Yellow banded possum wrasse in a 10 gallon - who has done it?

Lasse

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"hardier" not "harder" correct
Yes I meant hardier - I´m not a native english speaker so it goes wrong now and then - We can say that I write English with a slight Swedish accident :p

If I have had more than 1 - it has work for 1 - 2 years - if they have been only one more than 3 years - this last have lived for 4 years. They was two at first but they are rather Intraspecies aggressive and I think that the one that survive was bulling the other. I introduce 2 tanaka to this aquarium but - at that time - there was not enough of space in a 80 G tank for tfour Wetmorella. In my old tank - 120 G it also also always ended up with 1 after a year or two. It is around 12 years since the first Wetmorella hit my apartment.

You can´t compare clown gobies activity with Wetmorella - you can see the clown gobies as snails and the wetmorella as a gazelle. In 20 sec i can see my yellow banded in the right corner - left corner and back in right again. My clown gobies have during the same time moved from one coral to the next (nearest) coral (maybe 2 cm).

Even though it is a small fish, they have large territories. They are beautiful and small fishes - but sorry to say - they are not any fish that will thrive in a nano.

However - it's your choice - I would not put any Wetmorella in an aquarium shorter than 1 m.

Sincerely Lasse
 

minus9

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I had my Tanaka for more than six years (3 years in my 22g, the rest in my 90g) when he passed. He was fully grown when I bought him, so I have no idea how old he was, but given his size and how long it takes to reach adult size, he was 8 or 9 years+. My 22g has a pair of clowns and a neon goby, that’s it. I've been keeping saltwater fish since the early 80's and have made a lot of mistakes along the way. So my advice comes from hands on experience. I honestly would wait until you have a larger tank. This may not be what you want to hear, but it’s solid and it’s for the animal’s benefit, not yours. I’m not here to judge or question your experience, but your initial question tells me everything I need to know. My advice, put the ego aside and simply wait until you have an appropriately sized tank. If you can't see the common thread here, then simply ignore the advice given and do what you want to do.
The only reason I bought the Tanaka at the time, was because it was labeled as a white banded and I knew it was a Tanaka. I also knew that I was going to set up a larger tank and he would be fine until then. There was absolutely no competition for food and my tank was well established with pods, crustaceans, etc...
My last bit of advice (this is for everyone who reads this thread), if you're not a patient person, then this is probably not the hobby for you. Take your time and learn what the animals need to thrive, not survive.
Best of luck!
 
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SauceyReef

SauceyReef

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Appreciate the advice and concern from everyone - it is admirable.
You may not want to hear this but I am going to still get the fish but I will expect to upgrade sooner to the 28 gallon based off the advice from this thread. That should be fine in terms of space - well not in everyone’s terms but that seems more than adequate in my Opinion. The LFS has a juvenile near an inch which seems perfect for the time being. I’m jumping the gun and buying the fish because a Tanaka, pink streaked, and any possum have been unavailable virtually everywhere since I started my tank. Going to hop on the opportunity while I can. Just waiting for the store to tell me it eats. If not than guess I’m waiting longer.

Edit - Remember the Fluval Evo is a peninsula. Pretty sure it is 2 feet wide which for a juvenile possum wrasse seems pretty solid. I think it would be wider than the JBJ 28gallon nano I wanted to upgrade to.
 
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SauceyReef

SauceyReef

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Fluval Evo Dimensions:
- 23.4 x 13.5 x 15.6 inches

JBJ 28 gallon dimensions :
- Dimensions: 17.5 × 22 × 22 in

I also have a waterbox 15.2 I could consider.. The dimensions may be more adequate than the JBJ 28 gallon seeing it is also a peninsula

Waterbox 15.2:
- 23.6"×19.7"×17.7"


Tough to decide which tank is better for a free swimming fish like the possum wrasse - the JBJ or the Waterbox.
 

