Not Coris wrasse! This is becoming my biggest pet peeve...

[Lowsingle]

Have a female. Inherently lazy - sleeps to about noon, eats, swims around for a few hours, eats and then it's off to bed. Probably sleeps 18 hours in any given day, lol.

I think by "coris" wrasses they mean the yellow coris ones, which as you pointed out aren't exactly coris wrasses...

My earmuffs wrasse is the same….last one up and first one to bed….he is so lazy…..

Darren

 

[Slocke]

Is this an adult lemon meringue wrasse:




Thanks
Darren

Wow that is a beautiful male Halichoeres leucoxanthus which is sometimes known as the lemon meringue wrasse yes. All wrasse go from juvenile to female to male. You know it is a male by the lack of eye spots on the dorsal fin.

 

[i cant think]

Wow that is a beautiful male Halichoeres leucoxanthus which is sometimes known as the lemon meringue wrasse yes. All wrasse go from juvenile to female to male. You know it is a male by the lack of eye spots on the dorsal fin.

And the colouring on the dorsal, anal and caudal fins!
This photo catches the colours coming in on my male jade’s dorsal fin;

 

[Tcook]

Wow that is a beautiful male Halichoeres leucoxanthus which is sometimes known as the lemon meringue wrasse yes. All wrasse go from juvenile to female to male. You know it is a male by the lack of eye spots on the dorsal fin.

Is it ever called a lemon meringue coris?

 

[tbrown]

Is it ever called a lemon meringue coris?

My Lemon Meringue Coris!

 

[Tcook]

My Lemon Meringue Coris!

Great fish and great name! I’m almost liking that more than my chrysus. Don’t let I cant think know.

 

[Zionas]

LiveAquaria says C. Gaimard generally tops out at 6-8”. Have you found this to be true? @Slocke

 

[Slocke]

LiveAquaria says C. Gaimard generally tops out at 6-8”. Have you found this to be true? @Slocke

Unfortunately it is rare that they reach their full size in captivity. Perhaps in a massive tank though.

 

[Zionas]

A C. Gaimard or congener reaching its full size or near its full size would be quite a feat while in captivity.

Fish growth rates and captive sizes are a matter of fascination to me.

Even smaller fish like the smaller Centropyge angels, to give an example I’ve had long time Cherub and Flameback keepers say that theirs never really exceed 1.5-2” when the possible maximum size is about 3”. The Golden Angel, C. Aurantia, is “supposed” to reach a maximum size of about 4”, but again, in captivity from reports I’ve read they seem to not really exceed 2”. The Waikiki Aquarium (as of 2006 AKA caveman times) had one for 8 years and counting then, and theirs was still below 2”.

With Angels, the Regal’s got a theoretical maximum size of 10”, but largest I heard was an 8” and it was collected at that size. In captivity, I believe 6” is much more likely. Majestic Angels, known for being slow growing, have a theoretical maximum size of 10-11”, but many seem to top out at 6-7” in captivity.

The only 7-8” Yellow Tangs I heard of were collected at that size from the wild. In captivity the maximum size on average seems to top out at ~5” or so.

With CB fish, I like how we get to start with smaller specimens, and not risk bad collection methods or getting a specimen that’s already several or many years old.

Thanks for commenting on my question about the Harlequin Tusk by the way. If they stay quite a bit smaller than the listed 12” in captivity, that’s good as they’re really pretty.

 

[Slocke]

A C. Gaimard or congener reaching its full size or near its full size would be quite a feat while in captivity.

Fish growth rates and captive sizes are a matter of fascination to me.

Even smaller fish like the smaller Centropyge angels, to give an example I’ve had long time Cherub and Flameback keepers say that theirs never really exceed 1.5-2” when the possible maximum size is about 3”. The Golden Angel, C. Aurantia, is “supposed” to reach a maximum size of about 4”, but again, in captivity from reports I’ve read they seem to not really exceed 2”. The Waikiki Aquarium (as of 2006 AKA caveman times) had one for 8 years and counting then, and theirs was still below 2”.

With Angels, the Regal’s got a theoretical maximum size of 10”, but largest I heard was an 8” and it was collected at that size. In captivity, I believe 6” is much more likely. Majestic Angels, known for being slow growing, have a theoretical maximum size of 10-11”, but many seem to top out at 6-7” in captivity.

