Melanarus Wrasse Reef Safe?

[jonelder68]

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...

Lots of macros. I dose a ton of ammonia and PO4. Keeping up with feedings be nice but I don’t think it’s possible. I’m possibly going to add 4-5 chromis so maybe more bioload will help but tanks already crowded

 

[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

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.

Yep my ornate and leopard are picking at things all day as are my yellow and Kole tangs and starry blenny… so I guess they have snacks all day and not as big of a deal as I think. I also dose phyto daily and have a solid pod population in the tank plus am culturing more. But I’m concerned now!

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Lots of macros. I dose a ton of ammonia and PO4. Keeping up with feedings be nice but I don’t think it’s possible. I’m possibly going to add 4-5 chromis so maybe more bioload will help but tanks already crowded

I'm up to I think 34 fish and they barely keep up, maybe the chaeto needs to get bigger, fuge is running as long as the tank lights run at least....

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Yep my ornate and leopard are picking at things all day as are my yellow and Kole tangs and starry blenny… so I guess they have snacks all day and not as big of a deal as I think. I also dose phyto daily and have a solid pod population in the tank plus am culturing more. But I’m concerned now!

I only have one mandarin that is underweight, and I think its because she's the newest greenspot, and the chunky male is rather...smitten with her. Always hovers and cuddles with her, and she's so not interested right now

 

[jonelder68]

I'm up to I think 34 fish and they barely keep up, maybe the chaeto needs to get bigger, fuge is running as long as the tank lights run at least....

wow that’s a lot of fish. Your 150 gallon tank is looking good! I’m just a 60 breeder and up to 14 fish. But they’re all going to grow out. Need some stick colonies to fill tank to give more shelter before adding more fish.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

wow that’s a lot of fish. Your 150 gallon tank is looking good! I’m just a 60 breeder and up to 14 fish. But they’re all going to grow out. Need some stick colonies to fill tank to give more shelter before adding more fish.

I wanted some nice vertical colonies for fish homes, but they all committed coralicide, rtn no matter what I did. Very disheartening. I'm thinking if I can't find the cause, most corals are waiting for steady coralline growth. I've got some starting on snail shells and old plugs. But even the hammer is struggling, and refuses to respond to anything I try. Of those that are still doing well, I have my first toadstool leather, a whisker coral, and my second coral, a favia that came in a little worse for wear, but has since colored up nicely despite not a lot of growth.

 

[MeanGreenStompa]

My mel killed:
Pencil wrasse
2 Yellow 'coris' wrasse
Blue star leopard wrasse as soon as it started transitioning.

It was added after all these other wrasse. 180 gallon mixed reef with a lot of caves etc.
I'll never keep one again.

 

[Ziggy17]

I have both a Melanurus wrasse and a flame Angel in a smaller tank 75g. The wrasse pretty much leaves everything alone unless it wakes up late and misses breakfast. Then it gets pi$$y with the sand sifting goby. Leaves the snails and shrimp alone though.
The Flame Angel can tend to flare up but it’s usually only against my red coloured Anthia. Doesn’t touch coral.

Just my experience and maybe I got lucky with their personalities.

 

[Boreas_SA]

My melanurus also leaves everything alone in the 150 gallon tank, and it was one of the first wrasses in. After the melanurus, over the course of the last year, I added a chrysotaenia, ornate leopard, magma wrasse, tiny Hemigymus fasciatus, tiny Halichoeres zulu, kaleidos pencil wrasse and a small Pseudocoris, all after the melanurus went in, and it ignored all of the right from the start, it doesn't even look twice in their direction. Have not seen it pick at snails, but could be possible without me looking I suppose. Also have a cleaner shrimp in there that is doing ok. I do however probably feed the equivalent of 6-8 blocks of frozen every day, maybe it is too full to care about protecting any foodsource.

 

[CBonito]

First time I put snails in my tank, mine immediately killed a few.
I haven't lost any shrimp though. So either he can't catch them or he's leaving them alone.
I have only peppermints.

