POLL: Would you feel comfortable keeping a McCoskers or Carpenter flasher wrasse in a 20g long?

andiesreef · Apr 8, 2021

Hello everyone! I have heard very mixed opinions on flasher wrasses in 20g tanks. Some people say it's totally fine and do so with seemingly happy and healthy wrasses, while I've seen others say that these active fish need tanks of at least 55g. I'm curious as to what you all think? I'd love to keep a wrasse in my 20g long (2.5 ft long) but only if it is suited to the tank. I have an arch formation of rocks for it to swim through and small openings between the rocks to dart through, and it would be able to circle my rock formation fully in an unbroken line. Currently I only keep a royal gramma + some inverts and soft corals, but am planning to add a Springer's damsel and another undecided nano fish. I have considered a pink streaked or possum wrasse (six-line seems way too aggressive for my tank) but would love to keep a flasher. Please be respectful, but I would love to see what everybody's opinions are.

Jekyl · Apr 8, 2021

Excerpt from an article I found:

A juvenile fish growing up in a too-small tank can be expected to experience stunted growth, spinal deformities, atrophied muscles and other developmental heath problems. As a result, a stunted fish's life span is significantly shortened, too.

andiesreef · Apr 8, 2021

Jekyl said:
Excerpt from an article I found:

A juvenile fish growing up in a too-small tank can be expected to experience stunted growth, spinal deformities, atrophied muscles and other developmental heath problems. As a result, a stunted fish's life span is significantly shortened, too.

while that sounds awful and I would never want to subject any fish to something like that, I'm wondering what defines "too small" for a flasher wrasse

Oldreefer44 · Apr 8, 2021

I have 6 of them in a 180. They are extremely active and are all over the place so IMO a 20 is too small.

Jekyl · Apr 8, 2021

Live aquaria has them listed at 55gal for minimum size. While they aren't the end all be all, a retailer is saying the tank is too small. Usually this is based off of how active the fish are as well as maximum growth. Beyond that aggression needs to be factored against future tank mates also.