Melanurus Wrasse or Leopard Wrasse

[Gregg @ ADP]

what about its interaction with medium size (Peppermint and cleaner) shrimps and snails?

I have not seen a problem with cleaners.

I’ve got a few tanks with peppermints, but they hide all the time during the day, so I don’t know of any interactions.

Something to watch though.

 

[Devaji]

if you can find a leopard that is eating go for it. I have been trying to get a few for a while now.
they dont ship well either.
someday... I love wrasses my all time fav. fish.

 

[Tcook]

I have a Peppermint Shrimp in my tank for a year with a nearly full grown Melanurus. I also had Berghia Nudibranches breeding in the tank.

I have an H. chrysus, H. melanurus, and M. meleagris in a 3' 70 gallon tank.

This is good to hear. I need to add berghia to my wrasse and aiptasia infested tank.

 

[Uncle99]

Love the leopard, great colour variations, many not too too pricey, but just to much about initial feeding problems and settlement for me. Sad.

 

[Spare time]

Do your research. Every individual fish is different but it is well known that full grown melanarus will kill snails and even small shrimps.

I mean I worked at lfs stores for 4 years.

 

[JoJosReef]

I mean I worked at lfs stores for 4 years.

Yes, but did you put your 10,000 hours in? ;-)

 

[Real McCoy]

Melanurus for me. But you will never have a pistol shrimp, blood red shrimp and if you do cleaner shrimps you better do them when he is sleeping. I love mine ultra male beautiful. Keeps my six lines in check,no aggression, and friends with my coris wrasses. He is the pack leader of my wrasses. My only complaint he is to good of a hunter.

 

[56longroof]

Leopards hardly eat frozen or dry food. I almost never recommend them.

Mine eats everything I put in the tank. Including nori. I just with it was a little bolder. It doesn't take much to get it to hide.

 

[tbrown]

Mine eats everything I put in the tank. Including nori. I just with it was a little bolder. It doesn't take much to get it to hide.

Really? Weird. Mine will swim into my hand if I let her. She's the only fish in the tank that doesn't hide when I'm working on the tank.

My leucoxanthus immediately dives into his bed if I even pretend to touch the lid.

 

[JoJosReef]

Really? Weird. Mine will swim into my hand if I let her. She's the only fish in the tank that doesn't hide when I'm working on the tank.

My leucoxanthus immediately dives into his bed if I even pretend to touch the lid.

Same. My pencil dives when I get up from my chair and the chrysus when I pretend to touch the lid. Leopard hangs out waiting to see if I'm feeding the LPS and either steals medium TDO pellets or give me puppy dog eyes till I drop her a few. Pinkies hang out in the back peering around the corner for stray pellets as well.

 

[Reefer2.0]

Leopard wrasse. It’s on my wish list.

 

[Tcook]

Really? Weird. Mine will swim into my hand if I let her. She's the only fish in the tank that doesn't hide when I'm working on the tank.

My leucoxanthus immediately dives into his bed if I even pretend to touch the lid.

My foxface slides up on my hand when I’m feeding cubes of eggs.

 

[tbrown]

My foxface slides up on my hand when I’m feeding cubes of eggs.

 

[claydogg84]

No experience with the Leopard, but my Melanurus does eye up my hermits and snails often. Usually they are quick enough to shell up, but it does occasionally knock one off the rocks/glass and get a meal. Hasn't bothered my cleaner shrimp as they are pretty big.

 

[OrionN]

I have both but love my Meleagris Leopard harem.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/macropharyngodon-meleagris-meleagris-leopard.707791/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/photo-documentation-of-m-meleagris-sex-change.987233/

 

[codenfx]

Leopard for sure. Sadly the pair I had for 2 years the male turned on the female and started attacking her killing her. I waited a few months and purchase another and he killed her too. I miss the female counterpart, they're beautiful but the male is too aggressive at this point for a companion, although he's peaceful to my other fish.

 

[OrionN]

Leopard for sure. Sadly the pair I had for 2 years the male turned on the female and started attacking her killing her. I waited a few months and purchase another and he killed her too. I miss the female counterpart, they're beautiful but the male is too aggressive at this point for a companion, although he's peaceful to my other fish.

I had harems of Meleagris and Black Leopards never have this problem. My tanks are larger tank 40 gal and 320 gal DT. Maybe it is then tank size plus I do feed them a lot of food.

 

[Shawn D]

Have both. Love both. Have had melanarus in many of tank over the last 20 years and never had an issue. Kept with cleaner shrimp and same results. Biggest pain is it likes to take mouth full of sand and spit it all over making a mess. Leopard is new to me in the last 6 months and eating everything. Swims side by side with melanarus. If able find one already in an established tank. Seems to be the best best. As stated already leopard dont ship well. Something with the nose getting banged up that causes the issue. So look for fat, healthy, and no marks on its nose to have the best chance of survival. Need a sand bed or a wrasse den. I also acclimate all wrasses in the tank a few days or weeks before releasing into the tank. Seems to help with aggression and gives you a chance to watch for signs of trouble.

 

[blazn]

Leopards hardly eat frozen or dry food. I almost never recommend them.

My leopard eats frozen, pellets & flake and he's always 'hunting' the DT. I expect that Leopards that don't eat well are those that damaged their mouths during shipping. They apparently damage their mouths during shipping, as they try to escape the bag. So, I definitely recommend having a Leopard, but I'd only purchase one locally that you can observe eating, which is what I did.

 

[landlubber]

If you had to choose one or the other, a melanurus or a leopard, which would you choose and why?

From what I have found, it is completely possible to keep both in the same tank. If it is alright to keep them both, I don't want to add them both at the same time.

i've had both and to be honest, it'd be tough to pick between them if I had to.
Melanurus are bold, workhorse fish that are ime easier to introduce, will present as more comfortable in a community tank with faster moving fish.
Leopard are in many ways the opposite. Very skittish, often hunger strike when new to a system and if its a highly competitive environment may refuse to eat until they expire which is why they get their "expert only" designation.
Both fish when introduced went straight into the substrate for me. The Leopard emerged 7 days later and in the case of the Melanrurus it was almost 3 weeks!
It must have been working nights as it still looked plump and healthy