The Wrasse Lover's Thread!

[i cant think]

Good rule to know! I have 2 sand sleepers currently in my 3'. Would you put in another Halichoeres or Macropharyngodon, or would you go with a non-sand-sleeper like a Cirrhilabrus (a C. rubeus is already going in soonish) or a possum? Pinkies are out unless I want to go overbudget.

Tank situation: H. chrysus, M. bipartitus, TSB, exquisite firefish, yasha goby, pair of clowns. Everyone very peaceful so far. Fed 4x/day liquid and 3x/day TDO pellets, plus Tues-Fri baby brine shrimp 1-3x/day and occasional supplemental feeds for fun (masstick press-ons, freeze dried mysis/calanus, liquid Mysis Feast or Pod feasts...). Having a hard time keeping NO3 positive and PO4 is now settling around 0.06ppm. A very little bit of Valonia, but othewise no nuisance algae explaining the low nutrients--it's all going to the corals it seems. So I don't feel like I'm over-bioloading the system. Don't want to overcrowd either, but no one seems bothered so far...

Thanks!!

If you wanted then absolutely fit in a 3rd, I don’t see an issue with that personally.

 

[Slocke]

I'm curious, what makes the M. Choati so appealing to wrasse keepers? Seen pictures of them, and I saw one in store yesterday. They're beautiful, but why are they seen as the best leopard wrasse?

It’s one of my least favorite (though still very pretty) honestly. For me and leopards the cuter the better so for me the bipartitus, negroensis, cyanoguttatus, Vivienna, and and geoffroyi are all much cuter as females. And meleagris has the cuteness but also has this incredible sparkle like no other fish.

I like my budget choati the H timorensis though it is my most aggressive salt pig.

 

[LeonardTheWrasse]

Yes, you’ll want to keep to a certain number of sand sleepers - I personally have 3 in my 4’ however did have 4 at one point and plan for 2 in my 3’ tank.

IMO, you should keep to around 1’ per sand sleeper. However it’s fine if you go over as they all find their own ‘room’ eventually.

Thanks.
By 1', do you mean square foot? So would that mean in a 2' by 3' tank, it has 6' squared?
I was only planning on 4 sand sleepers at max, would that be pushing it?

 

[JoJosReef]

I haven't seen an M. choati in person yet, but by pics it also isn't top of my list. M. geoffroyi is above it--but I haven't seen that one either and imagine it isn't a budget leopard either.

A local here posted a juvenile C. cyanogularis for $45. Beautiful wrasse, but aren't these right there next to scottorum in aggression? Thinking about posting a light warning to the locals to think before buying.

 

[tbrown]

@Mschmidt here's the Wrasse thread if you're interested.

 

[JoJosReef]

Welcome @Mschmidt ! Enjoy the refreshments and the games, like "Rank That Wrasse"! We just finished the Pseudojuloides edition. Now that @Slocke is back from Paradise... er, worky work... I'm sure the games will begin again!

 

[tbrown]

Thanks.
By 1', do you mean square foot? So would that mean in a 2' by 3' tank, it has 6' squared?
I was only planning on 4 sand sleepers at max, would that be pushing it?

I would imagine rockwork plays into that equation as well. I have. 6' by 18" tank but with the rockwork it deducts probably close.to 4' of sandbed which would only give me 5 square feet of sand bed instead of the 9 square feet of glass.

Am I wrong in my analytical analysis?

 

[JoJosReef]

My leopard takes up a very small spot next to my setosa. I have no idea if she'd be bothered by another sand sleeper within a foot of her on all sides.

Might also be worth considering how the rockwork breaks up the sand bed into different "sleeping quarters". Does that make sense?

 

[JoJosReef]

Also, my best guess is that my H. chrysus sleeps underneath the branching GSP nearby;

Yes, I used a blue arrow for the yellow wrasse and a yellow arrow for the blue star leopard wrasse...

 

[Tcook]

Good rule to know! I have 2 sand sleepers currently in my 3'. Would you put in another Halichoeres or Macropharyngodon, or would you go with a non-sand-sleeper like a Cirrhilabrus (a C. rubeus is already going in soonish) or a possum? Pinkies are out unless I want to go overbudget.

Tank situation: H. chrysus, M. bipartitus, TSB, exquisite firefish, yasha goby, pair of clowns. Everyone very peaceful so far. Fed 4x/day liquid and 3x/day TDO pellets, plus Tues-Fri baby brine shrimp 1-3x/day and occasional supplemental feeds for fun (masstick press-ons, freeze dried mysis/calanus, liquid Mysis Feast or Pod feasts...). Having a hard time keeping NO3 positive and PO4 is now settling around 0.06ppm. A very little bit of Valonia, but othewise no nuisance algae explaining the low nutrients--it's all going to the corals it seems. So I don't feel like I'm over-bioloading the system. Don't want to overcrowd either, but no one seems bothered so far...

