Most reef safe Halichoeres Wrasse?

[Zionas]

Hi all, which member of the Halichoeres spp. tends to be the safest with inverts? The inverts in question are snails, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Fire Shrimp, and maybe a Brittle Star / Serpent Star.

[Sugar Magnolia]

None, they are all semi aggressive and ornamental shrimp, snails and crabs are on the menu.

[fishkeeprian]

Originally Posted by Zionas

Hi all, which member of the Halichoeres spp. tends to be the safest with inverts? The inverts in question are snails, Skunk Cleaner Shrimp, Fire Shrimp, and maybe a Brittle Star / Serpent Star.

I have a female melanurus wrasse, radiant wrasse and a silver belly wrasse and they haven't bothered with the snails from what I have seen. they may not bother with decent sized shrimp either, but small shrimp like sexy shrimp may be on the menu.

But will vary depending on the character of the fish.

[Zionas]

The shrimp in question are a Randall’s or Tiger Pistol, some Fire and Skunk Cleaners.

The snails in question are Nassarius, Trochus, and Cerith Snails.

Maybe I’ll eventually add a Brittle Star of some kind.



I talked to Hunter Hammond about this and he says the Yellow is the safest followed by the Melanurus and H. Claudia, H. Biocellatus.


Would love more opinions.

[Sugar Magnolia]

My melanurus snacked on snails frequently. He would grab one, smack on the tank glass to stun it and then eat it.

[Myles]

My H. chrysus, radiant, and H rubricephalus all left inverts completely alone. I also had a H. biocellatus in a fish only tank. From what I observed of its mouth size and behavior I would expect this species to be completely safe with inverts as well.
Myles

[Zionas]

Would like to hear more experiences with H. Melanurus.

[maddmaxx]

Originally Posted by Zionas

Would like to hear more experiences with H. Melanurus.

ive always kept one in my reefs. great pest control fish....howeverrrr, i had a 40b once upon a time. bought a clam and some shrimp. they were in the tank for about 3yrs. clam went from about 1.5" to about 5".. it was huge. bought a melanurus wrasse.. all was well for about 2yrs. i chalked it up to the shrimp and clam were in the tank already.. i bought a house. reset up the tank. within the 1st week of reset up. the wrasse dominated several shrimp. 2 days later. he HOUSED the clam. i came down to basement. seen the tank was insane cloudy. i instantly thought the nems were spawning. but the wrasse was flying around the 180g. it caught my attention. then i watched him swim up to the clam and i saw he ate about 90% of the clam. i let him finish it off. then moved the shell to my fuge... i just bought a fish trap to pull him out of the tank. beautiful fish no doubt. but it truly limits your options in a reef tank...hope that helps...