Wrasse Stocking Questions

[ilikefish34]

I have a 210 (72 x 24 28) in the works that will be set up shortly and will have 365 lb. of live rock that is currently crammed into a 125 and a 50 gallon aquarium with zero fish. The DT will be a mixed reef with a 3-4" sand bed.

I would like to add a single or, preferably, a pair of Yellow Wrasse (either Halichoeres sp.) within the first 2-3 months of everything fully running. Along with their color, these are for some aid in pest control.

Then, a few months later, add a couple pairs Flasher Species (possibly McCosker's and Line-spot). I was thinking that these should be added at the same time to avoid aggression but would like to hear suggestions on that and how best to mix species and what male-to-female ratios to have them best show off (flashing).

After that, my favorites, are the Leopards (Macropharyngodon meleagris and Macropharyngodon geoffroyi). These won't be in the first year as I want them to go into a very stable environment and I would like them to be in pairs or in trios of all females and see which one turns.

Lastly, I would like a pair of Psyche Head Wrasses or Yellow Tail Tamarins if all is going well in the DT.


***The Leopards are the most important to me and would gladly work the tank's stocking list and order around them.

Rest of the List:
Flame Angel
Regal Angel
Kole Tang
Yellow Tang
Foxface
Royal Gramma
Midas Blenny
Tail-spot Blenny
Pair of Perculas
Watchman Goby sp. w/pistol
Powder Blue Tang (probably the very last to go in due to aggression)

Thoughts?

[small alien]

I would add the flashers first, then the halichoeres, then the leopards. In my wrasse menagerie, the leopards are dominant. My male leopard killed a flasher upon introduction. Should have used an acclimation box. Good luck.

[ilikefish34]

Thanks small alien... I certainly plan on picking up an acclimation box. Other then adding the Flashers first, do you have any tips on how the flashers should be added?

[ca1ore]

I would add the flashers first, then the halichoeres, then the leopards. In my wrasse menagerie, the leopards are dominant. My male leopard killed a flasher upon introduction. Should have used an acclimation box. Good luck.

Interesting. I just added a fuge-acclimated Meleagris female to my DT and she is getting the pi$$ beaten out of her by a big Dusky - which is supposed to be peaceful :( Not really an option to remove the Dusky because he fill an important role as flatworm/pyramid snail eater ....

[evolved]

Always use an acclimation box when adding new wrasses; always! The amount of potential aggression it can diminish is often amazing.

Beyond that, I agree with adding the flashers first. Followed by the Halichoeres, the Macropharyngodon, and then the Anampses.

For the Paracheilinus, I personally wouldn't even both with pairs/trios. Not only are they hard to come by, but the females of most species all look mostly alike (and plain at that). If it were me, I'd do 5-6 males, each of a DIFFERENT species. You'll get the same flashing behavior either way. They will establish their own hierarchy.

But for each new addition; acclimation box. Give them at least 2-3 days; don't release if any established fish continues to show aggression (nipping at the plastic, trying to get at the guy). For the sand sleepers (all of those you desire minus the Paracheilinus), you'll need sand in the box (or a container with enough sand inside the box).

[small alien]

Thanks small alien... I certainly plan on picking up an acclimation box. Other then adding the Flashers first, do you have any tips on how the flashers should be added?

I would shoot them out of a cannon from across the room.

Or use an acclimation box. I know there is a lot of variability in aggression with faeries but I don't know about flashers. They strike me as pretty similar if the fish are the same size. I'd probably go all at once if you are thinking of adding more than one flasher. Some may have experience with multiple flashers. I do not.

[ilikefish34]

[QUOTE=small alien;21999423]I would shoot them out of a cannon from across the room.

Should I remove the canopy or just bank em off the wall? JK, I would just use a slingshot because the cannon sounds irresponsible :rollface:

[ilikefish34]

Always use an acclimation box when adding new wrasses; always! The amount of potential aggression it can diminish is often amazing.

Beyond that, I agree with adding the flashers first. Followed by the Halichoeres, the Macropharyngodon, and then the Anampses.

For the Paracheilinus, I personally wouldn't even both with pairs/trios. Not only are they hard to come by, but the females of most species all look mostly alike (and plain at that). If it were me, I'd do 5-6 males, each of a DIFFERENT species. You'll get the same flashing behavior either way. They will establish their own hierarchy.

But for each new addition; acclimation box. Give them at least 2-3 days; don't release if any established fish continues to show aggression (nipping at the plastic, trying to get at the guy). For the sand sleepers (all of those you desire minus the Paracheilinus), you'll need sand in the box (or a container with enough sand inside the box).


Thanks for the tips. I would like to avoid the drab females. Would you add the males at the same time, add them according to size and species or just whenever I feel like and keep using the acclimation box?

[evolved]

Would you add the males at the same time...
...or just whenever I feel like and keep using the acclimation box?
Either option is fine. Size has little weight in this.

[rlpardue]

My experiences with Halichoeres Chrysus and leopard wrasse (Potter's/geoffroyi) have been a little different.

I have a trio of H. Chrysus in my 150. I believe I have one terminal phase, one female, and one submale (that gets picked on a bit). The H. Chrysus spawn every few nights (just saw this for the first time a couple weeks ago). When I added the Potter's wrasse, the male Chrysus didn't like it very much and there was much displaying and some nipping. Things have calmed down now but I go +1 on the acclimation box - it would suck to add a nice healthy and expensive wrasse only to lose it to aggression. My vote would be to add the Halichoeres and leopards at the same time if possible.

[ilikefish34]

rlpardue... thanks for sharing your experience with these fishes. I would like to add the Yellow and the Leopards at the same time but I don't think I'll have enough QT space for so many wrasses. I may add the Yellows early on and then catch them and move them to the sump when introducing the Leopards. Also, I like to net feed my fish so hopefully they won't be that hard to get. Or perhaps I can stagger them according to size and couple those efforts with an acclimation box before any of them become too established. We'll see.