The Wrasse Lover's Thread!

[Fishfreak2009]

Is probably go mostly sand sleeping species so Halichoeres, Anampses, Macropharyngodon, and Xenojulis.

As a starting list to look through I would say;
Macropharyngodon meleagris
Macropharyndodon bipartitus
Macropharyngodon meleagris
Halichoeres iridis
Halichoeres leucoxanthus
Halichoeres melanurus
Halichoeres cosmetus
Halichoeres lapillus
Halichoeres melasmapomus
Halichoeres trispilus
Anampses meleagris
Anampses neoguinaicus
Anampses melanurus
Xenojulis margaritaceus

Fairies and Flashers may not cope too well in an established tank with high activity tangs. I’m not too sure why but wrasses seem to be fine in high active wrasse tanks but not so much when there’s 2-3 tangs in there that are established. It may just be from competition of food.
But fairies to consider would be the larger species like;
Cirrhilabrus lineatus
Cirrhilabrus laboutei
Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa
Cirrhilabrus cyanogularis

They’re all fairly more boisterous species and will be able to hold their own with your current fairy (which appears to be a Cirrhilabrus chalasai).

I'd also add the Pseudojuloides wrasses to that list of sand sleepers if you can find a healthy specimen locally. And as far as the Halichoeres go, I wouldn't hesitate to add H. timorensis and H. marginatus, just start with juveniles. Some people have found the timor to be more aggressive, mine was fine with anything but tiny shrimp like sexy shrimp, brittle stars (he wanted to eat them, but they quickly learned to only come out at night which was fine), and small shrimp added after he was established and grew larger.

To that list of fairies, I'd add:
Cirrhilabrus briangreenei
Cirrhilabrus filamentosus
Cirrhilabrus ryukyuensis
Cirrhilabrus isosceles (mine did well in a VERY busy active tank, but that's just my personal experience).
Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki (which is smaller, but seems more than capable from holding its own in my experience)

 

[Tcook]

Some Sad news to report my McCoskers some how Jumped out of my tank, I have Clear View lid with a couple doors, found him on top of lid. Not sure if he hit door just right or not.

May have popped out while you were feeding and didn’t notice. I lost a vivien that way.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Wrasse Wednesday! Horrible pics since it's my poorly lit, permanently scratched and cloudy glass quarantine, and late at night here, but I managed to snap a few pics before everyone went to bed. The ornate leopard, bluestreak cleaner, yellow banded possum, and whipfin were all sleeping already, but got the yellowflank, blue sided, and katoi! And it's an even worse pic since the lemonpeel moved, but look at how fat! Aiming to keep them all this thick with frequent feedings. You can see a pretty good belly on the katoi as well, the others are slowly getting there!

 

[i cant think]

I'd also add the Pseudojuloides wrasses to that list of sand sleepers if you can find a healthy specimen locally.

Honestly, I disagree with this. This genus is easily starved - there are species that do well like Kaleidos but with the tank being established I wouldn’t risk it. If the tank was in the early stages of being stocked I wouldn’t hesitate to do that.

And as far as the Halichoeres go, I wouldn't hesitate to add H. timorensis and H. marginatus, just start with juveniles. Some people have found the timor to be more aggressive, mine was fine with anything but tiny shrimp like sexy shrimp, brittle stars (he wanted to eat them, but they quickly learned to only come out at night which was fine), and small shrimp added after he was established and grew larger.

To that list of fairies, I'd add:
Cirrhilabrus briangreenei
Cirrhilabrus filamentosus
Cirrhilabrus ryukyuensis
Cirrhilabrus isosceles (mine did well in a VERY busy active tank, but that's just my personal experience).
Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus
Cirrhilabrus lubbocki (which is smaller, but seems more than capable from holding its own in my experience)

Bathyphilus is one I wouldn’t add simply by the issues of active tanks and aggression from others.
Lubbocki I agree with, my two were the bosses and would happily go round the tank patrolling with each other.

 

[Slocke]

On the other hand my YTT aka A meleagrides is putting on weight again. Was really worried for a few months. Always a good eater but suddenly got skinny. Back to healthy again now it seems.

 

[i cant think]

On the other hand my YTT aka A meleagrides is putting on weight again. Was really worried for a few months. Always a good eater but suddenly got skinny. Back to healthy again now it seems.

