Melanurus or Hoeven's wrasse who has em?

[Cali-Saltwater-1st-Timer]

Looks like I'll be adding to my stock list. Hopefully it doesn't touch my fire red shrimp. One of my favorite creatures in my tank.

 

[OrionN]

I just have young one for the last several months. I am excited to see him change color gradually.

 

[Lemec]

Mine is the boss of the tank...only time he gets feisty is when I’m feeding pellets and he thinks the other fish are eating “his” share, lol. He did kill my Choati, but it was more of a freak thing where he went after her as she came out of the sand, causing her to spook directly into the rocks. Mine is a nervous nelly, dives into the sand constantly. I have a graveyard of snail shells. He likes to throw the shells in a pile after he’s done with them.

 

[Jesterrace]

Like the title says, looking into the Hoeven's wrasse (Helichoeres melanurus), also called the Tail Spot Wrasse, Yellow-lined Wrasse, Orange-tipped Rainbowfish, Tailspot Wrasse, or Pinstriped Wrasse. Imported out of the Pacific (Fiji) and get to about 5 inches. Who has em or has had em and can tell me anything about them? Not much out there on the internet.

I had a male (which died, sadly :( ) but I still have a juvie Melanurus currently in my tank, along with a blue star leopard wrasse in my tank. Here was the male and juvie together:



Here is the current juvie Melanurus after some more growth and along with the other fish:





As mentioned they will periodically pick off your clean up crew, mine left my original cleaner shrimp alone but the replacement cleaner shrimp which was smaller didn't last 24 hours

 

[BZOFIQ]

Picked one up recently, very active and curious, all over the tank. So far I haven't seen it pick on any CUC. The bristle worms I wouldn't mind going but I don't think I'd be too happy if my hermits or snails started disappearing.

 

[Mrx7899]

I've had a melanurus for about 2 year great fish doesn't mess with clean up grew. Always searching the rock work.

 

[Carterfish]

I’ve had melanurus that has decimated any snails I had. However if fed properly daily it will not eat them or only do it occasionally. Both are very pretty.

 

[Jet915]

Ive had a melanarus for about 7 months, never seen it touch cuc.

 

[Michael fruit]

Are they jumpers????

 

[A sea K]

Are they jumpers????

Yes. Almost all fish are.

 

[Michael fruit]

Yes. Almost all fish are.

Like diamond gobys? I can’t keep them , jump out of the tank every time. Haven’t had trouble with other fish that’s why I ask. Are they prone to jumping out of the tank?

 

[A sea K]

If spooked or harassed there natural instinct to escape will propel them right out of the tank. I would strongly suggest a screen mesh top to prevent further losses, they are a fairly easy DIY project. Make sure the mesh is at least 1/4" or smaller, most fish will go straight through 1/2" mesh and I speak from experience with this.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Second a lid. I have lost clown fish that jumped and most recently a radiant wrasse yesterday that went down my overflow that i didnt notice till after i changed my filter sock.

Even in freshwater ive lost tetras, cori cats, shrimp because of no lid.

 

[eddius_maximus]

I've had a Melanurus for a few years now. He's never jumped, and shares a tank with a huge CuC, five peppermint shrimp, and two cleaner shrimp. I've only ever seen him go after a snail once - and it was an opportunistic thing because the snail had flipped upside down.

I love this fish as he keeps my bristleworm population in check. 24/7, this guy peruses the rocks looking for them -- and his consistently full belly tells me he's successful!

Edit: When my Melanurus gets spooked, he doesn't go up towards the top. He goes straight down, dive bombing into the sand. I know all fish are jumpers but I think in terms of safety percentages, this fish is probably safer than most Wrasses.

 

[jd371]

My Melanurus is a pig and eats everything I put in the tank and he's definitely the boss of the the tank. He's a model citizen though and doesn't touch any of the CUC and have a shrimp, crabs and snails, although he did it some peppermint shrimp I added for aptasia, but they were small so size was a factor. He's such a good boy that he won't even go after snails that have flipped.

 

[ngoodermuth]

They aren't as apt to jump as say, fairy or flasher wrasses; but they CAN very easily spook "up". My leopards are sand-sleepers also, and I've seen them breach the surface on more than one occasion.

The mesh top really is easy to do. BRS sells the kits with the right mesh, all ready to go. I even did it myself, and usually my hubby takes on the DIY parts of our tank...lol

FWIW, I love melanurus wrasses, I've had a couple over the years... never disappoint. I'm going to get one for my other tank soon, have some pesky flatworms that are a bit out of control...

 

[eddius_maximus]

The mesh top really is easy to do. BRS sells the kits with the right mesh, all ready to go. I even did it myself, and usually my hubby takes on the DIY parts of our tank...lol

I'll second this. It really is a satisfying, effective and easy DIY.

 

[nereefpat]

I agree that melanurus will most likely go for the sand rather than jump, while diamond gobies are infamous carpet surfers.

That being said, lids are always a good idea.

 

[427HISS]

We've had ours for three years now and he's fun to watch diving into the sand bed. It's only about 3" deep, so at times Patty will tell him, I can see your fat butt. lol

Anyway, we've never seen him attempt to skydive, but don't watch him 24/7.

 

[4FordFamily]

One of the most underrated fish in the hobby. A hardy addition, and yes they pose a risk to the clean up crew long-term, particularly as they grow. I've always found that they're worth replacing the CUC once per year or so :D