Vender sent me 2 Dusky Brunneus Fairy Wrasse

[feelingfishy]

Need a wrasse expert to tell me my chance of successfully housing these 2 ( maybe male ) Brunneus wrasses together long term. I just want to state that I did not want 2 of these fish, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbled. It’s been 4 days and the aggression seems to be about the same the past 2 days. The dominant male will chase the other one into the top right corner of the tank, though it does not seem to bother him much. They are both eating fine and even though it gets serious looking sometimes there are no nipped fins

Tank is a 234 gallon usable space CADE2100.

Maybe there both females, but I have no idea as there is not much information about this particular wrasse out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[felda001]

Hoping one of the experts from the Wrasse lovers thread can jump in here. Maybe @i cant think or @Slocke

 

[sc50964]

All I’ve read about them is that they are pretty chill and easy going, especially in a large tank like yours.

 

[feelingfishy]

Yes, that was the reason I ordered Brunneus first as I had planned on adding other species of fairy wrasses in the future. I’m a bit worried though because he is chasing his copied self all over the tank and I’m not sure if this will lead to a bully attitude towards other fish in the future.

 

[braaap]

Yes, that was the reason I ordered Brunneus first as I had planned on adding other species of fairy wrasses in the future. I’m a bit worried though because he is chasing his copied self all over the tank and I’m not sure if this will lead to a bully attitude towards other fish in the future.

Lights out for one day. Totally out. Put a blanket around it. They will be fine after that.

 

[sc50964]

75gallon is what one needs.

They are easy going , hence the green color.

 

[feelingfishy]

Lights out for one day. Totally out. Put a blanket around it. They will be fine after that.

Thanks for the recommendation, but honestly I probably won’t be doing this. The corals and tank is doing great overall and I don’t want to blackout in fear of something catastrophic happening.

If I must catch one I will order the floaty trap thing from NYOS and hope I can get him.

Do wrasse calm down overtime though? I mean I introduced them at the same time including a Red Head Solon Wrasse which is not being bullied at all in spite of being significantly smaller.

 

[VintageReefer]

Thanks for the recommendation, but honestly I probably won’t be doing this. The corals and tank is doing great overall and I don’t want to blackout in fear of something catastrophic happening

There is nothing catastrophic that would happen to your coral or fish from a 1 day blackout.

 

[feelingfishy]

I thought maybe Dino’s would bloom or something like that. I have already battled with Large Cell Amphidinium 3-4 months ago. The fish have only been in the tank 4 days now. They are both the exact same fish except the one being bullied has a darker red on his head.

Is there a chance that 1-2 weeks in the future there will be peace between the two?

 

[i cant think]

Need a wrasse expert to tell me my chance of successfully housing these 2 ( maybe male ) Brunneus wrasses together long term. I just want to state that I did not want 2 of these fish, but that’s just the way the cookie crumbled. It’s been 4 days and the aggression seems to be about the same the past 2 days. The dominant male will chase the other one into the top right corner of the tank, though it does not seem to bother him much. They are both eating fine and even though it gets serious looking sometimes there are no nipped fins

Tank is a 234 gallon usable space CADE2100.

Maybe there both females, but I have no idea as there is not much information about this particular wrasse out there. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Housing male wrasses of the same species is always hit and miss.
Males may be laid back however that is only towards other species - conspecifics however they will be highly aggressive towards in most cases. The Brunneus is one which can be mixed with species from the same complex but should only be mixed with itself if you have a pair or trio (1 male to 1-5 females).

 

[feelingfishy]

Thank you! You have bested google Mr. I Can’t Think!

Edit: Is there anyway to tell how far the male is along in his transformation? Do the males look similar to the females? Can Brunneus switch back to a female?

I have read some of your post regarding this switch back to female as being possible but highly rare in captivity.

 

[feelingfishy]

Quick update, the 2 Brunneus wrasses just randomly stopped fighting 3 days ago. I’m feeding 5 times a day so I guess this might of helped.