Are possum wrasses difficult?

[Pbh-reef]

Scott Michael seems to think both are hardy, although clearly others here disagree, I would wager he has more experience than most folks here. All I can use is my own experience. My pink streaked wasn’t hard to qt (I basically used hot rocks’ method) seems perfectly chubby and happy with 2-3 feedings a day of a mix of high quality pellets, flakes, fish eggs and frozen foods, and is delightful. The possum wrasse I had came with both flukes and internal parasites and eventually died, but that doesn’t mean possum wrasses aren’t hardy, since it’s just one case. neither should be with aggressive tank mates, your shrimp goby is a good tank mate. If your LFS has either one and it is eating with gusto and you see no signs of disease than get it and qt as best you can. Or order from a vendor that qts fish like those on humblefishs’ forum. (Fishotel, marine collectors, quarantined marine, etc)

 

[jev99]

One of my favorite group of wrasses (only three species). I would say a well established 30 gallon tank minimum with lots of live rock. They will take to prepared foods, but they primarily eat small crustaceans and pods, spending all day cruising rock for food. It takes time, but given the right environment, they will and do come out in the open.
For a 10 gallon, I would suggest small gobies, blennies and other nano fish.
Here's my Tanaka.

hi i would love to get a Tanaka but can't find them anywhere. will your Tanaka eat BIG amphipods? i have many that are 1/2 inch long.
thanks

 

[minus9]

hi i would love to get a Tanaka but can't find them anywhere. will your Tanaka eat BIG amphipods? i have many that are 1/2 inch long.
thanks

1/2" is pretty big, but they can certainly try. Tanaka's are out there and I find that most of them are mislabeled as white banded. The key is to know what you're looking for. White banded's have stripes/steaks that seem to radiate from the eye and are quite visible in the eye, but Tanaka's do not. The stripe that passes from behind the dorsal fin (behind the black spot) to the anal fin, passes in front of the spot on the anal fin. So it's behind the top spot and in front of the bottom spot of the white banded. The eyes are set differently too. Tanaka's eye are set higher and the WB lower. There's more, but if you look up pics of the three species, you'll start to notice the differences between the Tanaka and the WB, the yellow banded is very easy to spot.
I bought my Tanaka as a WB.

 

[jev99]

1/2" is pretty big, but they can certainly try. Tanaka's are out there and I find that most of them are mislabeled as white banded. The key is to know what you're looking for. White banded's have stripes/steaks that seem to radiate from the eye and are quite visible in the eye, but Tanaka's do not. The stripe that passes from behind the dorsal fin (behind the black spot) to the anal fin, passes in front of the spot on the anal fin. So it's behind the top spot and in front of the bottom spot of the white banded. The eyes are set differently too. Tanaka's eye are set higher and the WB lower. There's more, but if you look up pics of the three species, you'll start to notice the differences between the Tanaka and the WB, the yellow banded is very easy to spot.
I bought my Tanaka as a WB.

wow that is so funny you bought it as a WB. was that at your LFS or online?
i still can't find one anywhere

 

[Tori]

For what it's worth, I've kept a yellow banded possum wrasse, pink streaked wrasse and yellow watchman goby together in a nuvo 20 with no issues. I fed them frozen Hikari mysis once a day. They seem fairly hardy in my experience.

 

[minus9]

wow that is so funny you bought it as a WB. was that at your LFS or online?
i still can't find one anywhere

Yes, it was a LFS. I think I paid $30 for it?

 

[Paul B]

It seems most fish these days are considered expert fish. They are just common sense fish and not difficult at all, but you need a tank that is conducive to them and it seems most tanks are not.

Possum wrasses and most fish need a tank with some age to it. Those fish, like most fish need to graze all day and not just depend on you to feed them.
Like mandarins which I feel are one of the easiest, no maintenance fish there is.

You need a tank with some growth in it. Clean, white rocks are not healthy for any creature and most tanks are way to clean. A little algae or even cyano is a good thing and a natural thing.

Let some stuff grow and don't clean the back or side glass. If your rocks are new and white, don't get that fish.
I have two of them and one is so old I don't remember getting it. I don't specifically feed it or do anything else to make it "happy".
It, like the rest of my fish go on with their lives grazing on whatever they find and when I feed the tank, they may eat or not because they have been eating all day what grows in the tank.

The ocean is not clean and sterilized, it is muddy and full of life.

 

[Kynzo]

Yes, it was a LFS. I think I paid $30 for it?

What a deal

 

[minus9]

What a deal

What people don’t realize, there are more Tanaka’s at LFS labeled as white banded. If you look closely, there are two distinguishing differences that are easy to spot. First, the “eye stripe” of the white banded is noticeable and radiates from the eye. The Tanaka has the band through the eye, but it’s opaque and barely visible. The other is the “band/stripe” from the tail to the ventral fin. The white banded’s stripe runs from behind the dorsal fin to the ventral fin, but passes in front of the black spot at an angle. The Tanaka’s stripe runs straight down and doesn’t pass in front of the black spot of the ventral fin.

 

[jaganshi066]

Ten gallon is a tiny tank. While you may be "full of pods" now, it is not going to last with something that will hunt and eat them thus put a constant predation pressure on the tiny pods population.
Best of luck.

I’ve had mine in a 40 gallon hex, and now a 54g for a few years. Super hardy and eats frozen no problem. They might be considered “expert” but mines been no harder to take care of than my clownfish. They’re really cryptic like everyone else mentioned though. You’ll have to decide if you want a unique fish you don’t see often or something else that’s a little more exciting. Here’s one of the few pics I have of mine.

Do you think if I get one it’ll get along with my mccoskers? He’s really peaceful

 

[Paul B]

What does enough pods look like?

They look like your tank is not big enough. They are a very hardy, no maintenance fish that I have had for years. I have two in my tank now for probably 8 years and I almost never see them. They hunt but my tank is big and old. They need food to hunt and I don't think your tank will do it.
Sorry

 

[minus9]

Do you think if I get one it’ll get along with my mccoskers? He’s really peaceful

They get along just fine. I’ve had three flashers and one fairy wrasse and none of them ever bothered my Tanaka. They stick to the rock work, but do swim in the open when them feel secure. Mine would swim in the open in the evening and all of the other fish went along their business without issue. Man, I really miss mine. I’m actually heading out looking for another soon.