The Wrasse Lover's Thread!

[HSLSaltwater]

Leopards or the Macropharyngodon(meaning throat teeth) genus are by far my favorite.

I have owned every one with the exception of the M. Chaoti(my holy grail).

They are so beautiful. Would love to have more of them but I’m scared of the aggression

 

[HSLSaltwater]

You realize Coris aygula is a 3ft fish?
Also all Thalassoma are very aggressive and will kill any fish and inverts significantly smaller then it.

Stick with
Anampses
Cirrhilabrus
Halichoeres
Labroides (CB or last)
Macropharyngodon
Paracheilinus
Wetmorella

And the individual species
Pseudohilinops attaenia
Xenojulis margaritaceous

I didt know that thanks. I’ll look the to the list you posted!

 

[Slocke]

They are so beautiful. Would love to have more of them but I’m scared of the aggression

They are very very peaceful

 

[homer1475]

They are so beautiful. Would love to have more of them but I’m scared of the aggression

You can keep multiple leopards at a time without issue.

I had at one time:
Negrosensis
Kuiters
moyeri
melagris
ornatus

all in the same tank without issues.

My personal experience, and acclimation box is a must when introducing wrasses to an already established hierarchy.

But as @Slocke already pointed out, the leopard genus are all very peaceful fish.

 

[Slocke]

@HSLSaltwater check this out

The Wrasse Guy - All About Reef Safe Wrasses

Introduction Below, you will find sections about: these guidelines, wrasses which qualify as reef safe, the general requirements, feeding, shipping, quarantine, adding new wrasses to your system, mixing species and genera, the acclimation box, protogynous hermaphroditism & sexual dichromatism,

www.thewrasseguy.com

 

[HSLSaltwater]

@HSLSaltwater check this out

The Wrasse Guy - All About Reef Safe Wrasses

Introduction Below, you will find sections about: these guidelines, wrasses which qualify as reef safe, the general requirements, feeding, shipping, quarantine, adding new wrasses to your system, mixing species and genera, the acclimation box, protogynous hermaphroditism & sexual dichromatism,

www.thewrasseguy.com

Thanks a lot all I’ll definitely consider a couple of leopards then. Just need to make sure I have enough copepods etc

 

[HSLSaltwater]

You can keep multiple leopards at a time without issue.

I had at one time:
Negrosensis
Kuiters
moyeri
melagris
ornatus

all in the same tank without issues.

My personal experience, and acclimation box is a must when introducing wrasses to an already established hierarchy.

But as @Slocke already pointed out, the leopard genus are all very peaceful fish.

Amazing I’ll probably only go for them then since they are (according to me) the most beautiful. How many can you stock in a 120g before it gets to crowded? If I can manage to keep up the food ofc.

 

[homer1475]

Your nutrient level will be the determining factor on how much you can stock.

 

[JoJosReef]

Coris Aygula
Halichoeres Ornatissimus
Macropharyngodon bipartitus
Thalassoma trilobatum
Paracheilinus Carpenterii

Are wrasses I have been looking at. The only one I don’t want to change out is the leopard one.

bipartitis is a great choice. Keep that one!

For a 120, you can go with a healthy combo of sand sleepers and fairies/flashers. Pink streaks may become lost in a tank like that, especially if the fairies are on the aggressive side.

I'd also have a black leopard, yellow tail tamarin or red tail tamarin to complement the blue star leopard. I'd go black leopard + twistii tamarin, though :-)

Lots of great Halichoeres, but H. iridis would be top of my list. Maybe a babi too. And a yellow pig.

For fairies, check the wrasseguy fairy mixing chart that is spattered across these pages. If I had a 120, naokoae, rhomboid, lubbocki, brunneus, and bathyphilus would be on the list (assuming jordani still isn't available). Maybe an exquisitus (Fiji) and a fine spot. Possibly a labouti. Lots of choices! Why not an earlei while we're at it!

I like carpenteri, but some here might suggest going for gold with an attenuatus or a hemi!

 

[JoJosReef]

You can keep multiple leopards at a time without issue.

I had at one time:
Negrosensis
Kuiters
moyeri
melagris
ornatus

all in the same tank without issues.

My personal experience, and acclimation box is a must when introducing wrasses to an already established hierarchy.

But as @Slocke already pointed out, the leopard genus are all very peaceful fish.

That must have been an amazing sight when all those leopards were out and about!

 

[HSLSaltwater]

Your nutrient level will be the determining factor on how much you can stock.

So stocking heavy in copepods then. I have a freshly started refug with some pods in but I’ll probably have to feed new live ones as well I assume.

 

[homer1475]

bipartitis is a great choice. Keep that one!

For a 120, you can go with a healthy combo of sand sleepers and fairies/flashers. Pink streaks may become lost in a tank like that, especially if the fairies are on the aggressive side.

