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Wrasse suggestions


Bruleyii

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(edited)

I am getting 1 wrasse for my 90g along with a few other fish. My girlfriend and I have narrowed our lost down to these. Carpenter's wrasse, mccoskers wrasse, line spot wrasse, filamented wrasse, yellowfin wrasse.

Anyone have experience with these? Anything to look out for with these? Will all of these turn or stay male if there is only one in the tank?

My other fish Im looking to get are about 5 bartlett anthias, maybe a bristletooth tomini tang, I currently have 2 clowns that are staying, and looking for maybe a pearl jawfish.

Edited by Bruleyii
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Never had any luck with McCosker's wrasses long term.  I enjoy my Leopard Wrasses which are hard to keep sometimes.  A easy one which is colorful and good size is a Melanurus or Hoeven's Wrasse, Halichoeres melanurus

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Food for thought...

 
Avoid the following as they tend to be very aggressive against other wrasse:
C. adornatus 
C. condei 
C. filamentosus  
C. rubrisquamis 
C. scottorum 
C. tonozukai
 
Also avoid Psedocheilinus, such as Mystery Wrasse and Six line as first additions.
 
General comment, ensure tank is covered with a 1/4" screen and use an acclimation box when introducing new additions.  
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(edited)

 

Food for thought...

 
Avoid the following as they tend to be very aggressive against other wrasse:
C. adornatus 
C. condei 
C. filamentosus  
C. rubrisquamis 
C. scottorum 
C. tonozukai
 
Also avoid Psedocheilinus, such as Mystery Wrasse and Six line as first additions.
 
General comment, ensure tank is covered with a 1/4" screen and use an acclimation box when introducing new additions.  

 

 

Thanks. I'm not to worried about aggression towards other wrasses being I will only have one in the tank. As you can see I plan on sticking to a flasher wrasse. I havent looked at the scientific names yet, just the street name. After looking up the names you gave me, it looks like none of the ones on my list are also on your aggression list.

Edited by Bruleyii
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Most arrive small, if you have places to hide and not much aggression a McCosker's might be fine.  I agree with Tony that Mystery and 6 line can be aggressive.

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Thats good to know. All I have in my tank right now are clowns. I will be adding Bartlet's first though. I will double check my rock work when I get home to see if there are hiding spots. Are they ones that will turn male even if they are female?

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Thats good to know. All I have in my tank right now are clowns. I will be adding Bartlet's first though. I will double check my rock work when I get home to see if there are hiding spots. Are they ones that will turn male even if they are female?

How big is your system?  A single female will turn male.

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I like wrasses, but the non-reef safe listed ones. I have a Jansens wrasse. He's great. It's like a grey navy blue torpedo with some yellow flashes and a white stomach. So interesting to watch as he hunts my rock reef work for all things edible. Can't keep any shrimp, and he definitely likes the dove snails. They maintain population, but at a much smaller level than would otherwise be if he weren't in the tank. He's got be about 5+ inches, but has never really been much of a problem ever. My rock work is heavy and weights itself down. There really isn't anything for him to move around except some shells in the sand bed. Corals are not small, no frags, and they are pretty much locked down too. There's also plenty of other food for him like mini brittles, Copepods and amphipods that come in from the refugium and bristle worms, and I put out grazer wheels for the tangs which he likes too. So, having this high energy fish with access to little bits of food all day long has not been an issue for me. That's my experience. When I switch to my 120g with hdpe board and fiberglass supported rock work, I plan on keeping a deeper sand bed for true burying wrasses like a comb wrasse or a red coris wrasse. I'll only be adding one more wrasse. Good luck with the hundreds of choices, but give some of the traditionally non-reef safe types a chance and a bit of research.

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How big is your system? A single female will turn male.

90g. That's what I want to hear. The males always look better. :)

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I like wrasses, but the non-reef safe listed ones. I have a Jansens wrasse. He's great. It's like a grey navy blue torpedo with some yellow flashes and a white stomach. So interesting to watch as he hunts my rock reef work for all things edible. Can't keep any shrimp, and he definitely likes the dove snails. They maintain population, but at a much smaller level than would otherwise be if he weren't in the tank. He's got be about 5+ inches, but has never really been much of a problem ever. My rock work is heavy and weights itself down. There really isn't anything for him to move around except some shells in the sand bed. Corals are not small, no frags, and they are pretty much locked down too. There's also plenty of other food for him like mini brittles, Copepods and amphipods that come in from the refugium and bristle worms, and I put out grazer wheels for the tangs which he likes too. So, having this high energy fish with access to little bits of food all day long has not been an issue for me. That's my experience. When I switch to my 120g with hdpe board and fiberglass supported rock work, I plan on keeping a deeper sand bed for true burying wrasses like a comb wrasse or a red coris wrasse. I'll only be adding one more wrasse. Good luck with the hundreds of choices, but give some of the traditionally non-reef safe types a chance and a bit of research.

For right now with this tank I'm going to keep one of the ones I have listed. Maybe later in my reef life I'll consider some non reef safe fish for fun. But right now I like playing it safe. It sounds like yours has a lot of personality thought.

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All of those wrasses are awesome wrasses!  Carpenters and McCoskers are very similar in care.  I have found them fairly difficult because they are a more timid wrasse and they are harder to get to eat.   I have never had a line spot wrasse so no info on that one. Filamented wrasses are awesome if you can get a pair or trio.  I have had no luck keeping them solo. Note this is only having experience 2 times. 1 with just a male and 1 time with 1 male and 2 females.  When they were in the trio they were much easier to keep. The male and 1 female learned to eat from watching the other female.  And a Yellowfin wrasse is a good option for a 90g they are fairly hearty and easy to get to eat.  The only hard time I had with one was in my 34.4g.  He got mean in there.  But once I moved him to a 60g cube he was a model citizen. 

 

 

Just some side wrasses to consider:

  • Leopard wrasse
  • Ornate leopard wrasse
  • Blue-star leopard wrasse
  • Potters wrasse
  • Kline's leopard wrasse
  • Lineatus wrasse
  • Rhomboid wrasse

These are all reef safe and gorgeous wrasses! People may say that leopard wrasses are bad because they are hard to get to eat.  But the key to these guys is plumbing a 5g tank in above your sump that uses the same tank water and have some fine sand and macroalgaes growing in it.  It provides a low stress refuge for you to focus on getting it to eat without the stress of other fish. With this method I have never lost a leopard wrasse and gotten them to eat pellets.

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I know I am getting a fairy wrasse for the 90g. Those are the styles that my girlfriend likes and in order for her to stay interested in the hobby I have to keep her involved. 

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I know I am getting a fairy wrasse for the 90g. Those are the styles that my girlfriend likes and in order for her to stay interested in the hobby I have to keep her involved. 

 

Gotta go with the Yellowfin wrasse then. :)   The others are flasher wrasses.

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The one she wants is the yellowfin flasher wrasse. I didnt realize there was also a fairy wrasse. All of my options are flasher wrasses. Are flashers harder to care for?

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The one she wants is the yellowfin flasher wrasse. I didnt realize there was also a fairy wrasse. All of my options are flasher wrasses. Are flashers harder to care for?

 

I personally think so because they are a bit more timid.  I find fairy wrasses much easier.  

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