That’s great to hear! She’s a gorgeous fish and one I actually may try out - would you believe it if I said I’ve never kept a tamarin outside of an LFS, I couldn’t believe it myself haha.

 

[Slocke]

That’s great to hear! She’s a gorgeous fish and one I actually may try out - would you believe it if I said I’ve never kept a tamarin outside of an LFS, I couldn’t believe it myself haha.

You should! A good replacement for your jade. You get the size without the temperament.

 

[i cant think]

You should! A good replacement for your jade. You get the size without the temperament.

A Lennardi is the one I’d love but can’t stand the price tag they come with.

 

[Slocke]

A Lennardi is the one I’d love but can’t stand the price tag they come with.

Yeah
Them and femininus are both incredible but can anyone risk the price with their difficulty? My LFS certainly won’t and I understand that.

 

[TehBrainz]

Here’s the absolute race that is the algae clip. You can see some of the wrasses that hate being photoed that love the algae!


And you can also see the reason that Jade needs gone.

That algae sheet got demolished. I tightly fold my nori like WWC discusses in their videos and it stops the tangs from ripping it out of the clip.

I dont have near the activity during nori feeding as you do though so it may not be of help.

Also, anyone else surprised by wrasses' love for nori? My bluesided fairy is one of the first to go after the clip when I'm moving it into position. I had no idea

 

[i cant think]

That algae sheet got demolished. I tightly fold my nori like WWC discusses in their videos and it stops the tangs from ripping it out of the clip.

I’ve not tried that yet, i wonder if it would work.

I dont have near the activity during nori feeding as you do though so it may not be of help.

Also, anyone else surprised by wrasses' love for nori? My bluesided fairy is one of the first to go after the clip when I'm moving it into position. I had no idea

I know right! Wrasses are not a fish I’d expect to eat nori. But then again, the most surprising one in my tank was my Tilefish. I never thought he’d be straight at the clip and eating algae.

 

[OrionN]

I’ve not tried that yet, i wonder if it would work.

I know right! Wrasses are not a fish I’d expect to eat nori. But then again, the most surprising one in my tank was my Tilefish. I never thought he’d be straight at the clip and eating algae.

Tightly fold Nori is the way to put them on a clip. Use multiple clips. My PBT and Purple tangs are agressive

 

[Slocke]

Fold it twice via the corners

 

[i cant think]

Fold it twice via the corners

That’s one reason I can’t justify a yellow tang, look at how yellow your foxface is!

 

[TehBrainz]

That’s one reason I can’t justify a yellow tang, look at how yellow your foxface is!

Foxface is one of my favorite additions I've made the last year!

There's still a wrasse in the video so it pertains to this thread lol

 

[i cant think]

I love how the videos you’d expect to see in the tang or angel thread (nori feedings) are more often in the wrasse thread

 

[Wrassenaround]

I just acclimated and introduced a Timor, Naoko's and Carpenter Flasher.
The Carpenter is rather photogenic even with the lights off.
Anyone know how to build a tree house in a fish tank since its hanging out in the leather

 

[i cant think]

I just acclimated and introduced a Timor, Naoko's and Carpenter Flasher.
The Carpenter is rather photogenic even with the lights off.
Anyone know how to build a tree house in a fish tank since its hanging out in the leather

You’ve hit the jackpot with that “carpenters” that’s actually a flavianalis which is arguably rarer and much nicer!

 

[Wrassenaround]

You’ve hit the jackpot with that “carpenters” that’s actually a flavianalis which is arguably rarer and much nicer!

Well thats great to know! How can you tell the difference? Also, what makes them rarer? More difficult to keep or just harder to find in the wild?

 

[i cant think]

Well thats great to know! How can you tell the difference? Also, what makes them rarer? More difficult to keep or just harder to find in the wild?

Overall, they’re just harder to find in the hobby. If you look for them you’ll find them but it’s one of the harder species to just stumble across.

The way to tell the difference is all in the anal fin - solid yellow is a flavianalis but if it’s like this it’s a carpenteri.

That is my Carpenteri, a lesser noticeable difference is in the striping. That photo shows this difference better as you can clearly see the stripes, this is a fish which the striping is easily missed.