Stocking my Red Sea 250

DocRose

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The family and I have begun considering what to stock our new 250 with. We've narrowed it down to the list below. Looking for input about the wrasse. I'm aware that some wrasse can go after crustaceans (mainly shrimp). I'm just trying to find out which (if any) in our list of potentials are known to go after shrimp, as we're dead set on having a pistol shrimp and goby. Thanks in advance!

1. Radiant Wrasse
2. Red-Lined Wrasse
3. Red-Fin Fairy Wrasse
4. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
5. Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse
6. Hooded Fairy Wrasse
7. Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
8. Pink-Streaked Wrasse
9. Filamented Flasher Wrasse
10. Hoeven's Wrasse (Melanurus Wrasse)
11. Yellowfin Flasher Wrasse
12. Yellow Wrasse
13. Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse
14. Blue Flasher Wrasse (Linespot Flasher Wrasse)

It's worth noting that we may introduce a clown pair way down the line.
 

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Not that well versed on wrasses but I will tell you you have to have a top. The 4 I had in my RS 900 all jumped before the top showed up.

I used clear view on my 250 and 900. Kind of expensive but worth it to me. Takes a while to get one so if you are going to use them order it asap.
 
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DocRose

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Not that well versed on wrasses but I will tell you you have to have a top. The 4 I had in my RS 900 all jumped before the top showed up.

I used clear view on my 250 and 900. Kind of expensive but worth it to me. Takes a while to get one so if you are going to use them order it asap.
Yeah. I've had some wrasse in the past. I'm all too familiar with the need for a top. Only ever had one jump, and I was around to get him right back into the water. My screen top is on order and on the way! :beaming-face-with-smiling-eyes:
 

AydenLincoln

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The family and I have begun considering what to stock our new 250 with. We've narrowed it down to the list below. Looking for input about the wrasse. I'm aware that some wrasse can go after crustaceans (mainly shrimp). I'm just trying to find out which (if any) in our list of potentials are known to go after shrimp, as we're dead set on having a pistol shrimp and goby. Thanks in advance!

1. Radiant Wrasse
2. Red-Lined Wrasse
3. Red-Fin Fairy Wrasse
4. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
5. Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse
6. Hooded Fairy Wrasse
7. Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
8. Pink-Streaked Wrasse
9. Filamented Flasher Wrasse
10. Hoeven's Wrasse (Melanurus Wrasse)
11. Yellowfin Flasher Wrasse
12. Yellow Wrasse
13. Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse
14. Blue Flasher Wrasse (Linespot Flasher Wrasse)

It's worth noting that we may introduce a clown pair way down the line.
What about invertebrates?
 
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DocRose

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What about invertebrates?
Yeah. I should have said inverts instead of crustaceans. They'll only go after smaller snails though. Astrea and turbo are usually fine. It's our hermits, emeralds, and porcelain crabs...and any of our shrimp that are more so at risk from the ones that hunt them.
 

blaxsun

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Eh... the 6 and the 8 line aren't as appealing to the family as the others. And with the limited space of the tank, we have to be careful about our selection(s).
Eh, each to their own. I like to have a working wrasse for pest control...
 

i cant think

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Eh, each to their own. I like to have a working wrasse for pest control...
And that’s where Halichoeres comes in. These do the same job… with a LOT less aggression.
The family and I have begun considering what to stock our new 250 with. We've narrowed it down to the list below. Looking for input about the wrasse. I'm aware that some wrasse can go after crustaceans (mainly shrimp). I'm just trying to find out which (if any) in our list of potentials are known to go after shrimp, as we're dead set on having a pistol shrimp and goby. Thanks in advance!

1. Radiant Wrasse .
2. Red-Lined Wrasse .
3. Red-Fin Fairy Wrasse .
4. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse .
5. Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse .
6. Hooded Fairy Wrasse .
7. Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse .
8. Pink-Streaked Wrasse
9. Filamented Flasher Wrasse .
10. Hoeven's Wrasse (Melanurus Wrasse) .
11. Yellowfin Flasher Wrasse .
12. Yellow Wrasse .
13. Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse .
14. Blue Flasher Wrasse (Linespot Flasher Wrasse) .

It's worth noting that we may introduce a clown pair way down the line.
I assume you want a heavy wrasse tank? If so then here’s what I can say about the wrasses, narrowing it down is up to you.

