Leopard wrasse aggression / transition Meleagris

[LagunaGlide]

I got 3 Meleagris Leopard wrasse all together when they were very small. They went through quarantine together and were all introduced to the main tank 130 gallon at the same time.

I would say they are 8-12 month old at this point. Two of them are significantly bigger than 1. The smaller was a picky eater early on. The two big ones are well, and spent a lot of time together while the third was kind of a loner.

Over the past 3-4 days I’ve noticed the biggest one chasing the medium one. At first the medium was standing it ground a little, but that only lasted a day. Now the big one seems to be on the hunt at all times, and chases the medium one. The little one is of no one’s concern.

I have increased feeding, and introduced a mirror from time to time to give the medium one a break, but it’s not changing anything.

The one that is being chased has changed its color and is very pale / white. I assume this is a sign of submission. Yesterday morning the medium one ate, and by noon was back on the sand for the rest of the day. This morning it ate, and is still out currently.

I don’t see any damage to the medium one, but I am starting to get concerned with how aggressive the big one is.

I would appreciate some insight as to when I should intervene, how long this may last, and any other relevant info on how this transition may progress.

These are my first leopards, so I’m hoping to get some experienced advice.

Thank you.

TL;DR: I introduced three juvenile Meleagris leopard wrasses together about 6 months ago into my 130 gallon display.

Recently, the largest has become relentlessly aggressive toward the medium-sized one, while ignoring the smallest. The bullied wrasse has turned very pale, is hiding in the sand more, but is still eating and shows no visible injuries. Increased feeding and using a mirror haven’t helped.

Is this normal dominance behavior, possibly related to transitioning to male? How long might it last, and at what point should I intervene?

 

[Baldyreef]

@helmsreef has Macropharyngodon meleagris if I'm not mistaken maybe they could help

 

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

This is most likely a dominance related issue and the two larger ones are basically duking it out as to which one will become the male. If the aggression gets too bad I would recommend separating them as in the wild there would be plenty of space for the smaller one to find its own territory or space to wait it out until the larger one becomes a full fledged male. As long as the medium one is still keeping a good weight and doesn't have frayed fins or marks on the body you can probably keep them together until the larger one fully transitions, and then hopefully the aggression will die down. But if you do notice any significant weight loss or increased aggression/fin nipping I would recommend taking one of them out.

 

[helmsreef]

The hardest part about Meleagris is they need a copious amount of amphipods to graze on. And like what @saltwaterfish.com has mentioned, they are fighting it out for resources and territory. Has any of them started to transition to male? Changing to a darker color? What are you feeding them? They also fair really well with grazing on nori. It might not seem it would be a staple but they do really enjoy picking at nori.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

@i cant think