Are there any invert safe Wrasse?

[♥Heart of the Reef♥]

hey everyone,

 

me and my husband, got a pair of sea grass wrasse a while back. We were told they were reef safe, but not long after adding them to our 100 gal system, all are shrimp were dead, and a couple snails and crabs and what not.I guess reef safe doesn't include inverts then lol we originally wanted a pair of leopard wrasse. but i hesitate because im thinking they will kill the same things.

 

we are trying to decide what kind of wrasse we want to put in our 135 gal full reef system.

I want to have inverts, soft corals, fish, the whole nine yards.

 

just curious, is there any wrasse that are good with inverts/crustaceans (mainly shrimp and crabs)?????

or are all wrasse gonna eat mainly the same things.

 

thanks:D

[kev311]

hey everyone,

 

me and my husband, got a pair of sea grass wrasse a while back. We were told they were reef safe, but not long after adding them to our 100 gal system, all are shrimp were dead, and a couple snails and crabs and what not.I guess reef safe doesn't include inverts then lol we originally wanted a pair of leopard wrasse. but i hesitate because im thinking they will kill the same things.

 

we are trying to decide what kind of wrasse we want to put in our 135 gal full reef system.

I want to have inverts, soft corals, fish, the whole nine yards.

 

just curious, is there any wrasse that are good with inverts/crustaceans (mainly shrimp and crabs)?????

or are all wrasse gonna eat mainly the same things.

 

thanks:D

 

My yellow tail doesn't bother anything

 

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[kingtrident]

I have an exquisite and naoko wrasse and have had no problems. I have had black fin and mystery in the past with no problems, other than the blackfin jumped and mystery was no where to be found (lived up to its name). Some sites say the sea grass is reef safe and others say with caution. Never know what you are going to get with them until they are in your tank. I would stick to the wrasse from the genus Cirrhilabrus. Good luck and cover the top so you don't have to find a fish on the floor )8

[Derbird]

I have an Eight Line Wrasse (Pseudocheilinus octotaenia) and a Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres Melanurus). They live with a Coral banded shrimp and a Cleaner shrimp as well as the standard CUC. The Melanurus is a modle citizen but for some odd reason the Eight Line will go after Peperment shrimp but nothing else (scratch)

 

Good luck with the wrasse hunt. Such cool fish. But be sure to cover the tank and overflows.

[NoobtoSalt]

I had Leopard wrasse that was great in my reef

 

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[reefnjunkie]

I have;

Mystery

Linneatus

Pair of Hawaiian Flames

Labouti

Yellow Corris

Red Headed

 

All of which I have never seen bother my pair of blood shrimp, snails or crabs.

 

The malanurus wrasse I had on the other hand ate snails all the time, I also had a potters wrasse that was not a problem at all

 

I tend to favor wrasses if one cant tell, I'd like to add a pair of Rhomboids as well that I have read are just as safe

[ThePremiumAquarium]

Wrasses can be hit or miss. Most fairy and flasher wrasses are going to be 99% invert safe while utility wrasses such as six-lines, eight lines, Mystery, Christmas, melanarus, leopard, coris, seagrass wrasse, etc are reef safe but can pick on inverts from time to time. There are model citizens of each kind of utility wrasse that will be perfectly invert safe, others that will only pick on certain kinds of inverts, and others that will rid your tank of pretty much all invertebrate life with the exception of corals. The Seagrass Wrasse is just so uncommon in the hobby that it is hard to put a general rule on them. From what I have had in at the shop, I would say they are reef safe and invert safe with caution as I have seen them pick at a hermit on occassion. That's definitely not to say that any one particular individual might not be an invert demolisher or an angel.

[Rick T]

I have a pair of McCosker's Flasher Wrasse and a Talbot's Wrasse (Indonesian) in my 120 that are model citizens

[Islandoftiki]

I have a model citizen sixline wrasse. They can be hit or miss though. I got mine when she was really tiny and she's been around shrimp all along.

 

My current cleaner shrimp are almost bigger than the sixline, so I don't imagine she would even attempt any aggression toward the. And nobody messes with the pistol shrimp. She's good with the pom pom crab, emerald crab and all of the hermits.

 

I have heard horror stories about sixlines though.

[ZachS]

My yellow coris wpuld eat all my small snails but never touch the hermits or turbos

[Mandinga]

What Garrett said...hit or miss.

 

First wrasse I bought about 15 years ago was a lunar wrasse. An online retailer sold it to me along with a $200 shrimp crew for my 100gallon tank. About 5 minutes after adding all the shrimp to my tank, I popped in the lunar wrasse. Even after shipping overnight in a tiny bag, it only took him 10 minutes to eat all my shrimp. That was a great day.

[Electrokate]

I have 4 melanurus and 1 yellow coris in my 120, and used to have a pair of skunk cleaners. Can't really swear it was the fish that did in the skunks, shrimp are fussy and I lost some in another system. The wrasses like to pick up snails and try to smash them against coral, which breaks some of the sps, not so keen on that. They also chewed up one leg of my sand sifting starfish when I first added it, but it grew back and they have left it alone over the last couple years. I think mainly they feel obligated to chew up anything new or that which falls to the sand. I bet if you gave them cat toys they would chew on those too.

 

What I found the wrasses to not kill are white leg hermits (pagurus longicarpus), the margarita and nerite species sold at World of Wet Pets, and very large turbo snails. Also that pair of fire shrimp. Always add the inverts at night, and if you knock one over put it upright. Seems like the wrasses forget about the snails unless you draw their attention to it by moving it or adding it while they can see, and they are always watching. You could also distract them with a "clam on the half shell" Or a cat toy (:

 

I am not actually all that big on clean up crews, after having turbo snails block my overflow and knock my frags into each other enough times got sick of that. (They only knock the most expensive frag over, always onto something cheap and more powerful. It's a policy they have) So I got smaller snails, at least they are better and they are more agile so clean harder to reach areas. I saw a blue leg hermit eat my gorgonian one day so started pulling them out, one unfortunately learned to eat only at night and finished the gorg off before I caught it. White legs seem safer. The white legs seem to have good reflexes so that if the wrasses go after them they close up fast enough. They also quickly learn to eat only at night and hide all day. I was not too sad about the wrasses finishing the blue legs.

 

In another system I have a radiant wrasse, he does not seem to have an appetite for inverts. Radiants are related to the "yellow coris" which also seems safer than a melanurus, but you never know. The green wrasse you describe as well as the 6, 8 and 12 line types I have consistently heard complaints about, but then almost nobody gets on the boards to say "gee I love this fish, it doesn't have ich or misbehave, eats anything no carpet surfing, it's just fine."

[Emerald525]

What Garrett said...hit or miss.

 

First wrasse I bought about 15 years ago was a lunar wrasse. An online retailer sold it to me along with a $200 shrimp crew for my 100gallon tank. About 5 minutes after adding all the shrimp to my tank, I popped in the lunar wrasse. Even after shipping overnight in a tiny bag, it only took him 10 minutes to eat all my shrimp. That was a great day.

 

 

LOL that was some expensive fish food. I can't keep shrimp in my tank with my wrasses. Flasher wrasses should be fine though.

[talkalot82]

my yellow corris wrasse is good with all my inverts exept copepods

[Re_Run]

I have a melanurus and a 6 line so far they leave the red leg hermits and blood shrimp alone but love the astras stars

[♥Heart of the Reef♥]

seems like most of the wrasses are a base by base kinda thing. thanks everyone.