Cirrhilabrus laboutei Laboute's wrasse

[czoolander]

Thinking I am going to be adding one of these to my tank hopefully in the next 1-4 months once the weather warms up . Looking for some insight on current Laboutes owners and or people that have owned them before or just have general knowledge on them.

How long did you have yours for ?
How did they take to eating prepared foods? frozen or pellets?
How did they get along with the current tankmates ? Especially other wrasse already established?
Did you QT before adding to the display ? HOw do they do in QT tanks?

Thanks in advance

 

[czoolander]

crickets..... Hoping to get a few responses haha where are the wrasse experts and lovers at ?

 

[Kimcheeray]

crickets..... Hoping to get a few responses haha where are the wrasse experts and lovers at ?

I just got mine 2 weeks ago and he’s now my favorite fish. He’s not bothering his tank mates so far. He eats frozen, flake, and pellet food. He’s not timid and even follows us around the tank. I bought him for his looks, but now love him for his personality.

 

[i cant think]

Thinking I am going to be adding one of these to my tank hopefully in the next 1-4 months once the weather warms up . Looking for some insight on current Laboutes owners and or people that have owned them before or just have general knowledge on them.

How long did you have yours for ?
How did they take to eating prepared foods? frozen or pellets?
How did they get along with the current tankmates ? Especially other wrasse already established?
Did you QT before adding to the display ? HOw do they do in QT tanks?

Thanks in advance

Let me split this up for you (I don’t own any laboutes however do have experience with them, lineatus and Scott’s - All of them normally being super males). On average they live for 5-6 years with the odd one or two getting 7 years and older. In terms of feeding, the not stressed supermales we’re easy to get eating, I.E. Females, young males, transitional males. Tank mates in terms of wrasses they do just fine BUT are on the boisterous side of the family (Scott’s, Lineatus and Laboutes often mixed well in the 4’ tank we had when selling these fish due to the boisterous behaviour all 3 have). They do just fine with other wrasses if those wrasses are established before them (Big question: what are those wrasses). I refuse to QT any delicate fairy wrasse such as a lineatus, scottorum, laboutei, ect… often because they rarely fare well past the QT stage as supermales. Yes I can QT a female, young male or transitional male but if it gets stressed I tend to stop QT on it and put it in the main display.

 

[czoolander]

I just got mine 2 weeks ago and he’s now my favorite fish. He’s not bothering his tank mates so far. He eats frozen, flake, and pellet food. He’s not timid and even follows us around the tank. I bought him for his looks, but now love him for his personality.

Did you have any established wrasses in the tank when you added him ? If so what ones ?

 

[czoolander]

Let me split this up for you (I don’t own any laboutes however do have experience with them, lineatus and Scott’s - All of them normally being super males). On average they live for 5-6 years with the odd one or two getting 7 years and older. In terms of feeding, the not stressed supermales we’re easy to get eating, I.E. Females, young males, transitional males. Tank mates in terms of wrasses they do just fine BUT are on the boisterous side of the family (Scott’s, Lineatus and Laboutes often mixed well in the 4’ tank we had when selling these fish due to the boisterous behaviour all 3 have). They do just fine with other wrasses if those wrasses are established before them (Big question: what are those wrasses). I refuse to QT any delicate fairy wrasse such as a lineatus, scottorum, laboutei, ect… often because they rarely fare well past the QT stage as supermales. Yes I can QT a female, young male or transitional male but if it gets stressed I tend to stop QT on it and put it in the main display.

Great advice thank you . I do have the option of buying pre quarantined fish so I might get one of those and let them do all the heavy lifting then I can just add to my tank . Did you start it in an acclimated box in the display? Or add at lights out ?

 

[i cant think]

Great advice thank you . I do have the option of buying pre quarantined fish so I might get one of those and let them do all the heavy lifting then I can just add to my tank . Did you start it in an acclimated box in the display? Or add at lights out ?

I always put them straight into the tank after acclimation, (I normally float and drop with these fish however sand sleeping wrasses are a different story) but sit there for a good 2-3 hours to make sure there is no aggression.