Reef safe wrasse that can stand up for themself?

[joseph.timbs]

I’m finishing up stocking my 40g breeder mixed reef with shrimp. I’m going to probably upgrade in size to 75 or 90 in a few months.

Here’s the scoop. I have a pair of designer clowns that had the tank to themselves for a month and they now think it’s theirs. I got a baby yellow tang a week ago and the male clown just can’t take its attention off it. I put a royal gramma and small blue devil in today hoping to take a bit of focus away. Instead it went berserker mode on all 3. I was able to catch the clown and is currently in the tank in a clear fish trap (around 8”x5”x5”). The plan is to give him another chance in a few days. Possibly rehome if it can’t get along. But either way I like wrasses. I would like to add a reef/invert safe wrasse to the mix. Besides a six line which is possible I go that way, besides a six line what are some other possibilities? Also getting a mandarin, flame hawk and a small blenny algae crew (lawnmower, flame tail, tail spot). Btw I’ll be moving my coral banded shrimp to a macro/invert display refugium so I can get the flame hawk. Might put the bully clown in it. But yeah, the wrasse is going to be in a tank with some little tough guys, any suggestions?

 

[smitten with ocean life]

@Slocke ?

 

[JoJosReef]

Most fairies should do fine. A leopard would work. 4-5 inch Halichoeres would be fine. But... When you say reef safe, do you shrimp and snail-safe? With the hawkfish, your shrimp are toast. Snails are at risk with Halichoeres and leopards, particularly nerited and ceriths--conches, cowries, trochus and astraeas have been survivors in my wrasse dominant tank. Fairies will leave them alone.

 

[Baby Damsel 219]

A cleaner wrasse can with stand a grouper so being in your tank should be fine, tell me about your filtration system,.

 

[Slocke]

Kind of confused, shrimp safe or not? A flame hawk is definitely not.

So if you just want one wrasse a member of Pseudocheilinus is perfect. They are devils but tough. This includes the six line, four, eight, mystery, etc. They are not safe with smaller shrimp.

Fairies, Cirrhilabrus as Jojo said are a good choice if you want multiple wrasse.

Halichoeres work well with fairies and are tough. Not as aggressive as the lined wrasse but are as dangerous to small shrimp.

I'm not going to recommend leopards in a tank with more aggressive tank mates.

A cleaner wrasse can with stand a grouper so being in your tank should be fine, tell me about your filtration system,.

I don't recommend these anymore, their survival rate in captivity is awful, they are often very aggressive, and my experience with them in a predator tank has shown me that predators will happily eat them.

 

[joseph.timbs]

Kind of confused, shrimp safe or not? A flame hawk is definitely not.

So if you just want one wrasse a member of Pseudocheilinus is perfect. They are devils but tough. This includes the six line, four, eight, mystery, etc. They are not safe with smaller shrimp.

Fairies, Cirrhilabrus as Jojo said are a good choice if you want multiple wrasse.

Halichoeres work well with fairies and are tough. Not as aggressive as the lined wrasse but are as dangerous to small shrimp.

I'm not going to recommend leopards in a tank with more aggressive tank mates.


I don't recommend these anymore, their survival rate in captivity is awful, they are often very aggressive, and my experience with them in a predator tank has shown me that predators will happily eat them.

I said I’m going to be rehome the coral banded to a macro/invrt diplay tank and tacheds. I might throw the hawk in with it while setting the new tank for a week or two b fore ruling the macro/nvert display fuge.

A cleaner wrasse can with stand a grouper so being in your tank should be fine, tell me about your filtration system,.

plenty of filtration, candle handle about anything. 4 in tank power heads getting it to the overfloww into first chamber with 24-7 skimmer (appropriately sized), through bubble catches into packed unharvest chaeto. Just that for pods and stuff keep clean by pods and bristleworms caught in display.?then thranth r bubbly catcher into pomprturn. Micro 7 a night monthly Howard bag… bout it

 

[RedReefer]

Melanarus, probably spelled wrong…

 

[joseph.timbs]

Not looking to fix my tank.. is fine. Not in the question. S-line, mystery, blue throat, royal pencil. Not attached cleanuptocrew , replacablezc. I am moving my CBS and fighting conch who’s going into a separate in invert, macron, sponges