Wrasses

[Hilltopreef90]

I have a yellow Coris wrasse in a 90 gallon tank, I’d like to add another wrasse and wondered which ones are best as far as compatibility and reef safe ?
I’d like a McKoster flasher wrasse or a fairy wrasse
Open to suggestions

 

[MarshallB]

Either of those should be fine. I currently have leapord and a melanurus wrasse with my coris and all 3 get a long great. I suggest both of these. They have amazing colors and really are not difficult to keep. If you QT your fish, just put a dish with some sand in it so they can bury themselves when they sleep at night.

 

[ReefGeezer]

With the exception of Butthead 6-lines, the reef-safe(ish) Wrasses seem to ignore each other. I have a 4" Malanurus in my 90 along with a smaller Lubboks Fairy Wrasse right now, and plan to add a couple more. Yellow Choris Wrasses are pretty docile toward anything except maybe snails & hermit crabs. Just about any Wrasse suitable for a 90 would be fine.

 

[Hilltopreef90]

With the exception of Butthead 6-lines, the reef-safe(ish) Wrasses seem to ignore each other. I have a 4" Malanurus in my 90 along with a smaller Lubboks Fairy Wrasse right now, and plan to add a couple more. Yellow Choris Wrasses are pretty docile toward anything except maybe snails & hermit crabs. Just about any Wrasse suitable for a 90 would be fine.

I heard some of the wrasses eat shrimp, I have a cleaner shrimp and a pistol shrimp, will they be at risk with a melanurus?

 

[GSnake]

hey,
was looking into wrasses this week too. im setting up a 90G (converting from af.cichlids)

https://www.thewrasseguy.com/all-about-reef-safe-wrasses
that was a great resource for me - i plan to get laboutes, golden rhomboid, lineatus, exquisite. bluestar leopard and either radiant or a yellow coris

so far i have 3 flasher wrasses and a pintail , and they are great (56g)

 

[blaxsun]

My sixline has been awesome with the yellow coris wrasse (YMMV).

 

[ReefGeezer]

I heard some of the wrasses eat shrimp, I have a cleaner shrimp and a pistol shrimp, will they be at risk with a melanurus?

I don't know for sure.

 

[Trouble1375]

I don't know for sure.

I have a melanurus and he hunts down any and all shrimp. He has not gotten the pistol but he destroys peppermints, cleaners and fireshrimp as soon as they molt while they are vulnerable.

 

[GSnake]

I have a melanurus and he hunts down any and all shrimp. He has not gotten the pistol but he destroys peppermints, cleaners and fireshrimp as soon as they molt while they are vulnerable.

yup, yellow coris is supposedly safer with shrimp. but ive yet to own one myself

 

[Lavey29]

I have a yellow coris, 6 line, a rohmboid wrasse, pintail fairy, and a blue streak cleaner in my tank. They all geat along fine and don't bother my shrimp or snails.

 

[i cant think]

I heard some of the wrasses eat shrimp, I have a cleaner shrimp and a pistol shrimp, will they be at risk with a melanurus?

As someone with a MUCH larger wrasse species than a mel, I can tell you you won’t have an issue.
I recommend sticking to peaceful fish though, whilst there’s good sixlines, the bad outweighs the good and the good mentions about six lines are usually from the same people.

Here’s what I recommend:
Look at the chart and mix green/orange coloured scientific names but avoid any deep orange or red colours. That’s just for Cirrhilabrus as with paracheilinus, Halichoeres, Macropharyngodon, pseudojuloides, ect you have to know what you’re doing for it to work out IMHO.

 

[Fishfreak2009]

As someone with a MUCH larger wrasse species than a mel, I can tell you you won’t have an issue.
I recommend sticking to peaceful fish though, whilst there’s good sixlines, the bad outweighs the good and the good mentions about six lines are usually from the same people.

Here’s what I recommend:
Look at the chart and mix green/orange coloured scientific names but avoid any deep orange or red colours. That’s just for Cirrhilabrus as with paracheilinus, Halichoeres, Macropharyngodon, pseudojuloides, ect you have to know what you’re doing for it to work out IMHO.

