Combining wrassess

csreed · Feb 8, 2020

Hi everyone! I've decided to take the plunge & get some colorful wrasses into my 200 gal reef tank. I've read that it is best just to get singles of several different wrasses species, & I want to make sure the ones I combine have a good chance of getting along. I'm looking at getting blue headed & ruby headed fairy wrasses & a McCosker's flasher. What do you think of compatability? I have a yellow & a purple tang, a onespot rabbitfish, a single clown (she kills her friends), 2 blue green chromis, skunk cleaner shrimp, a watchman goby, & a firefish. I want to add a couple of Bangaii, a midas or black sailfin blenny, some zebra-barred dartfish, a coral beauty, & possibly an orchid dottyback. I've got an idea of the order I should add things in (they've got to go through QT in small batches so this will be a multi-month project) but I'm interested in other opinions.

Thanks in advance!

Cynthia

saltyhog · Feb 8, 2020

If by blue head you mean C. cyanopleura I would not put it with a Ruby Head (C. cf. cyanopleura) as they are very closely related. Choose one or the other and a different fairy to go with it. This thread has a chart that can greatly help decide compatibility issues with Cirrhilabrus species.

Cirrhilabrus Complexes: Inferiority Need Not Apply (1st Revision)

Cirrhilabrus, the “Fairy Wrasses”, are one of the most elegant, active, and colorful reef fish. Their appeal in a reef tank is common to many, but not all have a well-rounded understanding of the compatibility amongst them. Enter the notion of “complexes”: groupings of very closely related...

www.reef2reef.com

In your size tank you could have a number of fairy and flasher wrasses. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask any other questions as you go along towards stocking.

csreed · Feb 8, 2020

saltyhog said:
If by blue head you mean C. cyanopleura I would not put it with a Ruby Head (C. cf. cyanopleura) as they are very closely related. Choose one or the other and a different fairy to go with it. This thread has a chart that can greatly help decide compatibility issues with Cirrhilabrus species.

Cirrhilabrus Complexes: Inferiority Need Not Apply (1st Revision)

Cirrhilabrus, the “Fairy Wrasses”, are one of the most elegant, active, and colorful reef fish. Their appeal in a reef tank is common to many, but not all have a well-rounded understanding of the compatibility amongst them. Enter the notion of “complexes”: groupings of very closely related...

www.reef2reef.com

In your size tank you could have a number of fairy and flasher wrasses. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask any other questions as you go along towards stocking.

Thank you!!!

CindyKz · Feb 9, 2020

In your size tank the combinations are practically endless! If you have a sand bed for sleeping you could consider the Heliocheres species as well. They are interesting to watch and have the advantage of eating some pests.

csreed · Feb 9, 2020

Yes, I do have a good sand bed for them. I'm interested in peaceful wrasses in general - I like dartfish & inverts, so I want fish that generally play well with others. What sorts of combinations of wrasse species would you recommend? Also, my LFS says the fairy wrasses are hard to keep & often die after shipment - is this just their experience, or a known issue with fairy wrasses? I don't want to order fish that I am going to doom to die from the stress of transport & QT...

Mortie31 · Feb 9, 2020

csreed said:
Yes, I do have a good sand bed for them. I'm interested in peaceful wrasses in general - I like dartfish & inverts, so I want fish that generally play well with others. What sorts of combinations of wrasse species would you recommend? Also, my LFS says the fairy wrasses are hard to keep & often die after shipment - is this just their experience, or a known issue with fairy wrasses? I don't want to order fish that I am going to doom to die from the stress of transport & QT...

My experience is that fairy wrasses are hardy fish, just great jumpers... so a good jump guard is essential... I love leopard wrasse but they are a different ball game, don’t travel well and difficult to get feeding, but once they are again pretty hardy... as said earlier the Heliocheres are a great genre and again a hardy bunch, I have 6 in my tank...

csreed · Feb 9, 2020

Mortie31 said:
My experience is that fairy wrasses are hardy fish, just great jumpers... so a good jump guard is essential... I love leopard wrasse but they are a different ball game, don’t travel well and difficult to get feeding, but once they are again pretty hardy... as said earlier the Heliocheres are a great genre and again a hardy bunch, I have 6 in my tank...

