All About Reef Safe Wrasses

I have a hortulanus, along with 4 other halichoeres, and it definitely goes after inverts. My h. richmondi and h. trimaculatus are the most aggressive in the bunch towards inverts. I've given up on keeping crabs but have about a dozen trochus snails left. The trimaculatus doesn't just pick at them when they are visible now, it actually flips through the sand looking for them. I just added a couple of diadema urchins (long spine) and will add more if needed vs adding more crabs or snails. I feed my tank fairly heavily so the invert hunting isn't related to lack of food.

 

thats a crazy looking fish you have as profile pic Snoq

 

That's the h. Richmondi. Pro photo by a guy named Mark Laita. He released a book of his photos called Sea and they are beautiful pics. The Richmondi is my favorite halichoeres.

 

Each fish is different. My H. richmondi doesn't bother any inverts and is pretty passive toward every other fish (female M. meleagris gets on everyone's nerves!).

 

True point. My richmondi is around 5.5 - 6" now. When it was smaller it didn't pick at anything. About a month ago I introduced 3 new fish to the tank. I had them in a social acclimation box all day and then let them out one at a time. The last was a small blenny. It hid in the rocks for a bit but as soon as it showed itself, the Richmondi grabbed it. Smacked it against a rock twice, ripping it in half, and then ate it. I felt awful. I don't introduce anything small to the tank now.

 

It's a big species, topping out at over 10". As such, it's going to after any motile inverts it thinks it can eat once of size. Shrimp, hermits, and other crabs will all be impossible to keep some day.

There's something about trochus snails; they're safe against my halichoeres as well (unless they get flipped and exposed).

Mine flip through the sand looking for anything really; pods mainly.

And that's pretty typical; gets worse with age/size. To what degree is the variable.

 

I will definitely watch for him eating my hermits, and peppermints. He is currently in a 90 but I am going to a 125-200 within the next year so no real concerns for space. its a beautiful species and if he does eat all my stuff I might look at a red corris for my next purchase. Iv also got a blue side that is just starting to come out of its juvenile phase so im super excited to see the color pattern on him.

 

Thanks, Six Lines are my favorite wrasse since they are very colorful, social, nice forwards non wrasse tank mates and I can keep him in my biocube

 

For a total newb to saltwater this is a great helper. I especially liked knowing that our 6 Line wrasse is supposed to be within a mucus cocoon at night!

What is the diet for a Wetmorella? And what is their max length?

 

Biggest I've seen was right at 2.5" or so. When we get the small ones in they typically pick on pods and once settled in they like frozen omega/spirulina brine shrimp, occasionally some will go after mysis, if it's small enough.