All About Reef Safe Wrasses in Aquaria

[esther]

Okay, but don't do a pair of anything.

Thanks! Any reason why?

 

[evolved]

Thanks! Any reason why?

See 1st post; there's a section about it.

 

[esther]

See 1st post; there's a section about it.

Just read it... Must have missed it. Apparently need more coffee.

 

[esther]

@evolved just watched your video from MACNA 2017. Great stuff! One question for you... We have a pair of Hawaiian Flame Wrasses’s along with a Labouti Wrasse in our 225g. They all get along great. We’re thinking of adding a Lineatus Super Male. Thoughts?

 

[evolved]

@evolved just watched your video from MACNA 2017. Great stuff!

Thanks!

One question for you... We have a pair of Hawaiian Flame Wrasses’s along with a Labouti Wrasse in our 225g. They all get along great. We’re thinking of adding a Lineatus Super Male. Thoughts?

The three species will be fine together in a tank of that size. But the flames will fight among themselves regularly as they become 2 males.

 

[Michael Gray]

I've had 4 wrasses in my tank for maybe 5 months
Male pintail which was the larger of the 4
Female hooded fairy which is NOW the larger one of all
Yellow Cori's wrasse
Carpenter flasher wrasse

Couple days ago we noticed pintail acting funny. Hiding. Then sure enough we noticed the female hooded chasing and beating him up. Not just chasing but drilling him on his side with his mouth. So he would stay up too on surface. We tried to catch the pintail to save him but then it stopped.

Today we noticed again the female hooded chasing and mouthing the male pintail. He would sit behind return line and put his entire head out the water like getting air. Also the yellow Cori's is also chasing and mouthing pintail. Double team.

I put my acclimation box in and the female hooded went in and make pintail. I kept the male pintail in the acclimation box to protect him from both yellow Cori's and hooded. So he can eat and heal. He has a mark on his side like maybe a scale missing or something. So now he's safe.

Question. What should I do? Part with the male pintail ? Or get the hooded out. Or hooded and Cori's out?

The hooded gets dark colors when chasing black rear tail and blackish on top fin. Maybe she is changing but will it ever be normal. Just need help with making the best decision for the tank

We are trying to have a non agressive reef

The kole, blue Tang are fine. Cardinal is fine 2 clowns are fine, blue throat trigger is peacefull. It seems to be the wrasses having a problem all of a sudden. The yellow Cori's wrasse I think is the one eating snails. I know he picks at nassarius and flips them over. The other half thinks the pintail colors are beautiful so she kind likes him more. If hooded changes to male, who knows he might be super bright and colorful. We need wrasse specialist help us make the decision that will be best for us as we have no idea

 

[saltyhog]

Is the chasing keeping the pintail from eating? Sounds like your hooded is already a male. Do you have a tank you can move the hooded to for a few weeks? That might give the pintail a chance to settle in. I have 6 fairies in my tank including a pintail and all the much larger fairy wrasses pretty much ignore him. Hopefully you can get past this.

 

[Michael Gray]

Is the chasing keeping the pintail from eating? Sounds like your hooded is already a male. Do you have a tank you can move the hooded to for a few weeks? That might give the pintail a chance to settle in. I have 6 fairies in my tank including a pintail and all the much larger fairy wrasses pretty much ignore him. Hopefully you can get past this.

He's eating but he's getting pretty beat to stay being the return nozzle and then swim with entire head out of water. I found someone local to re-home the hooded to tomorrow. I have the hooded in acclimation box now. Pintail was released.

Now we're wondering if the yellow coris wrasse gives up now that the hooded is parting ways. If she continues. I guess the yellow will be next to part with

 

[evolved]

Couple days ago we noticed pintail acting funny. Hiding. Then sure enough we noticed the female hooded chasing and beating him up.

Well, that hooded definitely isn't female anymore.
But this is how things go when mixing Cirrhilabrus sometimes. The social dynamics are an ebb and flow; so long as everyone is still permitted to eat and isn't being forced into continuous hiding, I just let things ride. And in a few weeks, things tend to shift the other direction.

Question. What should I do? Part with the male pintail ? Or get the hooded out. Or hooded and Cori's out?

Sound like you've already removed the hooded - and that's the safest choice, of course.

The yellow Cori's wrasse I think is the one eating snails.

It's possible, but that's also pretty uncommon for this species of Halichoeres. Generally though, if this species does this, it can be a sign of a lack of food available. Which could also lend to general aggression between the Cirrhilabrus too. What do you feed and how often?

 

[Michael Gray]

Well, that hooded definitely isn't female anymore.
But this is how things go when mixing Cirrhilabrus sometimes. The social dynamics are an ebb and flow; so long as everyone is still permitted to eat and isn't being forced into continuous hiding, I just let things ride. And in a few weeks, things tend to shift the other direction.

Sound like you've already removed the hooded - and that's the safest choice, of course.

It's possible, but that's also pretty uncommon for this species of Halichoeres. Generally though, if this species does this, it can be a sign of a lack of food available. Which could also lend to general aggression between the Cirrhilabrus too. What do you feed and how often?