minus9

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Appreciate the advice and concern from everyone - it is admirable.
You may not want to hear this but I am going to still get the fish but I will expect to upgrade sooner to the 28 gallon. That should be fine in terms of space - well not in everyone’s terms but that seems more than adequate in my Opinion. The LFS has a juvenile near an inch which seems perfect for the time being. I’m jumping the gun and buying the fish because a Tanaka, pink streaked, and any possum have been unavailable virtually everywhere since I started my tank. Going to hop on the opportunity while I can. Just waiting for the store to tell me it eats. If not than guess I’m waiting longer.
That's a great size to start with. Usually they are pretty good of being clear of parasites, but most fish come in with flukes, so I would treat accordingly. I would treat them like any fairy or flasher wrasse in terms of meds. Live brine or pods may get them going and I would add more live rock to your new tank than what you're planning, as this will help them source enough food. It's creating hiding places for them to feel safe and hunt for their preferred prey.
 

minus9

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Fluval Evo Dimensions:
- 23.4 x 13.5 x 15.6 inches

JBJ 28 gallon dimensions :
- Dimensions: 17.5 × 22 × 22 in

I also have a waterbox 15.2 I could consider.. The dimensions may be more adequate than the JBJ 28 gallon seeing it is also a peninsula

Waterbox 15.2:
- 23.6"×19.7"×17.7"


Tough to decide which tank is better for a free swimming fish like the possum wrasse - the JBJ or the Waterbox.
Whatever will hold more live rock, is better. Remember, you're trying to create places for the prey to grow and thrive, while giving the fish plenty of territory to hunt.
 
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SauceyReef

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Whatever will hold more live rock, is better. Remember, you're trying to create places for the prey to grow and thrive, while giving the fish plenty of territory to hunt.
Looks like I should scratch the idea of going with more swimming length space and go with what will just hold more water volume and rock. So in that case I will move him to the JBJ 28 once it is up and ready. I do plan on having all 3 tanks setup. Currently my Fluval Evo has 20 - 25 lbs ( yep you heard it.. ) of live rock in teaming with life. I don't think I could add another pebble haha. I think there is a HUGE difference between a green and yellow clown goby. My green clown goby literally shoots all over the tank. I add tisbe pods and live brine as it is the only thing he will eat. I feed like 10 different types of frozen. Lots of options for any future fish!
 

JMann

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I have kept all three species and have a Tanaka’s and Yellowbanded in a 3 foot 40 gallon tank now. A few thoughts:

• If you aquascape it well a 40 gallon works however, I still can see that they’d be best with a bigger environment. They’re just constantly cruising around and can work over large areas pretty quickly.
• They get along just fine and prefer Mysis shrimp (either the small kind by Hikari or chopped PE.) But they will sometimes eat other foods like LRS or fish eggs or pods. The yellowbanded is constantly foraging the rock but the Tanakas doesn’t seem to do that much anymore. Just waits to be fed mostly. My whitebanded I had in the past was somewhere in between in terms of hunting and probably my favorite in terms of look and personality by a small margin.
• The pink streaked wrasse you have mentioned is not a Possum Wrasse. Neat fish but not Wetmorella. To my experience the Tanaka is the largest and the Whitebanded stays the smallest only reaching a max size of 2.5 inches. This may vary but I believe it to be true. The Tanakas also seems to have a bit bigger mouth and thus can consume bigger pieces of food.
• All of the Possums I have kept have eaten well and been active plus visible most of the time. They’re not really that “shy” they just have their own behaviors adapted mostly around being in caves and hugging tight to a rock or coral structure because it provides a source of safety and food.
• I think the best aquascape to adequately house these fish is multiple island of cavey rock work which they can cruise in and out of. This will keep them relatively visible as well as provide them a sense of security and plenty of surface area to inspect.
• Honestly, you can throw a juvenile in a well aquascaped 25 or 30 gallon but I think a 75+ is required to really give them what they need whether you have multiple or not.

Either way I wish you and anyone who admires these fish and wishes to keep them the best!
 

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