When they get bigger, they can be cranky with other fish occasionally. They don't like anyone in their face I guess. Other than that, they're not bad. Just don't put anything similarly colored. Mine killed a redhead solon fairy wrasse. Head scratcher, but as soon as I put that fish in, he immediately reacted. It was upsetting.

I've had mine for 2 years now. Raised him from a little pinhead and he's about 5.5-6 inches.

And yes, as someone else already mentioned, you should feed AFTER he wakes up or he'll be a jerk.
Hunger fuels aggression.

 

[Tcook]

My melanurus also leaves everything alone in the 150 gallon tank, and it was one of the first wrasses in. After the melanurus, over the course of the last year, I added a chrysotaenia, ornate leopard, magma wrasse, tiny Hemigymus fasciatus, tiny Halichoeres zulu, kaleidos pencil wrasse and a small Pseudocoris, all after the melanurus went in, and it ignored all of the right from the start, it doesn't even look twice in their direction. Have not seen it pick at snails, but could be possible without me looking I suppose. Also have a cleaner shrimp in there that is doing ok. I do however probably feed the equivalent of 6-8 blocks of frozen every day, maybe it is too full to care about protecting any foodsource.

Let’s see the magma

 

[Biokabe]

Melanarus are definitely a try-and-see species. Mine is fat and happy and probably about 6-7", and has been a great citizen for the reef - when I added him to the tank, I had a huge problem with flatworms. Now? Not so much. Doesn't harass snails at all, though he's always interested whenever they fall off the glass. Never actually strikes at them though.

The caveat? I think anything with legs (with the exception of hermits) triggers his predatory instincts. I've seen him attack emerald crabs, and there have been more than a few shrimp that have gone missing, so I don't stock either of those in the tank any longer. I suspect he also finds nudibranches tasty, though I haven't personally observed him eating them.

Mine killed a redhead solon fairy wrasse. Head scratcher, but as soon as I put that fish in, he immediately reacted. It was upsetting.

Huh, I wonder if that's what happened to the redhead solon wrasse I tried to add a couple months ago. There wasn't an immediate reaction, but I may have added it after the melanarus had gone to bed for the night. Put in the solon, seemed happy and healthy and interested in food, exploring the tank... the next morning we found him dead on the coral rack.

 

[CBonito]

Melanarus are definitely a try-and-see species. Mine is fat and happy and probably about 6-7", and has been a great citizen for the reef - when I added him to the tank, I had a huge problem with flatworms. Now? Not so much. Doesn't harass snails at all, though he's always interested whenever they fall off the glass. Never actually strikes at them though.

The caveat? I think anything with legs (with the exception of hermits) triggers his predatory instincts. I've seen him attack emerald crabs, and there have been more than a few shrimp that have gone missing, so I don't stock either of those in the tank any longer. I suspect he also finds nudibranches tasty, though I haven't personally observed him eating them.



Huh, I wonder if that's what happened to the redhead solon wrasse I tried to add a couple months ago. There wasn't an immediate reaction, but I may have added it after the melanarus had gone to bed for the night. Put in the solon, seemed happy and healthy and interested in food, exploring the tank... the next morning we found him dead on the coral rack.

yup! lol

 

[Richard57]

You can do several wrasses no problem from the list @Slocke posted. Even a melanurus and put that in last. Flame angels could be aggressive. Even cherubs towards the docile dartfish. You have s good sized tank and adding a flame last could work. You can also consider a bellus or watanabi that do well.

The Bellus and Watanabi are good choices . A female Japenese swallowtail would be another good choice. The males get larger and seem more delicate.

 

[Wandering Albatross]

Melanarus are definitely a try-and-see species. Mine is fat and happy and probably about 6-7", and has been a great citizen for the reef - when I added him to the tank, I had a huge problem with flatworms. Now? Not so much. Doesn't harass snails at all, though he's always interested whenever they fall off the glass. Never actually strikes at them though.

