Melanurus or Hoeven's Wrasse?

Angels 2010 · Nov 10, 2009

I'm researching the rest of my fish list and came upon the Melanurus Wrasse. To me, it reminds me of the Lunare Wrasse(bottom pic), but it is reef safe. I have seen them look fantastic like the one below and boring as the one in the Live Aquaria link. Does anybody have any experience with this fish? Any home pics? thanks, Dave
Melanurus or Hoeven's Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus)

Live Aquaria
Lunare Wrasse

CoralBandit · Nov 10, 2009

Beautiful fish, I had one for a couple of years. It is a hardy semi-aggressive hungry wrasse. I dont recommend to house with shy eaters, this thing used to eat until its stomach distended more than an inch. Mine did not destroy my inverts either it definitely nipped at snails when exposed but I never had a problem with it actually readily killing anything. Awesome fish for the right tank.

PS: I also had a lunar and had a bad experience. Too aggressive and destructive.

Angels 2010 · Nov 10, 2009

thanks for the reply. Do you know anything about the coloring? Live Aquaria's looks so different and faded compared to most of the others. I have seen a couple other pics that don't look real appealing either. My signature has my current fish, plus i want a mccocker's flasher, think they'll work ok? I have great filtration and a strong CUC so feeding heavy is not an issue...

As far as the lunare, i understand them as non-reefsafe, otherwise i would get one of them...

cherokee_dude · Nov 10, 2009

It is a beautiful fish! I had one and it looked just like the first pic. It needs to be fed a few times a day or else inverts are a snack for it. I lost a Fire shrimp, 5 Skunk Cleaners, Many peppermints and I don't know how many hermits and snails over the course of a year.

CoralBandit · Nov 10, 2009

Coloration is by far one of the nicest for "reefsafe" wrasses in my opinion. That pic is accurate. Looks even nicer in person. I never had a problem with mine going after shrimp though, maybe peppermints but definitely did not harm my cleaner but im sure some are more docile than others.

Angels 2010 · Nov 10, 2009

cherokee_dude said:
It is a beautiful fish! I had one and it looked just like the first pic. It needs to be fed a few times a day or else inverts are a snack for it. I lost a Fire shrimp, 5 Skunk Cleaners, Many peppermints and I don't know how many hermits and snails over the course of a year.

seems it could be easy to confuse with a lunare, maybe that is what you got instead. Everybody else i have talked to has said there were no issues like yours...

CoralBandit · Nov 10, 2009

Next to each other the Melanarus is much brighter and green/orange where as the lunar is green/pink and body is more drab on the lunar.

Angels 2010 · Nov 10, 2009

cool thank for the info, i will know what to look for when purchasing one...

benny z · Nov 10, 2009

i have a small one. will try to snap a pic of it. i keep 4 halichoeres and no issues with them going after inverts...yet.

detguy123 · Nov 10, 2009

the one that is in the LA link is a female that is why it looks dull like that... never had a problem with my inverts and the one i kept..i fed mine a few times a day u need a sand bottom and a top these will jump

Angels 2010 · Nov 10, 2009

benny z said:
i have a small one. will try to snap a pic of it. i keep 4 halichoeres and no issues with them going after inverts...yet.

what other halichoeres? I have an H. chrysus also...

detguy123 said:
the one that is in the LA link is a female that is why it looks dull like that... never had a problem with my inverts and the one i kept..i fed mine a few times a day u need a sand bottom and a top these will jump

thanks, that is what i figured, either that or a juvenile which i guess can mean the same thing...

GrouperGenius · Nov 10, 2009

Melanuras is a great addition IMHO. Great hunters and calm with other tankmates.

Lunares are friggin monsters.....I had one that ate feeder fish that I put in for my Groupers. Nuff said.

Angels 2010 · Nov 10, 2009

thanks for all the infos, guys. I'll have to see if my LFS can get me one.

ThetaXi1176 · Nov 10, 2009

Angels,

Detguy is right, the Live Aquaria link is to a female, they have the black spots the males don't and have different coloring.

I have a pair of them in my tank, great fish the male is more green/purple and the female is blue/orange. Both have been pretty good citizen, but a few years ago I had to get rid of one as it would harass most new additions, wrasses, tangs it didn't matter.

Good Luck.

JoeBob · Nov 10, 2009

Melanurus Wrasse
I had one for about a week or two. I got it to eat flat worms which it did. It got along with my clowns and another wrasse I have just fine. I noticed a lump right below its dorsal fin and in about two days it was curled tight and breathing hard. I froze it. HTH

benny z · Nov 10, 2009

benny z said:
will try to snap a pic of it.

the other h. wrasses i keep are a yellow, radiant, and tongan christmas. i also have a leopard wrasse in the tank. the christmas wrasse is definitely king of the bunch.