The only 7-8” Yellow Tangs I heard of were collected at that size from the wild. In captivity the maximum size on average seems to top out at ~5” or so.

With CB fish, I like how we get to start with smaller specimens, and not risk bad collection methods or getting a specimen that’s already several or many years old.

Thanks for commenting on my question about the Harlequin Tusk by the way. If they stay quite a bit smaller than the listed 12” in captivity, that’s good as they’re really pretty.

WWC had a late stage male Coris Formosa. I think it was about a foot but not nearly as big as they supposedly grow in the wild. That’s the only full male Coris wrasse I’ve ever seen. Same can be said for a lot of the bigger wrasse. The yellowtail is probably the most common tamarin wrasse in the hobby but it’s so rare for it to reach its male form most people don’t know it has one and assume it is full grown at the yellowtail stage.

 

[i cant think]

WWC had a late stage male Coris Formosa. I think it was about a foot but not nearly as big as they supposedly grow in the wild. That’s the only full male Coris wrasse I’ve ever seen. Same can be said for a lot of the bigger wrasse. The yellowtail is probably the most common tamarin wrasse in the hobby but it’s so rare for it to reach its male form most people assume it doesn’t have one.

I’d love a pair just to get the male YTT colours to show… Unfortunately my Green ‘Coris’ and Radiant would probably dislike more sand sleepers.

Anyway, here’s the most recent photo of my Green ‘Coris’

 

[Tcook]

I’d love a pair just to get the male YTT colours to show… Unfortunately my Green ‘Coris’ and Radiant would probably dislike more sand sleepers.

Anyway, here’s the most recent photo of my Green ‘Coris’

Nice facial lines!

 

[Slocke]

Bump

 

[JoJosReef]

I think we should make you a T-shirt! Maybe a picture of a Halichoeres chrysis with the text "Don't call me Coris" in big bold letters.

 

[Patx]

Wow that is a beautiful male Halichoeres leucoxanthus which is sometimes known as the lemon meringue wrasse yes. All wrasse go from juvenile to female to male. You know it is a male by the lack of eye spots on the dorsal fin.

Do all H. leucoxanthus look like this when they get old ?

Also, how many years before the adult form ?

 

[tbrown]

Do all H. leucoxanthus look like this when they get old ?

Also, how many years before the adult form ?

Yes, they all eventually become males.

How long depends.

 

[Tcook]

I think we should make you a T-shirt! Maybe a picture of a Halichoeres chrysis with the text "Don't call me Coris" in big bold letters.

Or “My mid-life chrysus”

 

[JoJosReef]

Or “My mid-life chrysus”

 

[i cant think]

Do all H. leucoxanthus look like this when they get old ?

Also, how many years before the adult form ?

Yep! All Leucoxanthus turn out this way as all Halichoeres generally transition to male.
How to get them to that full colour is making sure they’re the boss of the Halichoeres wrasses, if they aren’t the boss I’ve found it can limit their colouring (this is with all wrasses).

Years, it entirely depends how big yours is when you get them. If you get a small 1-2” juvenile it could be 2 years till they mature to the female stage and then another 2 years until their mature to the full male colours. However the transitioning phase could start 1 year after the female phase if they’re the only one of that species - if there is already a healthy male of that species, then that can prevent the transitioning phase. However once it begins the transitioning phase to male, that can be over within weeks or (as I saw with my radiant male) it could take 1.5-2 years or longer.

 

[tbrown]

Yep! All Leucoxanthus turn out this way as all Halichoeres generally transition to male.
How to get them to that full colour is making sure they’re the boss of the Halichoeres wrasses, if they aren’t the boss I’ve found it can limit their colouring (this is with all wrasses).

Years, it entirely depends how big yours is when you get them. If you get a small 1-2” juvenile it could be 2 years till they mature to the female stage and then another 2 years until their mature to the full male colours. However the transitioning phase could start 1 year after the female phase if they’re the only one of that species - if there is already a healthy male of that species, then that can prevent the transitioning phase. However once it begins the transitioning phase to male, that can be over within weeks or (as I saw with my radiant male) it could take 1.5-2 years or longer.

My Melanurus was transitioning when I got it almost a year ago now. I'm pretty sure he's still not fully transitioned yet. His face lines are still mostly straight and lacking much green.