Radiant Wrasse - Halichoeres iridis
These wrasses are peaceful but will stand up for being bullied. It’s often hard to get them past the shipping phase but once you get them past that phase its a rather easy fish to have. These are great for pest eating and will happily peck at the rocks all day. They remain on the small side so don’t really go for shrimp.
I loved mine as a female but the male is just as stunning (Still wish I had the female colours). The photo below is my own specimen as a male, if I had a photo of him as a female I’d add it for a comparison but I unfortunately don’t.
AFDD6DC2-DD7B-4F64-92CA-F6C8E819ED1C.jpeg


Red Lined Wrasse - Halichoeres biocellatus
This wrasse is just as peaceful as the Radiant and does stand up for itself when an aggressors going at them. These are a great wrasse to own when it comes to pest eating, they graze on the rocks almost constantly. As for shrimp, these are also on the smaller side and are less likely to go after shrimp. Colours on these are stunning as females but as males they’re even more beautiful. This is one species I’d love to currently own.

Yellow Wrasse - Halichoeres chrysus
These are one of the best wrasses for pest eating and aren't aggressive. They do get a bit bigger than the two above but are similar in terms of how active they are. Colours are great with these guys and they really are the cheaper “Yellow Tang” IMHO.

Melanurus Wrasse - Halichoeres melanurus
These are a slightly more aggressive wrasse compared to the ones above. They also get quite large compared to the rest. These are more likely to go after the larger shrimp such as cleaners where as the smaller guys are more likely to go after smaller shrimp such as sexy shrimp.

RedFin Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis
These are a slightly more aggressive species of fairy wrasse but aren’t close to the Scottorum Group in terms of aggression. These don’t touch shrimp at all, these are planktonic feeders instead of “pest” eaters. These are a larger species of fairy wrasse compared to some of the others so you may want to watch out for that. This also applies to the Whip Fin Fairy, Cirrhilabrus filamentosus.

Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus rubeus
These are a more aggressive species, but again aren’t close to the scottorum group in terms of aggression. These also do not go after shrimp and are planktonic feeders. These are a smaller species of fairy wrasse unlike the larger species.

Hooded Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus
This species is a moderately sized wrasse and isn’t too aggressive. But it can dent the bank. These aren’t as aggressive as the other species mentioned above so will fare better with other wrasses. Again, these are planktonic feeders so should avoid most shrimp.

Paracheilinus spp.
These guys NEED 4’ tanks as when they flash they use everything and in small tanks they crash into objects. I definitely understand the love for these guys but anything less than 4’ and I personally wouldn’t do it. This is my guy but it’s almost impossible to get a good photo of him this early in the morning.
image.jpg



P.S. the dots were to tick off the ones I had done already so ignore the .’s on the list.
 
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DocRose

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And that’s where Halichoeres comes in. These do the same job… with a LOT less aggression.

I assume you want a heavy wrasse tank? If so then here’s what I can say about the wrasses, narrowing it down is up to you.

Radiant Wrasse - Halichoeres iridis
These wrasses are peaceful but will stand up for being bullied. It’s often hard to get them past the shipping phase but once you get them past that phase its a rather easy fish to have. These are great for pest eating and will happily peck at the rocks all day. They remain on the small side so don’t really go for shrimp.
I loved mine as a female but the male is just as stunning (Still wish I had the female colours). The photo below is my own specimen as a male, if I had a photo of him as a female I’d add it for a comparison but I unfortunately don’t.
AFDD6DC2-DD7B-4F64-92CA-F6C8E819ED1C.jpeg


Red Lined Wrasse - Halichoeres biocellatus
This wrasse is just as peaceful as the Radiant and does stand up for itself when an aggressors going at them. These are a great wrasse to own when it comes to pest eating, they graze on the rocks almost constantly. As for shrimp, these are also on the smaller side and are less likely to go after shrimp. Colours on these are stunning as females but as males they’re even more beautiful. This is one species I’d love to currently own.

Yellow Wrasse - Halichoeres chrysus
These are one of the best wrasses for pest eating and aren't aggressive. They do get a bit bigger than the two above but are similar in terms of how active they are. Colours are great with these guys and they really are the cheaper “Yellow Tang” IMHO.

Melanurus Wrasse - Halichoeres melanurus
These are a slightly more aggressive wrasse compared to the ones above. They also get quite large compared to the rest. These are more likely to go after the larger shrimp such as cleaners where as the smaller guys are more likely to go after smaller shrimp such as sexy shrimp.

RedFin Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis
These are a slightly more aggressive species of fairy wrasse but aren’t close to the Scottorum Group in terms of aggression. These don’t touch shrimp at all, these are planktonic feeders instead of “pest” eaters. These are a larger species of fairy wrasse compared to some of the others so you may want to watch out for that. This also applies to the Whip Fin Fairy, Cirrhilabrus filamentosus.

Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus rubeus
These are a more aggressive species, but again aren’t close to the scottorum group in terms of aggression. These also do not go after shrimp and are planktonic feeders. These are a smaller species of fairy wrasse unlike the larger species.

Hooded Fairy Wrasse - Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus
This species is a moderately sized wrasse and isn’t too aggressive. But it can dent the bank. These aren’t as aggressive as the other species mentioned above so will fare better with other wrasses. Again, these are planktonic feeders so should avoid most shrimp.