I'd also have a black leopard, yellow tail tamarin or red tail tamarin to complement the blue star leopard. I'd go black leopard + twistii tamarin, though :-)

Lots of great Halichoeres, but H. iridis would be top of my list. Maybe a babi too. And a yellow pig.

For fairies, check the wrasseguy fairy mixing chart that is spattered across these pages. If I had a 120, naokoae, rhomboid, lubbocki, brunneus, and bathyphilus would be on the list (assuming jordani still isn't available). Maybe an exquisitus (Fiji) and a fine spot. Possibly a labouti. Lots of choices! Why not an earlei while we're at it!

I like carpenteri, but some here might suggest going for gold with an attenuatus or a hemi!

Hemi for sure out of that list.

 

[homer1475]

So stocking heavy in copepods then. I have a freshly started refug with some pods in but I’ll probably have to feed new live ones as well I assume.

Keep in mind, not to just stock pods, but feed them too. Well fed pods, reproduce like rabbits.

In my 80 with all those leopards, I also have a breeding pair of mandarins(they have been with me for many years now, and are very fat and happy).

But, and this a big BUT, I feed my pods daily(live phytoplankton, and a ridiculous amount(3ml/G)) when I feed my fish.

Even with all those pod eaters, I still have thousands on my glass in the AM. Its like a buffet for my fish when they wake up first thing.

 

[homer1475]

EMERGENCY - Fish breathing heavy

I Have a blue tang and a green bird wrasse breathing very heavy. I suspect the blue tang has got flukes as it keep on swim against the current and dash towards the rocks. Now the wrasse is lying on the ground and blue tang hiding in rock breathing heavy. i dont have any medication ready. What...

www.reef2reef.com

Sad story, but this has a bird wrasse(albeit dead) with it's mouth partially open for anyone curious. Their mouth is similar to a bottle nose dolphin.

 

[HSLSaltwater]

Keep in mind, not to just stock pods, but feed them too. Well fed pods, reproduce like rabbits.

In my 80 with all those leopards, I also have a breeding pair of mandarins(they have been with me for many years now, and are very fat and happy).

But, and this a big BUT, I feed my pods daily(live phytoplankton, and a ridiculous amount(3ml/G)) when I feed my fish.

Even with all those pod eaters, I still have thousands on my glass in the AM. Its like a buffet for my fish when they wake up first thing.

I feed phyto to the tank when I started the refuge and probably will set up a phyto breeding box or 2 after reading this. I also feed the fish I have now 2 times a day with frozen brine shrimps. And willing to up that amount significantly with some wrasses.

Next question, when to add them and is it best to add all at the same time?

 

[JoJosReef]

So stocking heavy in copepods then. I have a freshly started refug with some pods in but I’ll probably have to feed new live ones as well I assume.

They're all pigs and will eat everything. Keep up the pods so that they can hunt all day, bit I feed heavy with food like ROE and TDO pellets and they gorge themselves. ROE will help you put weight on them for sure. They also like the freeze dried calanus and mysis if you can get that to work -- a plank feeder probably works best

I also hatch baby brine shrimp and sump them in the tank. Not expressly for nutrition, but like an entertaining snack for them. They love it.

 

[homer1475]

Whenever you want, and yes.

Although if you add them in groups or singly, always use an acclimation box.

FYI brine shrimp are a complete waste of money. They are more like candy then actual food.

Mysis is what you want to be feeding, with some pellet or flake added in for the nutrition. Even a better frozen like LRS, or Rods would be perfect too.

 

[HSLSaltwater]

Whenever you want, and yes.

Although if you add them in groups or singly, always use an acclimation box.

FYI brine shrimp are a complete waste of money. They are more like candy then actual food.

Mysis is what you want to be feeding, with some pellet or flake added in for the nutrition. Even a better frozen like LRS, or Rods would be perfect too.

Okey I’ll go buy some mysis straight after work. Thanks. I’ll contact my LFS importer and set up a wish list

 

[Slocke]

EMERGENCY - Fish breathing heavy

I Have a blue tang and a green bird wrasse breathing very heavy. I suspect the blue tang has got flukes as it keep on swim against the current and dash towards the rocks. Now the wrasse is lying on the ground and blue tang hiding in rock breathing heavy. i dont have any medication ready. What...

www.reef2reef.com

Sad story, but this has a bird wrasse(albeit dead) with it's mouth partially open for anyone curious. Their mouth is similar to a bottle nose dolphin.

It is sad but now I wish he’d open its mouth fully for us…

 

[homer1475]

I feed my wrasses/fish/inverts

TDO chromoboost
Nori - Crumbled in the pellet feeder.
Algae max pellets
Ocean nutrition pellets

These are on an autofeeder that feeds once in the AM, and once again in the PM.

I then feed a chunk of LRS, PE mysis, ROE, and 3ml/G of live phyto at dinner time.