Fairy Wrasses

[treylane]

Ok, I've kept a lot of fairy wrasses over the years. A LOT. Mostly, because they just don't seem to survive long term in captivity. And for that matter, I don't know a whole lot of reefers who've been able to keep them much past the 1.5 year mark. Usually they'll just vanish one day never to be seen again, but in some cases they'll go on a hunger strike and just go straight downhill.

There have been a few exceptions - the odd individual that settles into a tank particularly well, or the the meanest ones (yellowfins, for example) but beyond that... what kind of experiences has everyone else had with these fish? Is there some particular trick to keeping them healthy?

Now that I think of it... the happiest ones I've seen have been in extremely crowded/active tanks. Is there anything to that theory?

 

[Hypertek99]

I have seen a lot that don't like to eat. Make sure they are eating before you buy them.

 

[Saltysteele]

my whip-fins eat like pigs. if they were to suddenly stop eating, i think it'd be because the end of the world was coming.

i've also read, and seems someone just mentioned it in this forum, as well, that some fish do better and live longer in cooler tanks, some in warmer tanks

hypertek, your avatar woman is hot

 

[Hypertek99]

hypertek, your avatar woman is hot

Yeah she is!! haha

 

[anomie]

I've keep a lot of fairy wrasses but my oldest I've only had for 3 years. However, I do have others that are well over the 1.5 year mark. I don't know why some have trouble with them but I feed a varied, vitiman and fatty acid enriced diet. Also, and I'm not sure it has any bearing, but my fairy wrasses all eat nori. When I put it on the clip, the whole tank crowds around.

 

[mpoletti]

Jessica, I have had my rhomboid and flame for coming up on the 1.5 mark. The rhomboid is blind in one eye. It looked like it was going to die around the 6 month mark as it had some sort of tumor forming in its mouth. It was very reclusive and hid in the rocks for about 10 days. I thought it was a goner. Then all of a sudderm the growth was gone and he was swimming out in the water column again

 

[revaltion131]

Anomie, the whole three I have had have eaten nori as well. I wish I could say the same thing for this Potter's angel. :canny:

 

[treylane]

I'm not saying it can't happen, and I've have quite a lot that hit the 1yr mark, but only a small handful of them hit the 1.5 or 2yr mark. How many wrasses do you guys kill, to get one that lives long term? Or is it really just me with the prob?

 

[SDguy]

Well, you've seen my lubbocks...he's at the 2.5 year mark. But he's been the only fairy wrasse in the tank most of that time. Others I have purchased I've had to catch and remove due to aggression. I recently picked up a Cebu pylei. He seems to have adapted well, ets like a pig, and is very fat. There is zero aggression, so hopefully he will be a keeper....

 

[revaltion131]

Well, I've only killed one so far, but he jumped. I had a lid, but it wasn't secured or very heavy. He hit it just right to push the lid out of the way and get out anyway. I'm worried about a male Pyle's I just got a couple of weeks ago. I haven't decided yet if he's just really, really wierd, or trying to die on me. Either way, I haven't had a tank set up long enough with a fairy in it to give you a good idea of how long mine have made it.

Here's a question, though: Are most of the ones that don't go much past 1.5 years purchased as terminal males, or are they a mix of juveniles, females, and males?

 

[detguy123]

i have had a few die due to being sick,jumped or just did not make it through the shipping but the others that i have kept i kept for a long time..i had some that were with me for almost 4 years...i did have quite a few in that tank..but i know of many other people that have kept thier fairys for many years with no problems just a few odd deaths here and there