The Wrasse Lover's Thread!

[i cant think]

Hello wrasse experts. I currently have a pair of clowns, Banggai cardinals, and a lawnmower blenny in my tank. I wanted to add a pink streaked wrasse to my tank and later down the road a blue star leopard wrasse. What I have found is it is difficult to source a pink streaked wrasse.

Could you add another peaceful wrasse like the pink streaked that also would hunt pests but still would be compatible with the blue star leopard when I add it later? I was thinking the yellow banded possum wrasse but I’ve read that it hunts pods and I was hoping to have a pair of mandarin down the road and don’t want them to be outcompeted for pods.

• 1 Tuxedo urchin
• 1 Royal gramma
• Pair ocellaris
• Pair Banggai cardinalfish
• Lawnmower Blenny
• Pink-Streaked Wrasse
• Blue Star Leopard Wrasse
• Lo Foxface*
• Randals goby
• Pair of mandarin

Thank you.

What size tank is it?

 

[ReefTanker91]

What size tank is it?

It’s an 82 dt and a 33 sump. 3x2x2

 

[JoJosReef]

It’s an 82 dt and a 33 sump. 3x2x2

The blue star and a pinkie would hunt pods nonstop as well. I don't know how to support enough lids for these wrasses and a mandarin, but people do it, so someone here will surely know.

 

[ReefTanker91]

I’ve read that flasher and fairy wrasse don’t hunt pods. Is there truth to that? @i cant think you had asked the tank size. Do you have any suggestions for a wrasse that might work?

 

[i cant think]

I’ve read that flasher and fairy wrasse don’t hunt pods. Is there truth to that? @i cant think you had asked the tank size. Do you have any suggestions for a wrasse that might work?

A common misconception is that wrasses will be the ones to outcompete a mandarin for pods - in reality, it would be the other way around. The mandarin would outcompete the wrasses for pods - Wrasses will wait between meals yet Mandarins won’t.

I would personally look into;
Cirrhilabrus
Macropharyngodon
Pseudojuloides
Xenojulis
Halichoeres
Paracheilinus (dependant on how open the rockwork actually is).

Recommending wrasse is difficult - I’d need to know;
- Price range (is there a limit - how high or low is it?)
- Why you want a wrasse…
. Personality?
. Pest hunting?
. Colours?
. Swimming patterns/behaviours?

 

[i cant think]

I love this fish but I have learnt not to put my hand in when they’re expecting food. You don’t realise how strong their beak truly is until you get nipped at by them! It’s honestly impressive.

Although, if you haven’t seen my tank I also have 3 Rabbitfish and they were gathered around my hand quite happily…

 

[OrionN]

A common misconception is that wrasses will be the ones to outcompete a mandarin for pods - in reality, it would be the other way around. The mandarin would outcompete the wrasses for pods - Wrasses will wait between meals yet Mandarins won’t.

I would personally look into;
Cirrhilabrus
Macropharyngodon
Pseudojuloides
Xenojulis
Halichoeres
Paracheilinus (dependant on how open the rockwork actually is).

Recommending wrasse is difficult - I’d need to know;
- Price range (is there a limit - how high or low is it?)
- Why you want a wrasse…
. Personality?
. Pest hunting?
. Colours?
. Swimming patterns/behaviours?

Wrasses go after the adult Pods, while Mandarin go after the small, tiny juveniles' ones. The result of this is the wrasses (and Dwarf Angels, Copperband Butterfly) wipe out the amphipod (and general fauna) populations while Mandarin do not eliminate them since they don't go after the breeding population.
What I have to do in by 40 gal QT system is I have a bunch of rubble and rock stack up about 30% of the sand surface. Fish cannot get into this pile very easy at all. This gives refuge for the fauna. They can breed well and continue to replenish the population. This is my "Pod Piles".
I have a pair of Mandarin in this system, and they are fat. However, when I have two CBB and a Twistii in it, there is no pod or mysis visible (all hiding in the Pod Piles). Just two weeks after remove the CBB to the DT system, the QT system is full of live again.
CBB are really good hunter. Not only the wipe out my Aiptasia, Ball anemones, Spaghetti worms, Bristle worms, they also wipe out the mysis and the amphipods and copepods too. The Pod Piles is what keep my QT system resilient in between various fish that put a lot of pf pressure on the fauna polupation.
A picture worth 1000 words. Here are 2000 words.

 

[Tcook]

Wrasses go after the adult Pods, while Mandarin go after the small, tiny juveniles' ones. The result of this is the wrasses (and Dwarf Angels, Copperband Butterfly) wipe out the amphipod (and general fauna) populations while Mandarin do not eliminate them since they don't go after the breeding population.
What I have to do in by 40 gal QT system is I have a bunch of rubble and rock stack up about 30% of the sand surface. Fish cannot get into this pile very easy at all. This gives refuge for the fauna. They can breed well and continue to replenish the population. This is my "Pod Piles".
I have a pair of Mandarin in this system, and they are fat. However, when I have two CBB and a Twistii in it, there is no pod or mysis visible (all hiding in the Pod Piles). Just two weeks after remove the CBB to the DT system, the QT system is full of live again.
CBB are really good hunter. Not only the wipe out my Aiptasia, Ball anemones, Spaghetti worms, Bristle worms, they also wipe out the mysis and the amphipods and copepods too. The Pod Piles is what keep my QT system resilient in between various fish that put a lot of pf pressure on the fauna polupation.
A picture worth 1000 words. Here are 2000 words.

