melanarus wrasse

[lsilcott]

Hi all, I have a 125 reef aquarium. been up and running for almost 5 years, but some good years and some bad years on what i was able to put into the hobby. Never a horrible cycle where i lost everything though! :)

So Im' up and running again, and I actually have metal halides, 4 air cooled power heads, and a ASM 4 skimmer which I cant believe I lived without all these years, I had a ASM 3 before. :)

I have a refugrium 30 gallon, and a 40 gallon sump.

I just got my newest addition a melanarus wrasse, my understainding is that he/she might get around 3 inches? I've had nightmares about this little fish, because I have toyed with the idea of buying some type of wrasse the whole time i"ve had the aquarium.

He is gorgeous, and the nightmares stem from ideas of him jumping out of the tank, and ideas of him killing my peppermint shrimp and cleaner shrimp. Please be easy on me......I know there is that risk. Hes adorable, and the reef store had him for three months because they were going to add him to a show tank, which that idea was changed.

I currently have foxface, great fish, two pajamma cardinals, 1 bristle mouth 1 cleaner shrimp 4 peppermint shrimp. an emerald crab.
zoos, some mushrooms, two stony corals, small frags, various lether corals, sarcophytons, lettuce, a xenia. Not a whole lot of anything yet. There is room to grow!

thanks

Lorie

[abrian]

I love mine, he is a very active and beautiful fish. Mine is quite a bit bigger than 3" however, probably 5" at least. I had a pretty significant planaria flatworm issue when I got him about a year ago, and he wiped them out pretty fast. I also have peppermint shrimp, blue leg hermits, and a fire shrimp that he has left alone as far as I can tell.

[anbosu]

It may eat your shrimp when it gets a little bigger, but that's just a wrasse being a wrasse. If your tank isn't covered, get one! You can build something pretty easily our of bird netting that will keep your fish in the tank.

[lsilcott]

Thank you,, i love him so far! Very personable!

NOt as much as my foxface though! :)

I've bought some plexiglass pretty thick and plan to cut it to fit and I plan to drill many holes through it to allow heat exchange.

thanks Lorie

[snarkes]

Dont bother with the plexiglass. The heat from your halides will make it warp. Buy the clear mesh (you can find it on BRS) and make screen covers.

[lsilcott]

BRS, Im sorry not sure what that is. I would appreciate knowing though, I dont want to warp the plexiglass. I couldnt find clear egg crate either.
Lorie

[epicenter]

Those fish are hit or miss when it come to eating things. Mine has never bothered any thing in the three years he has been here, yet my son in law's devourers snails & shrimp like theres no tomorrow. I understand they get a sweet tooth for snails & shrimp as they age.

[curlykid]

mine killed shrimp, crabs, and snails. But he also helped in that he ate red bugs, flatworms, and collonista snails which have bred like rabbits since he died. I'm planning on getting another when i get a better skimmer. IMO there's a price to pay for beauty and value.

[Glazner]

BRS- www.bulkreefsupply.com

[lsilcott]

Well I think you all have valid points......thank you. Thus the nightmares will continue, hehehehe

It will probably become a love hate relationship, but he is truely beautiful. I Love him today, we shall see what happen tomorrow, because I love my shrimp too!

Ok figured it out, Bulk reef supply, I will buy the silk screen material right away! I hope my fox face doesnt hate it, He tends to like to go the the top and breath air, such a strange fish, Id hate his spine to get stuck in the screen material! Although my favorite. My next purchase will be two pygmy angels, a coral beauty and possibly 1/2 black white.

I dont want to stock to heavily though. I'm hoping to lastly add two cinnamon clowns, I had a pair for 4 1/2 years, and my friend had them for 3 years prior to that. They were a breeding pair, and the small one died before I moved, Im asssuming the male, and a few weeks later the female died too (the larger of the two). I'm guessing a broken heart! :(
I miss them even though they were somewhat aggressive. I moved recently, last september and lost the pygmys in the move. I was very sad about that too.
so I'm finally getting back to a tank that is running smoothly! I'm feelinlg comfortable adding a fish here and there.

L

[lsilcott]

Oh yea forgot to mention I have 3-4 serpent stars, they are so cool. I have had them for almost 5 years. the orange one is the best.

Nassarius snails, and turbos as well, enough for a 125 gallon. I have a nice stockpile of pods and mysis shrimp, since no stricly carnivorous fish for over 8 months now. Although just ordered a small supply to keep it going. :) I love this tank, its so much fun.

[jpkrze]

I just added a melanarus last week. Don't add a Falco hawkfish. That damn little fish always tries to attack my melanarus. Just bought some size 24 fly hooks last night and plan to go fishing for hawkfish tonight!

[snorvich]

BRS, Im sorry not sure what that is. I would appreciate knowing though, I dont want to warp the plexiglass. I couldnt find clear egg crate either.
Lorie

Bulk Reef Supply. Excellent vendor. Bulk Reef Supply is here (http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/store/)

[lsilcott]

I like the Hawks too! You got a V, for vendetta I take it! lol

[Mental1]

My melanurus female is easily 5 or 6 inches long and absolutely beautiful. And she eats everything and has from day 1. No flatworms in that tank but no stars, bristleworms nor snails either. The first thing she did was eat every snail she could find!