Paracheilinus spp.
These guys NEED 4’ tanks as when they flash they use everything and in small tanks they crash into objects. I definitely understand the love for these guys but anything less than 4’ and I personally wouldn’t do it. This is my guy but it’s almost impossible to get a good photo of him this early in the morning.
image.jpg



P.S. the dots were to tick off the ones I had done already so ignore the .’s on the list.
Awesome! This is exactly the type of feedback I was looking for. Thank you for the time and detail in your reply!!!
 

i cant think

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Awesome! This is exactly the type of feedback I was looking for. Thank you for the time and detail in your reply!!!
No worries! I tried to simplify it but also keep as much needed information as possible into it. I love to help others out, especially when it comes to this sort of stuff!
 

Lavey29

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The family and I have begun considering what to stock our new 250 with. We've narrowed it down to the list below. Looking for input about the wrasse. I'm aware that some wrasse can go after crustaceans (mainly shrimp). I'm just trying to find out which (if any) in our list of potentials are known to go after shrimp, as we're dead set on having a pistol shrimp and goby. Thanks in advance!

1. Radiant Wrasse
2. Red-Lined Wrasse
3. Red-Fin Fairy Wrasse
4. McCosker's Flasher Wrasse
5. Ruby Longfin Fairy Wrasse
6. Hooded Fairy Wrasse
7. Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse
8. Pink-Streaked Wrasse
9. Filamented Flasher Wrasse
10. Hoeven's Wrasse (Melanurus Wrasse)
11. Yellowfin Flasher Wrasse
12. Yellow Wrasse
13. Whip Fin Fairy Wrasse
14. Blue Flasher Wrasse (Linespot Flasher Wrasse)

It's worth noting that we may introduce a clown pair way down the line.
Are you expecting to put all these wrasses in a medium size tank along with clowns and a goby? If so, no way that will turn out well.

I have the XL300 with 5 wrasses. I have a 6 line, yellow coris, fantail fairy, rohmboid and a blue streak cleaner wrasse along with several other small fish. That's all there is room for. I tried to add a YWG and the wrasses through him out of the neighborhood. I do have cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp and couple peppermint and the wrasses have not bothered them.
 
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DocRose

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Are you expecting to put all these wrasses in a medium size tank along with clowns and a goby? If so, no way that will turn out well.

No. I'm not new to reefing and I'm aware of tanks having a certain fish capacities. That's why I made sure to say, "We've narrowed it down..." Instead of saying "These are the ones we've chosen..." And also "...our list of potentials..." Instead of "...our list of choices..." Plus the clowns are a maybe. We're not decided on whether or not we're going to have anemones (don't want them taking over and killing our corals)...and if we're not going to, then we're not going to do clowns.
 

i cant think

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No. I'm not new to reefing and I'm aware of tanks having a certain fish capacities. That's why I made sure to say, "We've narrowed it down..." Instead of saying "These are the ones we've chosen..." And also "...our list of potentials..." Instead of "...our list of choices..." Plus the clowns are a maybe. We're not decided on whether or not we're going to have anemones (don't want them taking over and killing our corals)...and if we're not going to, then we're not going to do clowns.
If the RS 250 is 3’x2’x2’ and you’re doing a heavy wrasse tank with 1 or 2 other fish I’d say you could possibly get 4-5 wrasses in there, possibly even 6 if they’re smaller species such as Cirrhilabrus lubbocki.
 

Lavey29

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No. I'm not new to reefing and I'm aware of tanks having a certain fish capacities. That's why I made sure to say, "We've narrowed it down..." Instead of saying "These are the ones we've chosen..." And also "...our list of potentials..." Instead of "...our list of choices..." Plus the clowns are a maybe. We're not decided on whether or not we're going to have anemones (don't want them taking over and killing our corals)...and if we're not going to, then we're not going to do clowns.
If I had to suggest one for sure, go for a yellow coris. They are peacefully and brilliantly colored and they hunt pests all day long. You need a sandbed though because they burrow at night.
 

i cant think

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Personally I’d go with the radiant as yellow is a common colour whereas red is more uncommon in terms of smaller fish (Personally I don’t class anthias as smaller fish but also they’re more pinks and oranges).
But, a close second would be the Chrysus as they are a bright colour and do seem add to the pest hunting making it less likely for pests to thrive in the tank.
 

Lavey29

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Personally I’d go with the radiant as yellow is a common colour whereas red is more uncommon in terms of smaller fish (Personally I don’t class anthias as smaller fish but also they’re more pinks and oranges).
But, a close second would be the Chrysus as they are a bright colour and do seem add to the pest hunting making it less likely for pests to thrive in the tank.
It's not just yellow but brilliant yellow as vibrant unmatched.
 

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