Not to worry - I have full coverage with glass over the top of my tank, so hopefully I've closed any holes they can commit suicide through. I'm thinking of a McKoskers, a ruby head fairy, maybe a Melanarus? Will they bully gobies or blennies?

Mortie31 · Feb 9, 2020

csreed said:
Not to worry - I have full coverage with glass over the top of my tank, so hopefully I've closed any holes they can commit suicide through. I'm thinking of a McKoskers, a ruby head fairy, maybe a Melanarus? Will they bully gobies or blennies?

Sorry I don’t have gobies or blennies to comment, I have dottybacks and grammas and have no issues, but I doubt they will pick on them in my experience they keep themselves to themselves except with close family members

CindyKz · Feb 9, 2020

My melanarus pretty much leaves everyone alone, including my firefish, goby and inverts (except feather dusters) . I also have an H. Chrysus, common name yellow coris wrasse (although it isn't technically a coris). He's very peaceful although still a juvenile. They are together in a 180gal tank with an exquisite fairy wrasse and a McKosker's flasher.

The melanarus, exquisite, and McKoskers all did fine together in a 75 gal tank before I upgraded.

I've read that some of the other Heliocheres can be mean, but I don't have any direct experience.

saltyhog · Feb 9, 2020

Look around and see what you like and post back here with your choices. I have bennies with Halichoeres, Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus with zero problems.

Daniel@R2R · Feb 10, 2020

You have SOOOO many options. I'd personally do a strong combo of fairy and flasher wrasses along with some leopard and halichoeres.

spectra · Feb 11, 2020

I have a reefer 750 and my wrasses are as follows.......Melanurus, Radiant, Blue Star Leopard, Black Leopard and a Red Tailed Tamerin....... Everyone gets along pretty good......Did add a Choati but the Blue Star did not like it one bit.........funny thing is I had one for a long time with the Blue Star with no issues what so ever.......Choati died and was about 8 months without one.

OrionN · Feb 11, 2020

csreed said:
Not to worry - I have full coverage with glass over the top of my tank, so hopefully I've closed any holes they can commit suicide through. I'm thinking of a McKoskers, a ruby head fairy, maybe a Melanarus? Will they bully gobies or blennies?

Glass cover isn’t great for Flasher and Fairy wrasse. They really jump hard and will get fatal head and spine injury. I would really consider remove the glass and use screen cover. Fairy wrasses Isosceles, Lubbocki, Exquisite are all nice and docile wrasses. Flasher Flavincaudalis, McCoskeri, Carpenter are all nice and docile. Beautiful too

waterskiguy · Feb 12, 2020

As far as fairy wrasses. If you choose fish of different complexes (referenced above), you should be okay. I have a lineatus, pintail, Lobouti and sailfin in my 260 without any trouble. They’re all happy swimmers and don’t have any aggression toward each other.

OrionN · Feb 12, 2020

waterskiguy said:
As far as fairy wrasses. If you choose fish of different complexes (referenced above), you should be okay. I have a lineatus, pintail, Lobouti and sailfin in my 260 without any trouble. They’re all happy swimmers and don’t have any aggression toward each other.

All are beautiful, but the Sailfin (AKA Blue throat) C. cyanogularis is a very aggressive fairy wrasse. So is the C. labouti.
Here is my Cyanogularis

schooncw · Feb 12, 2020

I have at least 10 wrasses in my 120, perhaps more. a great deal of rock and not much substrate at all. Am in Jamaica now and do plan on taking back some sand.

McPuff · Feb 12, 2020

I had a solar, melanurus, and ruby head at the same time. The ruby head was definitely aggressive, especially to the solar wrasse. It also got much larger than I expected... about 5" and fat. I agree that a bluehead and ruby head would probably not mix well. Your other ideas sound pretty feasible though.

I'm adding another solar (in QT now) soon and also planning to add a Labouti once I can get one at the LFS. May add another halichoeres spp. too as I've got plenty of sand for it and they are terrific hunters (e.g., rusty flatworms).