The Wrasse Lover's Thread!

[Macropharyngodon]

Hey @Slocke, I have a question about leopard Wrasse inter species harems.

Do you need a male to prevent the females from changing?

I had seen really inconsistent info on that. Some peoples females never change, some peoples females change immediately. Is there a rhyme or reason to it? Because there are some females that I would only want the female coloration, but idk if there is a way to make sure they don't change lol.

Also if this is kinda off topic I can move it to a different thread.

 

[JoJosReef]

I’ve always loved the Choati but man, since seeing @Tcook with his Vivien, it made me question my ranking of the Macro species and well, I got a Vivien and earlier this year I had a Choati, I honestly preferred the Vivien’s colouring.

My hope is I can source a Negrosensis and Choati and I may actually get a “Macropharyngodon” (Halichoeres) fairly soon if I decide to pull the trigger and grab one of the two currently sat in my LFS - I’ll let you guess what species I’m referring to

H. lapillus, of course!

 

[Macropharyngodon]

H. lapillus, of course!

An imposter if I have ever seen one... Absolutely amazing colors and patterns though, you have great taste @i cant think!

 

[Slocke]

Hey @Slocke, I have a question about leopard Wrasse inter species harems.

Do you need a male to prevent the females from changing?

I had seen really inconsistent info on that. Some peoples females never change, some peoples females change immediately. Is there a rhyme or reason to it? Because there are some females that I would only want the female coloration, but idk if there is a way to make sure they don't change lol.

Also if this is kinda off topic I can move it to a different thread.

It’s very on topic, this should be called the wrasse nerd thread.

Anyway, wrasse change gender due to a combo of both social and age factors. Most species seem to change at a certain point in their life regardless of social pressures while others seem to only change if there are social pressures. Leopards seem to be somewhere in between with the presence of a male reducing the likelihood of a change and the presence of other females increasing it. When I had two leopards my remaining one looked like it was going male. When the second one disappeared it stopped and still appears female years later. Though, as wrasse have sneaker males, that does not necessarily mean my wrasse that looks female is female.

So to a seer your question. A male may help, multiple females may cause one or more to change but honestly I have no idea, it's all seemingly random sometimes.

My bipartitus in September 2022

In October 2025

 

[Slocke]

I finally got my wrasse book back from my flooded office so I could finish my article. I am kind of tempted to expand it to all wrasse though seeing as so many wrasse are somewhere in between reef safe and not.

 

[Macropharyngodon]

It’s very on topic, this should be called the wrasse nerd thread.

Anyway, wrasse change gender due to a combo of both social and age factors. Most species seem to change at a certain point in their life regardless of social pressures while others seem to only change if there are social pressures. Leopards seem to be somewhere in between with the presence of a male reducing the likelihood of a change and the presence of other females increasing it. When I had two leopards my remaining one looked like it was going male. When the second one disappeared it stopped and still appears female years later. Though, as wrasse have sneaker males, that does not necessarily mean my wrasse that looks female is female.

So to a seer your question. A male may help, multiple females may cause one or more to change but honestly I have no idea, it's all seemingly random sometimes.

My bipartitus in September 2022

In October 2025

Wow, that's very interesting! So generally speaking the safest way to make sure you keep the female coloration would be to keep a full harem of that species?

 

[i cant think]

H. lapillus, of course!

Yep!
Currently in my LFS there’s 2, it’s so tempting to bring one home.
These were them in the bucket with the Vivien.

And my first vivien I had when she was in her prime. Hopefully my current one will become this fat soon with some Prazi treatments (I tend to do 3 doses over 15 days, then pretty much just pump them with live and frozen foods).

 

[85173]

I know of a Wrasse police, but is there a Wrasse ambulance? :)

Macropharyngodon choati of course! Tell me that's not an ambulance coloured fish!?!!

 

[Macropharyngodon]

Macropharyngodon choati of course! Tell me that's not an ambulance coloured fish!?!!

Ah, you are right of course.

 

[Slocke]

Wow, that's very interesting! So generally speaking the safest way to make sure you keep the female coloration would be to keep a full harem of that species?

@i cant think has much more experience then me. Though I believe with leopards more then other species, the male can be another species of leopard and have a similar effect. I'd personally do different species of leopards.

 

[OrionN]

Wow, that's very interesting! So generally speaking the safest way to make sure you keep the female coloration would be to keep a full harem of that species?

Of all the harrems I keep over the years, mostly Meleagris and Black leopards, I always have one male per species per tank. Most of these males were young juveniles that grew up and change.
Only one Black leopard I bought was male from the onset. I never have a female change to male with another male of the same species present.
I do think that the health of the male must be great I order for him to continue to court and suppressed the female from changing. I do feed a lot and have large tanks I can say that my males were never ever thin and weak.

 

[OrionN]

@i cant think has much more experience then me. Though I believe with leopards more then other species, the male can be another species of leopard and have a similar effect. I'd personally do different species of leopards.

I did have a female Black leopard change to male in the present of a male Meleagris Leopard in the tank.

 

[Slocke]

I did have a female Black leopard change to male in the present of a male Meleagris Leopard in the tank.

Good to know

 

[Macropharyngodon]

I did have a female Black leopard change to male in the present of a male Meleagris Leopard in the tank.

Wow, of course lol. good to know, thanks!

 

[Tcook]

I’ve always loved the Choati but man, since seeing @Tcook with his Vivien, it made me question my ranking of the Macro species and well, I got a Vivien.

I don’t think I’ve ever posted a pic of me with my Vivien. You’d probably think what is she doing with that guy?

 

[i cant think]

Here she is after landing into the tank yesterday. A quick RO bath removed what remained of the fluke, now to fatten her up and help her settle, then in hopefully 3-4 days the first Prazi run will be done.

 

[Slocke]

I fixed it for you

Oh, you italicized it…
Well this is my thoughts on italicizing:

 

[OrionN]

The Meleagris Leopard male almost always looks like this. Color even become brighter with lighter blue during courtship display. I just snap this with my phone wen I got home at 6 PM.

 

[Tcook]

The Meleagris Leopard male almost always looks like this. Color even become brighter with lighter blue during courtship display. I just snap this with my phone wen I got home at 6 PM.

All those colors in the dorsal fin too

 

[i cant think]

The Meleagris Leopard male almost always looks like this. Color even become brighter with lighter blue during courtship display. I just snap this with my phone wen I got home at 6 PM.

The meleagris is nice, but the neoguinaicus is truly trying to take the attention!