Wrasse Options

[roberjed]

I am trying to add a new fish or a pair of fish to my 140 gallon dt. Currently there are 2 clowns and a tang gang( 4 tang). I have seen some really colorful wrasses and was looking for peoples thoughts on reef safe, active and hopefully brightly colored wrasse. Would love to hear your thoughts and maybe even a pic or 2 if you have them! Thanks……

 

[JoJosReef]

Do you have a sand bed? If so, any leopard wrasse would be a great addition, as well as a radiant wrasse. A dusky wrasse would also be fine with those tangs (Halichoeres marginatus). Many people like the melanurus. Note that the melanurus and dusky may be a risk to your smaller inverts, i.e. snails and shrimp. Fairies and flashers make a great colorful display.

 

[Tim92G]

I love my fairy wrasse. Its color is amazing and is the most well behaved fish in my tank. I had a Melanarus wrasse which was equally stunning, but it ate almost all of the snails in my tank, and had some sort of internal parasitic infection from the time I got which it ultimately died from despite attempting anti parasitic treatment many times. This is evidently an issue with sand burrowing wrasses.

 

[PopBot16]

Is one of your Tang Gang a PBT? If so, I'd avoid Wrasses (expect for maybe a Cleaner).

 

[roberjed]

I do have a sand bed. No powder blue…. Purple, white tail, yellow and a flame fin. I do have shrimp and snails. Do you guys think a male/female pair would work? I have read some say keep only 1 wrasse at a time…..

 

[AquaticYeti]

2nd Leopard wrasses. Can be difficult to get a healthy specimen, but if so, they grow to be beautiful and peaceful members of the tank. I have three Wrasses - Fiji blue leopard, black leopard, melanurus. They each get along well with all other tank mates and tend to group together and swim in the tank throughout the day.

 

[56longroof]

I like the leopard wrasses. I have a Ornate,Black,and Choati. If you plan on getting an Ornate put it in last. They can be aggressive.

 

[OrionN]

Black Leopards. Female and Male (nuptial)

Bluethroat Fairy-Flashing

China/Black Back Wrasse. Female, Male, Nuptial male.

Blueside Fairy

Eightline flasher

 

[RobertK]

Male melanurus wrasse is my favorite. But they will eat your snails and shrimp as others have said. And mine died a few years after I got him. He was my favorite fish and I even hired a fish vet to come to my house to try and save him. She said he probably had a mycobacterial infection that he brought with him from the wild, it was not contagious to the other fish but eventually killed him. Not sure how common that is. Wish someone would figure out how to captive breed them!

 

[DD0513]

I recently added a solarensis wrasse and love it. Very active, beautiful multicolored fish. Feeds well and is a great community fish.

 

[OrionN]

Similar to the Melanurus is the Vrolik Wrasse. I find him to be beautiful and not agressive. I rased from a 1.5 inch baby. Bought him as a Melanurus but turn out to be a Vrolik instead.