The Wrasse Lover's Thread!

[aherre07]

Wanted to update on the Radiant addition to the tank, all is well and the newest wrasse addition went into gen pop without a problem. Here’s a short video to show the tank and its other wrasse inhabitants (easiest way to show decent pics of them) the only wrasse that doesn’t make it in the video is the Moyeri Leopard who seems to dart behind rocks when I approach tank…

 

[Fishfreak2009]

Anyone on here successfully kept (i.e. more than a few months) any of the Stethojulis wrasses?

I'm considering a second attempt. My previous attempt was in a 110 gallon (4'L) system, where it was just too active and never settled down well. Lost weight even with multiple dewormings (and different dewormers used) as well as feeding heavily with frozen 6-8x daily. The fish ate well, just continued to slowly lose weight over the span of 6 months until it eventually passed.

For a second attempt, it would be going in an 8' 240 gallon system. My previous specimen was extremely outgoing, but did not bother any other tankmates, even ignoring the sexy shrimps, Bruun's cleaner shrimps, and Pederson's anemone shrimp that lived in the system.

I'm wondering if the size difference in the tank will help it better settle in, and if maybe Panacur (fenbendazole) would give me a better chance of success over the praziquantel and levamisole I used for my previous specimen (2019).

Pic and video of my previous Stethojulis balteata for tax:

 

[Raul-7]

Wrasse's are gorgeous, kind of like mini Parrotfish, but how come they're not as popular as Tangs?

 

[Slocke]

Wrasse's are gorgeous, kind of like mini Parrotfish, but how come they're not as popular as Tangs?

There is no tang lover thread. Tangs are just fish people put in their tanks because they think they should. Wrasse are for people who like fish.

 

[i cant think]

Wrasse's are gorgeous, kind of like mini Parrotfish, but how come they're not as popular as Tangs?

People want big show piece fish, not a small darting fish that they won’t see in high activity tanks unless kept in large groups (which it seems to be common belief that wrasses can only be kept as a single specimen and not in groups).


But hey, there are wrasse lovers out there and most of us don’t want these huge tangs (or can’t have most tangs we all love).

 

[Raul-7]

There is no tang lover thread. Tangs are just fish people put in their tanks because they think they should. Wrasse are for people who like fish.

But Tangs are more popular. Look at any large reef build, there's a high chance you will find 3-4 species of Tang.

People want big show piece fish, not a small darting fish that they won’t see in high activity tanks unless kept in large groups (which it seems to be common belief that wrasses can only be kept as a single specimen and not in groups).


But hey, there are wrasse lovers out there and most of us don’t want these huge tangs (or can’t have most tangs we all love).

But they add a lot of color and dynamism like Cichlids.

Are you sure they can live in groups? Read a lot of stories of intraspecies and interspecies aggression.

 

[JoJosReef]

There is no tang lover thread. Tangs are just fish people put in their tanks because they think they should. Wrasse are for people who like fish.

Dunno, I'd absolutely love an Achilles. I'll take my lashes now.

 

[Slocke]

But Tangs are more popular. Look at any large reef build, there's a high chance you will find 3-4 species of Tang.

Yes but are they anything more than filler fish. Are any of these people passionate about their tangs or did they toss them in for algae control and/or as a bug filler fish

 

[Slocke]

Dunno, I'd absolutely love an Achilles. I'll take my lashes now.

Achilles is the exception. They are phenomenal

 

[Raul-7]

Yes but are they anything more than filler fish. Are any of these people passionate about their tangs or did they toss them in for algae control and/or as a bug filler fish

Of course they are - Achilles [as mentioned], Naso, Yellow, Blue, Powder, etc. Plenty of them are added for their beauty and popularity not just their functional status.

 

[Slocke]

Of course they are - Achilles [as mentioned], Naso, Yellow, Blue, Powder, etc. Plenty of them are added for their beauty and popularity not just their functional status.

Then why is there no tang lovers thread? Theres an angel one, the wrasse one of course, smaller species have some less active ones. There’s a bunch of show off your ____ too but not really about tangs. They’re popular yes but so is nickelback ;) :face-with-tears-of-joy:

 

[JoJosReef]

nickelback ;) :face-with-tears-of-joy:

 

[Raul-7]

Sorry to derail the thread.

Now my question, do they do well solitary or in groups? Do they exhibit interspecies and intraspecies aggression?

 

[i cant think]

Of course they are - Achilles [as mentioned], Naso, Yellow, Blue, Powder, etc. Plenty of them are added for their beauty and popularity not just their functional status.

I don’t believe people are actually having yellows for their ‘beauty’ they’re downright nasty and honestly, they don’t have the brightest yellow. That goes to Forcipiger flavissimus and Forcipiger longirostris.

But Tangs are more popular. Look at any large reef build, there's a high chance you will find 3-4 species of Tang.



But they add a lot of color and dynamism like Cichlids.

Are you sure they can live in groups? Read a lot of stories of intraspecies and interspecies aggression.

This is the issue why wrasses are more unpopular in comparison to tangs. Everyone is under this belief that all wrasses have to be kept as one in a tank only whilst tangs are 5-6 in a tank.

Most of us wrasse lovers have 9-10 in one tank alone. Here’s just 4 of my 13-14 wrasses. The first photo is in my nano the other photos are in my 4’ tank together.

As you can see I have several Paracheilinus and Cirrhilabrus species together and I also have 2 (previously 3) Halichoeres species cohabitating together. The genera I personally keep are;
Cirrhilabrus
Paracheilinus
Halichoeres
Pseudocheilinops
Xenojulis
Macropharyngodon
Labroides

Everyone gets along with eachother currently so hopefully this answers your question of inter specific aggression.

Intraspecific aggression is a hard one to answer as it’s a yes and a no at the same time - Some specimens of the same species live together for years in our tanks and form pairs (Often the case with Macropharyngodon, Anampses, Pseudocheilinops and Pseudojuloides). Others tend to form pairs then the female will transition and results in death of one or the other (Usually seen with Paracheilinus, Halichoeres and Cirrhilabrus species).


A lot of the stories of intra and inter species aggression are ‘a friend’s brother of mine…’ and rarely actually from first hand experience. There are species we say not to mix with other wrasses but these are species that have a bad reputation of outright murder.

 

[Zionas]

It would be interesting to keep Bodianus in pairs, if anyone’s done it. I’ve also seen Labroides kept in pairs, and they spawned for years. Agree about the types that often result in 2 males that start fighting.

 

[Unique Fins]

Crazy holy grail! - True Japanese Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus (sub male)

Collected from deepwater Japan, about 3"

Another nice wrasse coming this week, first in the trade

 

[JoJosReef]

.

So cute! My QT guy is still looking for a young pinkie. Tempted to ask him for a pair...

 

[homer1475]

Crazy holy grail! - True Japanese Cirrhilabrus lanceolatus (sub male)

Collected from deepwater Japan, about 3"

Another nice wrasse coming this week, first in the trade

I don't know, the hump in the back makes it look very odd. Almost like it has a disease of some sort.

 

[twentyleagues]

I don't know, the hump in the back makes it look very odd. Almost like it has a disease of some sort.

I thought the same thing! It doesnt look good. Looks like genetic defects seen in fw live bearers.

 

[Slocke]

Idk it kinda looks like the type of fish you’d spend thousands for at a certain reefing professional store ;) Right @Crabby48?