Melanarus Wrasse Reef Safe?

[Slocke]

C rubeus

C efatensis

 

[Wandering Albatross]

C rubeus

C efatensis

Shrimp and maybe crab safe? I think everyone is too big to be eaten but still...

 

[Slocke]

Shrimp and maybe crab safe? I think everyone is too big to be eaten but still...

Fairy wrasse don’t eat shrimp and crabs

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Fairy wrasse don’t eat shrimp and crabs

Okay, just didn't want them to be like my dog with a toy grabbing it and shaking it to pieces.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Richmond’s wrasse? I haven’t had the same issues as thrown with melanurus but they are on the more aggressive side of Halichoeres wrasse.

Anything smaller that's green, wrasse or not? Vendor has it as an 8" matured fish. Don't mind the size, but if that makes him big enough to make an expensive snack of my shrimps, crabs, or snails it's a deal breaker.

 

[bjsreefer]

I have a Melanurus and an ornate leopard in my 90 and they are peaceful as can be. My Melanurus isn’t huge yet so maybe that will change as it grows older and changes to male? But I’ve had flipped astreas before that she just swims right pass without a care in the world. She and the leopard just pick at things on the rock work all day. My cleaner shrimp are fine, my peppermints are fine, and other inverts as far as I can tell are fine. Never seen either one picking on them. As always, it just varies fish to fish. I think I just got lucky so far. If you just are looking for the color red, look into some nice red macro-algae. As long as you have nutrients you can grow it and it looks spectacular. I have some orange galaxy/atomic broccoli/halymenia stipitata that frankly is a conversation piece with people who see the tank!

 

[jonelder68]

I have a pair and they constantly are flipping and picking at snails and crabs. Not sure how many they are actually getting but it’s a constant game with them. They have small mouths so not sure they can even eat the crabs and snails but they sure love trying.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I have a Melanurus and an ornate leopard in my 90 and they are peaceful as can be. My Melanurus isn’t huge yet so maybe that will change as it grows older and changes to male? But I’ve had flipped astreas before that she just swims right pass without a care in the world. She and the leopard just pick at things on the rock work all day. My cleaner shrimp are fine, my peppermints are fine, and other inverts as far as I can tell are fine. Never seen either one picking on them. As always, it just varies fish to fish. I think I just got lucky so far. If you just are looking for the color red, look into some nice red macro-algae. As long as you have nutrients you can grow it and it looks spectacular. I have some orange galaxy/atomic broccoli/halymenia stipitata that frankly is a conversation piece with people who see the tank!

I have a pair and they constantly are flipping and picking at snails and crabs. Not sure how many they are actually getting but it’s a constant game with them. They have small mouths so not sure they can even eat the crabs and snails but they sure love trying.

This is my conundrum. Some yay, some nay. I like my inverts and want them to be safe. They're half my tank after all.

 

[bjsreefer]

I have a Melanurus and an ornate leopard in my 90 and they are peaceful as can be. My Melanurus isn’t huge yet so maybe that will change as it grows older and changes to male? But I’ve had flipped astreas before that she just swims right pass without a care in the world. She and the leopard just pick at things on the rock work all day. My cleaner shrimp are fine, my peppermints are fine, and other inverts as far as I can tell are fine. Never seen either one picking on them. As always, it just varies fish to fish. I think I just got lucky so far. If you just are looking for the color red, look into some nice red macro-algae. As long as you have nutrients you can grow it and it looks spectacular. I have some orange galaxy/atomic broccoli/halymenia stipitata that frankly is a conversation piece with people who see the tank!

I have a pair and they constantly are flipping and picking at snails and crabs. Not sure how many they are actually getting but it’s a constant game with them. They have small mouths so not sure they can even eat the crabs and snails but they sure love trying.

This is my conundrum. Some yay, some nay. I like my inverts and want them to be safe. They're half my tank after all.

But that’s the problem. It’s like coral beauties. Some will leave corals alone, some willl devour them. Is it worth the risk? For me, no. But I am not as attached to my astreas…. As long as I can get a good trochus population going and self sustaining, w/e. I also feed 2 cubes of frozen daily so maybe mine just doesn’t get hungry enough to pick on them. I was out tonight and didn’t get to feed them their nighttime cube so maybe I get home in an hour and everything is dead… I’ll update shortly!

(As I come home to unholy carnage in my tank )

 

[jonelder68]

This is my conundrum. Some yay, some nay. I like my inverts and want them to be safe. They're half my tank after all.

If it makes you feel any better I’ve only found 1 blue leg crab pulled out and dead. They pick at most but I don’t believe kill many. The nassarius snails they always bite their horn/antenna. But most my cuc has learned and only come out at night now. The trochus, astrea, and turbos must have strong suction on the glass as they never even try on them. It’s the cuc on the sand they go after.

 

[jonelder68]

But that’s the problem. It’s like coral beauties. Some will leave corals alone, some willl devour them. Is it worth the risk? For me, no. But I am not as attached to my astreas…. As long as I can get a good trochus population going and self sustaining, w/e. I also feed 2 cubes of frozen daily so maybe mine just doesn’t get hungry enough to pick on them. I was out tonight and didn’t get to feed them their nighttime cube so maybe I get home in an hour and everything is dead… I’ll update shortly!

(As I come home to unholy carnage in my tank )

I feed 7-8 times daily. They’re fat and happy! It’s just a game for them I believe. I don’t ever see much death from it. I daily flip snails though. But the cuc definitely has learned/changed to only coming out once they buried in the sand for the night.

