensal flatworms. When full grown, mature Mystery Wrasse may take a liking to smaller ornamental shrimp that are introduced after the wrasse is established in the reef aquarium.

 

[ostrow]

what about a green wrasse?? http://www.vividaquariums.com/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=01-5024-10&Category=Fish:Wrasse&SortBy=Price

Greens are very nice looking. Very hit or miss on sps pest control. I hear they eat the zoa pests but I have no direct experience. Theyget MEAN when full grown. Other halichoeres at risk....

If your goal is to protect montis and acros, be patient and get healthy specimens of iridis and cosmetus. The further you go from those, the less reliable on pest control you get.

 

[chercm]

Greens are very nice looking. Very hit or miss on sps pest control. I hear they eat the zoa pests but I have no direct experience. Theyget MEAN when full grown. Other halichoeres at risk....

If your goal is to protect montis and acros, be patient and get healthy specimens of iridis and cosmetus. The further you go from those, the less reliable on pest control you get.

this one will turn into a demon

 

[ChrisOaty]

at my favorite lfs, a large handful of sixlines are kept in his sps display. they are VERY fat and healthy and he never feeds the tank. I got a six line last friday and I'm hoping he will be able to keep my bugs in check as well.

 

[ostrow]

at my favorite lfs, a large handful of sixlines are kept in his sps display. they are VERY fat and healthy and he never feeds the tank. I got a six line last friday and I'm hoping he will be able to keep my bugs in check as well.

It won't, at least, not SPS bugs. It MAY eat planaria, though it's very hit or miss on that. It'll eat some bristleworms, some pods. And it will become aggressive.

The good news, it is the only wrasse I've every been able to catch out of a reef.

 

[Nam Nguyen]

sixline also hit or miss. i been keeping them when i start to reefsystem but no luck. one i got red bug and other is flatworm. look like he not even interest on them bug at all.

 

[scionreefing]

I know this thread is about wrasses but my yellow tailed blue damsel has eaten my flatworms all up.

Raffle grabber

 

[ostrow]

I know this thread is about wrasses but my yellow tailed blue damsel has eaten my flatworms all up.

Raffle grabber

I guarantee you that the damsel has not eaten coral pests.

 

[chefzif]

Radiant Wrasse will take care of flat worms!

 

[scionreefing]

I guarantee you that the damsel has not eaten coral pests.

Trust me he has. I wouldn't have made the statement unless it actually happened.

Raffle grabber

 

[dg3147]

I have nudi's on my montipora and, like others, I am desperate for a solution. I am leaning towards a Radiant Wrasse; though, it I would prefer a pygmy wrasse or another couple options. In my tank I have all sorts of inverts: peppermints, skunk cleaners, scarlet cleaners, and most likely of all to be slaughtered...pistol shrimp/goby pair.

 

[ostrow]

I have nudi's on my montipora and, like others, I am desperate for a solution. I am leaning towards a Radiant Wrasse; though, it I would prefer a pygmy wrasse or another couple options. In my tank I have all sorts of inverts: peppermints, skunk cleaners, scarlet cleaners, and most likely of all to be slaughtered...pistol shrimp/goby pair.

The radiant will not bother pepps or cleaner shrimp. I've kept them all together for years.

@scionreefing -- please be more specific. You said it eats "flatworms." My assumption is that you mean the common red planaria that, while ugly, are harmless detritivores. Not all flatworms are the same -- AEFW kill corals. If you have a damsel that eats those, that is serious news indeed, unreplicated by anyone I've ever heard of.

 

[scionreefing]

@scionreefing -- please be more specific. You said it eats "flatworms." My assumption is that you mean the common red planaria that, while ugly, are harmless detritivores. Not all flatworms are the same -- AEFW kill corals. If you have a damsel that eats those, that is serious news indeed, unreplicated by anyone I've ever heard of.

Sorry I consider anything that grows out of control in a reef tank a nuisance. Planaria and the smaller flatworms were eaten. I call them bugs as well. Most if not all damsels harvest algae and I figure they would eat flatworms or redbugs as the move amongst the acro colony. Just my assumption.

Raffle grabber

 

[damienkee]

my sixline wrasse killed all my 6x dartfishs, 1x royal gamma, 2x chromis & 3x cleaner shrimps. now he is after my algae blenny.
since he is the 1st fish i put into the tank 4 years ago, but my next upgrade will definitely remove him.:sad2:

forgot to add: he also attack my Nassarius snail too.

 

[phishsauce]

reef safe yes, barebottom yes, but eats bugs, it's rare.
It's a hit and miss with the bug eating. You can try to starve them and let the wrasse scavenge, maybe there will be a slight chance where it'll eat some pests.

 

[Patrick12]

There are many that will suffice, but my favs are mystery wrasses and six lines. A melanarus would be third. They all can stay and are all around nice fish to have. Just be careful as they all may jump if your tank does not have a euro brace.

 

[scionreefing]

Is there any documentation if red bugs and aefw in the wild? Has anybody studied them in the wild?

Raffle grabber

 

[ecomdesign]

Thank you ostrow for your recommendations in this thread. I have added these fish to my fish list

 

[FinancialReef]

Really appreciate the advice on wrasses. Trying to get rid of redbugs naturally.

 

[Acronic]

Really appreciate the advice on wrasses. Trying to get rid of redbugs naturally.

You could try a dragon face pipe fish, though I dont think you would be better off with either.