Bare bottom tank with wrasse?

[Asco1104]

Interested to know how people have faired with no sand and wrasse? My sand is really doing my head in and I’m thinking of removing it and put some encrusting montipora on the base.

What type of wrasse have you got and how long have you had them with no sand?

Thanks Tim

 

[Phelipe's Ocean]

It depends on the wrasse of course but if you have wrasses that burrow at night its not a good idea, even bare bottom tanks have little sand beds for them to sleep at night. Im adding a trio of melenarus to my bare bottom frag tank but I placed an acrylic tray about 4” high with sand for them to burrow at night. Try to find some sort of tray or container to keep sand in. My friend buys those little glass bowls from the dollar tree and they work fine

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Cirrhilabrus(fairy) and Paracheilinus(flasher) wrasse sleep in a mucous cocoon in the rocks, so as long as you have ample hiding spaces for them to sleep, they will be fine with bare bottom.

Halichores, Macropharyngodon and Coris wrasse need at least 2" or so of sand to sleep in and hide when they feel stressed. Those species will not make it in a bare bottom tank.

 

[Jet915]

Yeah, my Melanarus dives into the sand and sleeps in it at night.

 

[cracker]

when I Qt ed my Melanaris it wouldn't sleep in the shallow container with sand it preferred the tiny space between a length of pvc pipe & the back glass. this was short term though.

 

[andrewkw]

When I had a leopard wrasse I just used a Tupperware container that was not visible from the front. It took him about 2 days to find it but after that he was fine. Most of the sand burring wrasses will go to the exact same spot in the sand every night (at the same time no less).

 

[Asco1104]

Thanks for all the replies, l have a melanarus, peacock and yellow coris and I’m going to add a earmuff so maybe I will keep things as they are for now then.

 

[jda]

I had a few friends that used tupperware in the range of 12x15 inches hid out behind the rocks that was full of sugar sized sand. The went back to sand and do not do this anymore, but the leopards took too it very well.

 

[hatfielj]

I have a melanurus in a bare bottom right now. I started him out with a tupperware container full of sand. But, after a few days I noticed he wasn't even bothering to use it, so I took it out. I don't know where he sleeps, but he's very happy and healthy. Eats like a hog. I definitely think it's important to provide a sand bed of some sort when first introducing them. Then, you can probably take it away later.
I also have several fairy wrasses. I had a yellow coris, but he got sucked into my MP60