Umm we feed lrs mostly. Fish frenzy and I don't weigh it. I just snap off a chunk and let it thaw. And we feed that throughout the day. Little bit at a time.

I've watched the yellow today flip and kill 2 nassarius snails today. That was 30 min into the lights turning on hahaha he's a devil. I'll try to feed more but fighting GHA/bryopsis and on tail end of Dino's is hard to want to feed more.

 

[evolved]

Umm we feed lrs mostly. Fish frenzy and I don't weigh it. I just snap off a chunk and let it thaw. And we feed that throughout the day. Little bit at a time.

That does sound like enough, but perhaps not, depending on the amount and the number of fish you have.

I've watched the yellow today flip and kill 2 nassarius snails today. That was 30 min into the lights turning on hahaha he's a devil.

All Halichoeres come with this risk. Some species are a lot less likely to do it, and chrysus is probably the least likely offender, but clearly it can still happen.

 

[Michael Gray]

That does sound like enough, but perhaps not, depending on the amount and the number of fish you have.

All Halichoeres come with this risk. Some species are a lot less likely to do it, and chrysus is probably the least likely offender, but clearly it can still happen.

Thanks. We're keeping him for now to see if he mellows out now that the hooded is rehomed. It sucks I can't have nassarius snails in my tank because of him but he is always hunting the rocks. I'd like to keep that in my reef. Snails can always be re purchases even though it gets expensive. But we're gonna test him for a week or 2 and watch him with the pintail

 

[Miller535]

Would it be possible it put a Red lined and a Melanurus Wrasse in a 125 gallon? If so is it best to introduce at the same time? Thanks

I kept a Red lined for about 5 years before, but not ever with another wrasse.

 

[evolved]

Would it be possible it put a Red lined and a Melanurus Wrasse in a 125 gallon? If so is it best to introduce at the same time? Thanks

I kept a Red lined for about 5 years before, but not ever with another wrasse.

They usually mix fine together, and the tank size is large enough. Together is the best bet!

 

[Miller535]

They usually mix fine together, and the tank size is large enough. Together is the best bet!

What about QT? What size would you use to Quarantine these? Or would you put them in separate Quarantine tanks?

And I apologize if you already said this, but in your original post you said you do not use copper for things like ich that you use other proven method. What method is that? Hypo? Tank transfer?

Thanks

 

[evolved]

What about QT? What size would you use to Quarantine these? Or would you put them in separate Quarantine tanks?

I would do them together, in a tank 20 gallons or more.

And I apologize if you already said this, but in your original post you said you do not use copper for things like ich that you use other proven method. What method is that? Hypo? Tank transfer?

Thanks for pointing that out; I should update that. These days, I will use copper if/when needed - but I specifically use a chelated product, raise the level SLOWLY (over a week), and check the level often w/ a Hanna copper checker.
I've done hypo in the past.

 

[Miller535]

I would do them together, in a tank 20 gallons or more.

Thanks for pointing that out; I should update that. These days, I will use copper if/when needed - but I specifically use a chelated product, raise the level SLOWLY (over a week), and check the level often w/ a Hanna copper checker.
I've done hypo in the past.

O.K. I have a 29 gallon I could use. How big of a "sand box" would you recommend? Or I suppose two would be best? And if copper becomes needed, does the sand have any affect on the copper?

 

[evolved]

O.K. I have a 29 gallon I could use.

As long as it's at least 2 feet in length.

How big of a "sand box" would you recommend? Or I suppose two would be best?

Something 5"x10" or so would be plenty. Or two smaller ones are fine.

And if copper becomes needed, does the sand have any affect on the copper?

It will, a bit. Don't pour the sand in much more than an inch in depth.
But this is also the need to keep using the checker every few days even after you reach the target level.

 

[mattzang]

I would do them together, in a tank 20 gallons or more.

Thanks for pointing that out; I should update that. These days, I will use copper if/when needed - but I specifically use a chelated product, raise the level SLOWLY (over a week), and check the level often w/ a Hanna copper checker.
I've done hypo in the past.

do you rely on observation for ich/velvet? i have two wrasses i think were exposed to velvet, i h2o2 bathed them and transferred to a sterile tank, but then observation for the last couple months. both seem fine, not even seeing scratching, but i've been meaning to black molly test them before adding them to my other QTed fish.

i've had terrible results using copper, even chelated, with wrasses. but to be fair, i haven't tried raising it that slowly and that may have been my downfall

 

[evolved]

do you rely on observation for ich/velvet?

Primarily, yes. But I have been burned doing that before, and lost everything in QT by not catching it fast enough. It's not foolproof.
It does matter a bit where they're coming from, too. I don't trust any source fully, but some more than others.

i've had terrible results using copper, even chelated, with wrasses.

I don't run it therapeutic past 14 days. I have had it make a Paracheilinus pretty loopy, and it took 3-4 weeks to really recover after that. But I can't say I've had it outright kill anything. I target 1.9 ppm, fwiw.