Green bird wrasse. Reef safe?

[LAA]

Hey I was wondering if green bird wrasse is reef safe. Not invert safe. But coral/reef safe. Thx!

 

[Eagle_Steve]

@SaltyT @Crabby48 thoughts on the above?

 

[Crabby48]

I think they get big and aggressive so haven’t looked into them much. Wait for SaltyT on this one.
She will want to know other stocking and tank size for a better answer. That all will determine weather it can work

 

[LAA]

I think they get big and aggressive so haven’t looked into them much. Wait for SaltyT on this one.
She will want to know other stocking and tank size for a better answer. That all will determine weather it can work

It’s a 150 gallon with a tang, and some wrasse

 

[N.Sreefer]

Ive never personally owned one but in the wild they never eat coral they feed on benthic inverts often within stony coral and even help clear ectoparasites from stony corals. Any cuc would be toast though. Still wait for an expert, I know nothing about their captive care.

 

[LAA]

Ok thanks. Yeah not planning on having any inverts. Just have some coral wanting to go in the tank but didn’t wanna add if he would eat them.

Ive never personally owned one but in the wild they never eat coral they feed on benthic inverts often within stony coral and even help clear ectoparasites from stony corals. Any cuc would be toast though. Still wait for an expert though I know nothing about their captive care

 

[BanjoBandito]

Shouldn't pick or nip at corals, but will wipe out inverts in a heartbeat happily. They'll attack small fish too....they get big and boisterous. They'll literally swipe food out of the mouths of other fish. They are fast, move around a lot and any shy/slow fish will likely be bullied or won't get to eat due to "piggy mode".

 

[SaltyT]

They do not eat coral, but will eat clams. Agree with ^ above as they mature there's a chance they will turn on your other wrasses and will try to eat smaller fish like firefish, gobies, etc.

 

[N.Sreefer]

It’s a 150 gallon with a tang, and some wrasse

Do you know what species of wrasse or have a picture of it? This will help experts on the species in question determine if you can keep it with the species you already have.

Wrasse species are prone to intraspecific aggression (they attack members of their own species). Some wrasse species will attack unrelated species just because the body shape/pattern is similar to a wrasse.

 

[LAA]

They do not eat coral, but will eat clams. Agree with ^ above as they mature there's a chance they will turn on your other wrasses and will try to eat smaller fish like firefish, gobies, etc.

Okay thank you so he will be fine if I add some softies?

 

[LAA]

Thank you guys for the help!

 

[delv2323]

Mine is the most aggressive eater in my tanks....and I have mine with other larger boisterous fish.

 

[SaltyT]

Okay thank you so he will be fine if I add some softies?

It should leave soft corals alone. What other wrasses do you have in the tank? Anything small like a flasher wrasse?

 

[LAA]

Nothing small. The other wrasse are same size as he is

 

[i cant think]

It’s a 150 gallon with a tang, and some wrasse

DO NOT risk it. These wrasse get big and mean when they mature. These wrasse look small but they don’t stay that size. I have kept a bird wrasse in a display at my LFS and I quickly took it out. It got VERY boisterous even other peaceful fish weren’t happy and hid with him in there. They’re beautiful in the right tank though and I’d try one if I did ever have a boisterous wrasse only tank (Bird wrasse, Jade, ect). As for coral, they tend to leave them alone but SPS may be on the menu, along with ANY invert (Even cleaner shrimp) and even small fish (1 inch or less) such as Clown Gobies and actually most gobies. They don’t eat other wrasse but do tend to chase them round and wreck havoc on them, stressing them out to the point of no return. I had a few wrasses jump because of the bird wrasse when I worked in the LFS. The bird wrasse did get sold but I had to make sure it was both a large tank and no small, peaceful fish were in it. These animals are best kept to boisterous tanks where their aggressiveness is competed with.

 

[LAA]

Gonna try it! Adding corals

 

[SaltyT]

Gonna try it! Adding corals

Attach them well so your bird wrasse can't flip them or knock them off.

 

[Waters]

I had a pair for a long time in my sps tank...didn't touch anything or anyone (not counting snails of course), other than the Green bird chasing the Brown bird around constantly.

 

[LAA]

I had a pair for a long time in my sps tank...didn't touch anything or anyone (not counting snails of course), other than the Green bird chasing the Brown bird around constantly.

Yes he has left everything alone so far!

 

[i cant think]

Yes he has left everything alone so far!

That’s the same thing I said about my Jade. Don’t let your guard down when messing with aggressive wrasse and small wrasse from the genera: Macropharyngodon, Anampses, Halichoeres, Cirrhilabrus, Paracheilinus and Pseudojuloides.