 

[bjsreefer]

But that’s the problem. It’s like coral beauties. Some will leave corals alone, some willl devour them. Is it worth the risk? For me, no. But I am not as attached to my astreas…. As long as I can get a good trochus population going and self sustaining, w/e. I also feed 2 cubes of frozen daily so maybe mine just doesn’t get hungry enough to pick on them. I was out tonight and didn’t get to feed them their nighttime cube so maybe I get home in an hour and everything is dead… I’ll update shortly!

(As I come home to unholy carnage in my tank )

I feed 7-8 times daily. They’re fat and happy! It’s just a game for them I believe. I don’t ever see much death from it. I daily flip snails though. But the cuc definitely has learned/changed to only coming out once they buried in the sand for the night.

You feed 7-8 times daily? Do you have time to feed yourself?! lol

 

[Wandering Albatross]

If it makes you feel any better I’ve only found 1 blue leg crab pulled out and dead. They pick at most but I don’t believe kill many. The nassarius snails they always bite their horn/antenna. But most my cuc has learned and only come out at night now. The trochus, astrea, and turbos must have strong suction on the glass as they never even try on them. It’s the cuc on the sand they go after.

But that’s the problem. It’s like coral beauties. Some will leave corals alone, some willl devour them. Is it worth the risk? For me, no. But I am not as attached to my astreas…. As long as I can get a good trochus population going and self sustaining, w/e. I also feed 2 cubes of frozen daily so maybe mine just doesn’t get hungry enough to pick on them. I was out tonight and didn’t get to feed them their nighttime cube so maybe I get home in an hour and everything is dead… I’ll update shortly!

(As I come home to unholy carnage in my tank )

I feed roughly 2.5 cubes worth 3 times a day, as I have athias, blue chromis, and garden eels. I'm paranoid trying to make sure everyone gets well fed.

 

[jonelder68]

You feed 7-8 times daily? Do you have time to feed yourself?! lol

4 rounds of auto and 3-4 frozen in the evenings. But yes my fish are spoiled. I have 7 Anthias that need the constant feeding.

 

[bjsreefer]

If it makes you feel any better I’ve only found 1 blue leg crab pulled out and dead. They pick at most but I don’t believe kill many. The nassarius snails they always bite their horn/antenna. But most my cuc has learned and only come out at night now. The trochus, astrea, and turbos must have strong suction on the glass as they never even try on them. It’s the cuc on the sand they go after.

But that’s the problem. It’s like coral beauties. Some will leave corals alone, some willl devour them. Is it worth the risk? For me, no. But I am not as attached to my astreas…. As long as I can get a good trochus population going and self sustaining, w/e. I also feed 2 cubes of frozen daily so maybe mine just doesn’t get hungry enough to pick on them. I was out tonight and didn’t get to feed them their nighttime cube so maybe I get home in an hour and everything is dead… I’ll update shortly!

(As I come home to unholy carnage in my tank )

I feed roughly 2.5 cubes worth 3 times a day, as I have athias, blue chromis, and garden eels. I'm paranoid trying to make sure everyone gets well fed.

2.5x3 times per day? Or in total 2.5 cubes? I’m wondering if I need to up my amount I feed! Pretty decently stocked tank.

 

[jonelder68]

2.5x3 times per day? Or in total 2.5 cubes? I’m wondering if I need to up my amount I feed! Pretty decently stocked tank.

I go off nutrient levels. If feeding increases nutrients then your feeding too much. My tanks half DT to half fuge so I can feed all I want and still have to dose nutrients .

 

[Wandering Albatross]

2.5x3 times per day? Or in total 2.5 cubes? I’m wondering if I need to up my amount I feed! Pretty decently stocked tank.

2.5 cubes worth each feeding x3 a day, the eels eat a lot, and the chromis wiggle like dogs when I get near the tank.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

I go off nutrient levels. If feeding increases nutrients then your feeding too much. My tanks half DT to half fuge so I can feed all I want and still have to dose nutrients .

I had bottomed out nutrients feeding this much till just recently. Had to dose phosphate several times and nitrate once. Think the regular fish poop finally caught up...

 

[bjsreefer]

Haha nice. I do one cube of omega enriched brine shrimp in the morning and one of ocean plankton in the afternoon. Then I offer a little piece of scallop nightly to my marine betta and some nori when I think to do it 1-2x/week. Nutrients run high-ish in the tank but not anything crazy and are pretty flat. Adding a turf scrubber to bring them down a bit but not too much and I may up my feeding then to 2 cubes 2x/day

I also know my next post for tomorrow to get a bonus entry for supporter contest haha

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Haha nice. I do one cube of omega enriched brine shrimp in the morning and one of ocean plankton in the afternoon. Then I offer a little piece of scallop nightly to my marine betta and some nori when I think to do it 1-2x/week. Nutrients run high-ish in the tank but not anything crazy and are pretty flat. Adding a turf scrubber to bring them down a bit but not too much and I may up my feeding then to 2 cubes 2x/day

I also know my next post for tomorrow to get a bonus entry for supporter contest haha

I dose live phyto every couple days too, and considering I have 5 young mandarins that I see picking but have never seen eat frozen, I must have enough pods for a midday snack. At least the ornate I currently have eats frozen mysis during feedings in addition to picking all day.