Beauty or utility: Why do you keep wrasses?

[Densityman]

I have a lot of love for the yellow coris wrasse (which I've kept in the past; paired even), but my current love of nano-reefs has led me to keeping Possum and Pink-streaked wrasses; they are adorable!

 

[Slocke]

I’m also curious what to be aware of when adding wrasses? Do any eat snails like trochus or nassarius snails? One person above mentioned one killing tuxedo urchin. Arrow crab etc. Ouch.

I feel like if you stick with the ones that stay under 5" you'll be good. Or sort by reef safe on LA or similar. Basically on the wrasses mentioned here:

All About Reef Safe Wrasses in Aquaria

Introduction My name is Hunter and I am a wrasse addict. Admitting such is the first step to buying another wrasse, I think. Wrasses are not only my passion, but my niche in this hobby since 2010. My tank is full of them, and unfortunately...

www.reef2reef.com

Also this article is awesome and will tell you almost everything there is to know about reef safe wrasses.

 

[Slocke]

I had a Chisel Tooth Wrasse. It immediately killed an Arrow Crab, a Tuxedo Urchin, a Longspine Urchin, and all my Peppermint Shrimps. I've tried to find a Longfin Fairy Wrasse but I backed off after the Chisel Tooth fiasco.

Fairy wrasses are completely reef and invert safe! See article in above post.

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

My melanurus recently unalived a large nassarius and a large turbo snail... (actually just pulled the shell from the tank earlier this evening). I will gladly replace snails periodically though because that wrasse is my most beautiful, favorite fish.
I also have a pretty small tuxedo urchin but the wrasse has never bothered it.

Thanks for the info! I have such a low success rate with snails I hate to keep buying more. Expensive when my tank is 300 gallons so I need too many of them to battle my long term algae issue lol.

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

I feel like if you stick with the ones that stay under 5" you'll be good. Or sort by reef safe on LA or similar. Basically on the wrasses mentioned here:

All About Reef Safe Wrasses in Aquaria

Introduction My name is Hunter and I am a wrasse addict. Admitting such is the first step to buying another wrasse, I think. Wrasses are not only my passion, but my niche in this hobby since 2010. My tank is full of them, and unfortunately...

www.reef2reef.com

Also this article is awesome and will tell you almost everything there is to know about reef safe wrasses.

Thank you I’ll read it!

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

While we have wrasse experts in the room, what do you all recommend for these spirorbid worms? They’re covering my glass and rocks lol. I let it go for some time as I know they’re harmless, but they’re really ugly and probably effecting my Coraline growth and look since they’re covering the rocks lol.

I also wonder if they’re filtering my water too much and competing with my corals lol.

Anyone have suggestions for reef safe Wrasse that will help with my massive spirorbid worm issue all over rocks and glass lol? It’s driving me nuts!

 

[Pelagikos]

I’m also curious what to be aware of when adding wrasses? Do any eat snails like trochus or nassarius snails? One person above mentioned one killing tuxedo urchin. Arrow crab etc. Ouch.

Good point! I also have an urchin. That didn't even cross my mind!

 

[HankstankXXL750 Verified Sponsor]

I didn’t know wrasses had a utility until after I had started buying them. Actually learned about it here on R2R. I have a Sunset Wrasse named Hank (hence my user name) he is actually my wife’s fish. A Aussie Harlequin Tuskfish, a rhomboid wrasse, red headed Solon, Melanarus, and an exquisite. No doubt they are all beautiful. Will likely get more at some time.

 

[Slocke]

Anyone have suggestions for reef safe Wrasse that will help with my massive spirorbid worm issue all over rocks and glass lol? It’s driving me nuts!

From what I know a sixline would be the most efficient but are notoriously aggressive sometimes. So I'd go with a small halichoeres. Yellow Coris (chrysus), melanarus, radiant (Iridis) or any other that doesn't get too big. But this is just what I've heard haven't used wrasse for pest eating.

 

[Bitcoin Reefer]

From what I know a sixline would be the most efficient but are notoriously aggressive sometimes. So I'd go with a small halichoeres. Yellow Coris (chrysus), melanarus, radiant (Iridis) or any other that doesn't get too big. But this is just what I've heard haven't used wrasse for pest eating.

Thank you. These spirorbid worms are pretty hard shelled little buggers. I wonder if anyone specifically has experience with using wrasses to get rid of them.

 

[Pelagikos]

From what I know a sixline would be the most efficient but are notoriously aggressive sometimes. So I'd go with a small halichoeres. Yellow Coris (chrysus), melanarus, radiant (Iridis) or any other that doesn't get too big. But this is just what I've heard haven't used wrasse for pest eating.

I had a Yellow Coris about 3 months after starting my reef tank. I quickly learned that it was too soon to add fish so quickly but I was excited. A very sweet fish and very fun to watch I would have another one in a minute.

 

[Screwby]

While I am relatively new to the reefing side of things, I just wanted to say that in my 24g cube, my six line doesn't touch my tuxedo urchin, trochous snails, or the nassarious in my tank. I would love to add a fire shrimp, but probably wait until the red sea 170 I just bought is up and running.

 

[Placenta89]

I bought for utility but it's not doing the function that I was hoping for but I got the leopord wrasse and 70% was for how amazing it looks.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Thanks for the info! I have such a low success rate with snails I hate to keep buying more. Expensive when my tank is 300 gallons so I need too many of them to battle my long term algae issue lol.

Sure thing! Snails used to do a pretty darn good job on algae in my smaller tank, but since moving up to a larger one (only 75 gallons so not even close to your 300, lol), the wrasse finally decided to go on the hunt and start helping himself to some escargot. I know he'll keep eating them, and I don't particularly like spending so much on snails either, so I'll probably look into getting a couple small emerald crabs and maybe another urchin or two to help keep the rocks clean. To the lone remaining turbo and handful of nerite snails in my tank... may the odds be ever in your favor.

 

[saltyhog]

Anyone have suggestions for reef safe Wrasse that will help with my massive spirorbid worm issue all over rocks and glass lol? It’s driving me nuts!

I don't know of any wrasse (or other fish) that will feed on spirobid worms. They have always run their course in my tanks.

 

[i cant think]

I bought for utility but it's not doing the function that I was hoping for but I got the leopord wrasse and 70% was for how amazing it looks.

Leopards are 50/50 on if they eat pests or not. The Leopard Wrasse that I’ve seen eating pests the most often is Macropharyngodon negrosensis.

 

[Bob E]

I love the beauty of wrasses. I choose a wrasse base on fish and tank size and then chose based on what they naturally hunt down.

 

[Bob Weigant]

I don't think I could own a tank without having wrasses

 

[BelieveInBlue]

I have a yellow canary and a melanurus because I love their colours and their ability to eat pests.
I have 2 fairy wrasses and a flasher for their colours.
I also love how they're always out and about waiting for me to feed them. Funnily enough though my melanurus is a bit shy, which I really didn't expect from him considering he's the largest fish by a good margin.

 

[mdb_talon]

Mostly I pick them for their utility (yellow Coris wrasse is my favorite), but also for their beauty. Unfortunately the ones I often find most appealing are not appropriate for most of my tanks.

The red Coris wrasse for example is one of my favorite fish and one of my most hated all at the same time. In a large tank they are a beautiful addition in both juvenile and terminal colors but the terminal colors I find amazing. They are also fantastic pest eaters. Unfortunately they also are a 1 fish wrecking crew turning over colony size corals easily and even some fairly large rocks at times.