Thanks!!

TSB?

A babi or vivien would do well. Babi won’t take crap from anyone but also doesn’t dish it out.

 

[Slocke]

I guess I have 5 sand sleepers in 7.5ft^2 and 4 in 9ft^2. Then 7 non sand sleepers.

 

[JoJosReef]

TSB?

A babi or vivien would do well. Babi won’t take crap from anyone but also doesn’t dish it out.

Tailspot Blenny. H. pallidus is gorgeous! Never seen one, though. Vivienne, too, but I've never seen them available and think a darker leopard would contrast better with the M. biparititis. I'll ask about the babi, throw in another option!

 

[Mschmidt]

@Mschmidt here's the Wrasse thread if you're interested.

Welcome @Mschmidt ! Enjoy the refreshments and the games, like "Rank That Wrasse"! We just finished the Pseudojuloides edition. Now that @Slocke is back from Paradise... er, worky work... I'm sure the games will begin again!

O e been in and out. But don't know enough to play well.

 

[i cant think]

Good rule to know! I have 2 sand sleepers currently in my 3'. Would you put in another Halichoeres or Macropharyngodon, or would you go with a non-sand-sleeper like a Cirrhilabrus (a C. rubeus is already going in soonish) or a possum? Pinkies are out unless I want to go overbudget.

Tank situation: H. chrysus, M. bipartitus, TSB, exquisite firefish, yasha goby, pair of clowns. Everyone very peaceful so far. Fed 4x/day liquid and 3x/day TDO pellets, plus Tues-Fri baby brine shrimp 1-3x/day and occasional supplemental feeds for fun (masstick press-ons, freeze dried mysis/calanus, liquid Mysis Feast or Pod feasts...). Having a hard time keeping NO3 positive and PO4 is now settling around 0.06ppm. A very little bit of Valonia, but othewise no nuisance algae explaining the low nutrients--it's all going to the corals it seems. So I don't feel like I'm over-bioloading the system. Don't want to overcrowd either, but no one seems bothered so far...

Thanks!!

How about…
M. negrosensis and H. iridis for the last sand sleepers then Cirrhilabrus isosceles or maybe a Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus to put with the Rubeus.

 

[i cant think]

O e been in and out. But don't know enough to play well.

We can teach you the ways of the wrasse ;)

 

[JoJosReef]

How about…
M. negrosensis and H. iridis for the last sand sleepers then Cirrhilabrus isosceles or maybe a Cirrhilabrus hygroxerus to put with the Rubeus.

Haha, had to look up the hygroxerus! Have you ever seen one in an LFS or distributor? That is a great looking fairy.

Iridis I thought was just a tad too much for my 3' tank, but it is one of my top wrasses for when the big boy tank comes (let's imagine 2025). Isosceles another contender if it doesn't break the bank. Same complex as brunneus, right?

 

[JoJosReef]

O e been in and out. But don't know enough to play well.

Plenty to learn here! I started out thinking wrasses were overrated minnows. Now shooting for a wrasse dominant tank!

 

[CBonito]

Yes, you’ll want to keep to a certain number of sand sleepers - I personally have 3 in my 4’ however did have 4 at one point and plan for 2 in my 3’ tank.

IMO, you should keep to around 1’ per sand sleeper. However it’s fine if you go over as they all find their own ‘room’ eventually.

Same here. I plan for 2 in a 3' tank. I'm not giving up the slot unless I find something exotic though.

 

[CBonito]

Plenty to learn here! I started out thinking wrasses were overrated minnows. Now shooting for a wrasse dominant tank!

I never had much interest in them either because anytime I went to an LFS, they only had maybe a bird wrasse or a lunar wrasse or something like that which I couldn't have anyway. So I kind of dismissed them all not even being aware of how many cool ones there are.

 

[i cant think]

Haha, had to look up the hygroxerus! Have you ever seen one in an LFS or distributor? That is a great looking fairy.

Iridis I thought was just a tad too much for my 3' tank, but it is one of my top wrasses for when the big boy tank comes (let's imagine 2025). Isosceles another contender if it doesn't break the bank. Same complex as brunneus, right?

I’ve seen one young male, it was a stunner but I had just picked up my isosceles and the last space I had was for a choats (I now have 2 spaces - 1 for a choats and 1 for a gorgeous other wrasse).