few fairy wrasee questions

[Kigs!]

I recently purchased a pair of leopard wrasse. Since Day 1, the female has been roaming around the tank but the male is acting very strange. He's always hiding behind a rock, and even when he does come out (once every 2 or 3 days) he seems to have trouble swimming around. he sorta just hovers in one corner... is this normal? I took it as different fish having different personalities at first, but starting to get worried a bit.

Second question - Scott's Fariy Wrasse;; Reef Safe? I read that most in the Cirrhilabrus family are reef-safe, but few of these Scott's that has been coming in from Aus are ridiculously HUGE.

 

[detguy123]

Scotts are reef safe as is all fairy wrasses and yes they do get big one of the larger fairys...thier colors fad alot without a few females i kept a couple of them but got rid of them beacuse of that...Scotts are also one of the more aggressive fairys and can be quite nasty..as for the leopard wrasses i can not answer anything with those as i have not kept any

 

[reef-lover]

At least half of the leopard wrasse's imported come in with intestinal parasites, or worms. It's rarely fatal in the wild, probaly due to their diverse diet?, but in captivity they will only survive for about 3-4 weeks. There are a couple meds on the market that help, I forget what they are, but I know "leopards" have an extremely low tolerance for Copper. When any wrasse starts constantly circling in one place for long periods of time, it's pretty much on its way out.

 

[MarvinsReef]

Scotts are reef safe as is all fairy wrasses and yes they do get big one of the larger fairys...thier colors fad alot without a few females i kept a couple of them but got rid of them beacuse of that...Scotts are also one of the more aggressive fairys and can be quite nasty..as for the leopard wrasses i can not answer anything with those as i have not kept any

well said!!!

I also owned a Scott's a while back and it's a bully... I would recommend staying away from them...

 

[edwing206]

Exqusite wrasses are nicer and better looking than scott's IMO.

 

[MarvinsReef]

Exqusite wrasses are nicer and better looking than scott's IMO.

the african ones are nice but they also lose their colors overtime if they don't have a few females to "flash" all the time..

I would recommend pickin' up a Lineatus... my all time favorite fairy wrasse! I still have to get another one... I've owned three of them so far but had to let them go coz of moving..

 

[edwing206]

I actually like the ones from fiji better. I would love to have a Lineatus and Labouti but they're too expensive for me.

 

[Kigs!]

Thank you for the info guys - I'm ruling the Scott's out then. I was considering a Lineatus or a Flame.

When any wrasse starts constantly circling in one place for long periods of time, it's pretty much on its way out.

reef-lover, this got me really nervous. Could you clarify? Do you mean if they are literally swimming in circles or do you just mean "hanging" out in one spot, laying on its side? Cauze mine is doing the latter, behind this LR rubble.


Also - another question I had was, what triggers a female to morph into a male?

 

[detguy123]

kigs i think you would be happy with a lineatus or flame..edwing i am with you also i like the exqusites out of fiji also..had both but they are my favorite of the two...good luck on your leopards kigs

 

[MarvinsReef]

Also - another question I had was, what triggers a female to morph into a male?

I've experienced this in my tank... I use to own a pair of Golden Rhomboid but the female became more dominant and started chasing the male... then one day, the male was gone and body was nowhere to be found...

are you planning on pickin' up pairs or a female that you want to turn into a male in the future?

 

[Kigs!]

Most likely a female which in turn will turn into a male. They seem to be much cheaper for obvious reasons.

I'm thinking of getting some live feeder shrimps to entice the male to come out more, as far as I can tell he responds in a healthy fashion to his surroundings though he hides most of the time. What do you guys think?

 

[MarvinsReef]

Most likely a female which in turn will turn into a male. They seem to be much cheaper for obvious reasons.

I think you'll be fine with either a female Lineatus or female HI Flame... they should turn into a male overtime... good luck though..

 

[reef-lover]

kigs, that's bad news. Healthy leopards are always on the move. They are one of the most active wrasses in the trade.

 

[Kigs!]

kigs, that's bad news. Healthy leopards are always on the move. They are one of the most active wrasses in the trade.

Argh... does this rule apply only to leopards? Or can it also apply to other fairy wrasse as well? I just thought that he was taking his sweet time adjusting to the tank or something...

 

[Deepwater]

kigs, that's bad news. Healthy leopards are always on the move. They are one of the most active wrasses in the trade.

I have to agree on that one , My leopard wrasse doesnt stop moving from the sec it comes out till sleep time. are these wrasses going in the elso tank ?> make sure you have a cover on that tank with all those wrasses , they are all jumpers and would sux to come home to a tile diving fish

 

[Kigs!]

Yeap, the Elos. I made a screen for it with the aluminum screen kit from Home Depot. It kinda defeats the purpose of a rimless tank and dims the T5s a bit, but better to be safe like you said.

I saw the male out and swimming this morning before the lights came on, but now back in its little corner. Gah...