That must be quite a task to remove a sand sleeper after QT is complete.

 

[OrionN]

That must be quite a task to remove a sand sleeper after QT is complete.

I just remove all rock and just catch whatever fish I need and the put everything back. Just a 40 gal breeder. Sooooo easy. You should have to work on 320 or 420 gal tanks. That is hard.

 

[Tcook]

I just remove all rock and just catch whatever fish I need and the put everything back. Just a 40 gal breeder. Sooooo easy. You should have to work on 320 or 420 gal tanks. That is hard.

I have to pull all the rock out of my 20 gallon observation to do that. I was expecting you to reveal some “wrasse whisperer” technique you have.

 

[i cant think]

I have to pull all the rock out of my 20 gallon observation to do that. I was expecting you to reveal some “wrasse whisperer” technique you have.

I even struggle to get them in small 2’x18” cubes at the LFS. Easiest way I’ve found to do it is corner them into an area where the net is down in the sand vertically so then all you have to do if they go under is swap to that net.

 

[OrionN]

For other fishes I use a clear container technique. For wrasse, I use 2 nets. In early wrasse keeping life I used clear container and lost a McCosker Wrasse to spinal injury. He just rams full speed to a glass container and broke his spine. After that no clear container for wrasse.
Clear clean glass container is best use to catch clowns out of anemone. If your glass is clean, anemone won't even react to it and clowns certainly do not see it.
Remove all the rock and catching fish is a piece of cake, even the ones that dive into the sane.

 

[tbrown]

That must be quite a task to remove a sand sleeper after QT is complete.

I put my net over the sand where they're buried and gently work my finger under them and they usually swim straight into the net.

 

[ReefTanker91]

A common misconception is that wrasses will be the ones to outcompete a mandarin for pods - in reality, it would be the other way around. The mandarin would outcompete the wrasses for pods - Wrasses will wait between meals yet Mandarins won’t.

I would personally look into;
Cirrhilabrus
Macropharyngodon
Pseudojuloides
Xenojulis
Halichoeres
Paracheilinus (dependant on how open the rockwork actually is).

Recommending wrasse is difficult - I’d need to know;
- Price range (is there a limit - how high or low is it?)
- Why you want a wrasse…
. Personality?
. Pest hunting?
. Colours?
. Swimming patterns/behaviou

A common misconception is that wrasses will be the ones to outcompete a mandarin for pods - in reality, it would be the other way around. The mandarin would outcompete the wrasses for pods - Wrasses will wait between meals yet Mandarins won’t.

I would personally look into;
Cirrhilabrus
Macropharyngodon
Pseudojuloides
Xenojulis
Halichoeres
Paracheilinus (dependant on how open the rockwork actually is).

Recommending wrasse is difficult - I’d need to know;
- Price range (is there a limit - how high or low is it?)
- Why you want a wrasse…
. Personality?
. Pest hunting?
. Colours?
. Swimming patterns/behaviours?

Thank you, I was thinking a eightline wrasse, and a blue line leopard wrasse.

Reasons for being them would be a bit of pest control, colors, swimming pattern, behavior. Price range would be around $250.

Again thank you for your time.

 

[i cant think]

Thank you, I was thinking a eightline wrasse, and a blue line leopard wrasse.

Reasons for being them would be a bit of pest control, colors, swimming pattern, behavior. Price range would be around $250.

Again thank you for your time.

I would avoid the eightline wrasse, that genus is outright nasty when mixing with other species.
Here’s my personal wrasse list in my 5’ 180G tank, almost all of these are known for mixing well but some are on the fence when it comes to mixing with peaceful species.
I have yet to obtain a laboutei pair but I do plan for them.

 

[PR_nano]

Hey guys can I get an id on which wrasse did I get? Placed an order but not sure if I got the right one. I got the wrong angel but wasn’t sure on the wrasse.

 

[Tcook]

Hey guys can I get an id on which wrasse did I get? Placed an order but not sure if I got the right one. I got the wrong angel but wasn’t sure on the wrasse.

Is the flameback the wrong angel? What did you order?

 

[PR_nano]

Is the flameback the wrong angel? What did you order?

That is correct, Pygmy Cherub Anglefish

 

[i cant think]

Hey guys can I get an id on which wrasse did I get? Placed an order but not sure if I got the right one. I got the wrong angel but wasn’t sure on the wrasse.

At a quick glance you’d say a species from the Paracheilinus filamentosus complex but I would honestly say you have probably gotten a young female Paracheilinus carpenteri - I’ll try find a photo of my Carpenteri when he was female.

 

[i cant think]

My Carpenter’s female