The caveat? I think anything with legs (with the exception of hermits) triggers his predatory instincts. I've seen him attack emerald crabs, and there have been more than a few shrimp that have gone missing, so I don't stock either of those in the tank any longer. I suspect he also finds nudibranches tasty, though I haven't personally observed him eating them.



Huh, I wonder if that's what happened to the redhead solon wrasse I tried to add a couple months ago. There wasn't an immediate reaction, but I may have added it after the melanarus had gone to bed for the night. Put in the solon, seemed happy and healthy and interested in food, exploring the tank... the next morning we found him dead on the coral rack.

Sounds like I’ll save him for the big system. A vendor I’m trying out did get in some green clown gobies so I’ll get a couple of those for my green flair. Hopefully they come out to swim with everyone. Size and temperament are much less risky.

 

[CBonito]

Sounds like I’ll save him for the big system. A vendor I’m trying out did get in some green clown gobies so I’ll get a couple of those for my green flair. Hopefully they come out to swim with everyone. Size and temperament are much less risky.

You're going to make errors out of ignorance all the way, but that's how you learn what works in your system.

I had 350 dollars in fish killed by one fish not too long ago because I was unaware that the fish I had were jerks. I've never seen them act like that until I added more fish. Then they were murdered.

I have the Melanurus, 2 redbelted anthias, 2 lyretail anthias, 8 green chromis, a diamond goby and an exquisite fairy wrasse in my 45. It's actually peaceful now that I found a combo of fish that I like and that keep each other in check. I have 4 pepperming shrimp in there too and no one bothers them. They actually clean fish.

In my personal opinion, if you want success with the Melanurus Wrasse, raise it from a baby.
Obviously that's not going to change genetically imprinted instincts, but if they have food and a good environment, they're not bad. I'm fine with mine. I won't get rid of him. Id get him his own tank before I did that.
Mine could kill everything in my tank, yet he just does his own thing and the other fish stay out of his way.

 

[tbrown]

I have my melanurus, a leucoxanthus, and a Macropharyngodon meleagris in my 70. The Leopard is a female, the other two are both male. They're not jerks to anything but they eat snails and hermit crabs. They haven't touched any shrimp (I've only had Peppermints) and they left my mithrax and pitho alone.

 

[braaap]

Mine is a model citizen. He might eat my smaller snails but none of my bigger guys. Might help that I auto feed 5 times a day.

 

[bjsreefer]

Sounds like I’ll save him for the big system. A vendor I’m trying out did get in some green clown gobies so I’ll get a couple of those for my green flair. Hopefully they come out to swim with everyone. Size and temperament are much less risky.

You're going to make errors out of ignorance all the way, but that's how you learn what works in your system.

I had 350 dollars in fish killed by one fish not too long ago because I was unaware that the fish I had were jerks. I've never seen them act like that until I added more fish. Then they were murdered.

I have the Melanurus, 2 redbelted anthias, 2 lyretail anthias, 8 green chromis, a diamond goby and an exquisite fairy wrasse in my 45. It's actually peaceful now that I found a combo of fish that I like and that keep each other in check. I have 4 pepperming shrimp in there too and no one bothers them. They actually clean fish.

In my personal opinion, if you want success with the Melanurus Wrasse, raise it from a baby.
Obviously that's not going to change genetically imprinted instincts, but if they have food and a good environment, they're not bad. I'm fine with mine. I won't get rid of him. Id get him his own tank before I did that.
Mine could kill everything in my tank, yet he just does his own thing and the other fish stay out of his way.

I think that’s part of it for mine. It’s only about 3” so still very young. Not quite a baby but I’m making sure it’s well fed and it’s a super mature tank with plenty of microfauna to pick at. My ornate leopard happily snacks in the rocks too!

 

[tbrown]

Mine is a model citizen. He might eat my smaller snails but none of my bigger guys. Might help that I auto feed 5 times a day.

I think I'm at 10-12 times daily....