I'd disagree with your statement on the melanurus. My old specimen would grab cleaner shrimp and smash them to pieces on the rock to get them small enough to eat. He taught my old green coris (Halichoeres chloropteres) and my old bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) to do the same with cleaners, blood shrimp, coral banded shrimp, peppermint shrimp, hermits, and snails.

 

[i cant think]

I'd disagree with your statement on the melanurus. My old specimen would grab cleaner shrimp and smash them to pieces on the rock to get them small enough to eat. He taught my old green coris (Halichoeres chloropteres) and my old bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) to do the same with cleaners, blood shrimp, coral banded shrimp, peppermint shrimp, hermits, and snails.

My 4.5 inch chloropterus (Now pushing 5 inch) leaves my two Indonesian cleaners and my golden dwarf boxer alone. Mels are more reef safe than chloropterus.

Absolutely wrecks snails and crabs though. Also, mels whilst they’re still aggressive they are peaceful compared to any Green “Coris” (As you did clear up, it’s not a true Coris wrasse).

 

[OscarHaglund]

Either of those should be fine. I currently have leapord and a melanurus wrasse with my coris and all 3 get a long great. I suggest both of these. They have amazing colors and really are not difficult to keep. If you QT your fish, just put a dish with some sand in it so they can bury themselves when they sleep at night.

My impression was that both flasher and fairy wrasses sleep in a mucus cocoon and not in the sand bed

 

[i cant think]

My impression was that both flasher and fairy wrasses sleep in a mucus cocoon and not in the sand bed

The sand burrowing wrasses are:
Macropharyngodon
Halichoeres
Pseudojuloides
Novaculichthys
Coris
Xyrichtys
Xenojulis

The Fairy and Flasher wrasses (Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus) do not sleep in the sand and you are correct with them sleeping in mucous cocoons. You will most likely only keep Halichoeres at this stage if you did go for a sand sleeping wrasse though.

 

[muffinmanXL]

I'd disagree with your statement on the melanurus. My old specimen would grab cleaner shrimp and smash them to pieces on the rock to get them small enough to eat. He taught my old green coris (Halichoeres chloropteres) and my old bluehead wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) to do the same with cleaners, blood shrimp, coral banded shrimp, peppermint shrimp, hermits, and snails.

My 4.5 inch chloropterus (Now pushing 5 inch) leaves my two Indonesian cleaners and my golden dwarf boxer alone. Mels are more reef safe than chloropterus.

Absolutely wrecks snails and crabs though. Also, mels whilst they’re still aggressive they are peaceful compared to any Green “Coris” (As you did clear up, it’s not a true Coris wrasse).

My Mel wrasse also destroys cleaner shrimps

 

[i cant think]

My Mel wrasse also destroys cleaner shrimps

What size cleaners are they?
2”+ inverts will most likely be avoided. Here’s my two cleaners, the jade is barely bigger than them. I’m assuming in America you mainly get the Caribbean cleaners (L. grabhami).

 

[i cant think]

@SaltyT and @Crabby48 may also be able to also help.
However, my best success stories with Wrasses and Shrimp have always been with Lysmata amboinensis (Indonesian Skunk Cleaner), Stenopus scutellatus (Golden Dwarf Boxer) and Lysmata debelius (Fire).
I also keep many small caves that the wrasses can’t get into for the shrimp to seek refuge in.

My only failure with shrimp were three Lysmata wurdemanni. First one was smacked against the rocks and killed but not by a RSWC wrasse, in fact it was my Cirrhilabrus naokoae. The second died and again the naokoae was caught pecking on him. The third vanished and hasn’t been seen since. My Naoko’s fairy also smashed starfish against the rockwork to eat and even sometimes uses my clam’s shell to break appart inverts.

 

[Crabby48]

Most wrasse you will be ok with. Best is make a list and have people look it over and tell you witch ones might not be good. I am at work so can’t read all reply’s now. If you have shrimp or anything you are worried about make a post saying what things are a concern and tag me. Fairy’s and flashers won’t bother inverts. What is tank dimensions as that plays a big part on wrasse stocking