All About Reef Safe Wrasses

Thanks Marshall. Cirrhilabrus.

I should specify; a published author. No & no.

 

Secrets secrets are no fun.........

 

Agreed. He's always so cryptic with his new additions.

 

We don't name those that are not yet in the DT!

QT now, photo/story later.

 

Need your expert opinion. Thinking about adding 3 or 4 female
Macropharyngodon Meleagris to the 300. Right now there is just the Tusk and a Radiant Wrasse in the tank. No other thoughts of adding anything else. Had considered putting the male Melanurus in, but was concerned that it may look too much like the male Leopard.

With that scenario, do you think it would be fine to introduce them all to the DT at once, or should they be acclimated in a separate tank first?

Any advantage to 3 or 4, or more?

Is there much of a difference in the fish regarding collection location?


Anything else that needs to be taken into consideration?

 

From my experience h. melarunus do not care about leopards. However I would get different species to avoid multiple males in the future

 

I don't see much problem here. Adding them all at once would be easiest and likely be most successful.

The melanurus would pose more of a compatibility issue with the radiant (may or may not work) rather than the leopards.

No, number doesn't much matter. 3 or 4 is fine. It's likely you'll end up with one turning male eventually.

I don't know of any significance in regards to collection location.

The only other things I'd normally mention to consider I think you're already covered on. I know the tank is covered. I don't believe you have a mandarin in the tank? Might get out-competed for food by the leopards if so. Else, I know you have a sand bed, but looking at your latest pictures, how fine is the sand?

 

I was on the fence with the Melanurus, but didn't consider compatability with the Radiant, so that settles that. He stays in the 125.

The substrate is an aragonite that's just a bit more fine than I have in the 125, but not sand.

No Mandarin, and the tank is covered. Only other fish are the Radiant and Tusk. No desire to add anything but wrasses. Even if I decide to add the Leopards, it may not be for a while.

Thanks for the input, Hunter, really appreciate it!

 

mccoskers problem

Hi!

I am new to the hobby and just had my first tank 70 g for a few months now. This is long story but I try to keep it short.

I do not have any LFS near my home so basically all fish and everything else is shipped for me. I ordered 1 male and 2 female mccoskers flasher wrasses and just the day when they were arriving I had to go on a work trip. So it was up to husband to acclimate the fish and add them to the tank (these are the first fishes). Well, I came home the next day and found 3 beautiful wrasses, but.. 1 is a larger male, obviously terminal phase male. But the two females are not females, they must be sub adult males! Yeah, and they are in the tank with live rock, corals and everything. So what on earth should I do? Is it possible they will change to females or at least stay as they are? I know it would be the best to get them out and back to LFS, but how will I catch them from the rockwork :-/

Thank you so much for any help on this, I am really upset now with this.. The hobby is hard enough without things like this, but at least I have learned my lesson now to not trust the LFS for selling me what I have ordered.. Never even came across with the idea of getting wrong fishes!

 

Hello and welcome, but sorry to hear about your troubles.

Considering the size of the tank and them being introduced together, there's a fair chance they'll coexist peaceful. I would do nothing for now, and just observe for any problematic aggression. Unless one of the submales was constantly hiding or had ripped fins one day, I wouldn't do anything.

Rather unlikely.

If you end up needing to catch one, a fish trap will be your best bet.

It's not always the fault of the retailer; often the wholesaler misidentifies male/female and/or species. It's not often I walk into any LFS and all the wrasses for sale are labeled correctly.