Helichoeres wrasse aggression?

[Moonwrassler]

I have a 35g FOWLR tank with a male melanurus wrasse and just added a Red Line wrasse (Halichoeres Biocellatus). Contrary to everything I read, the Melanurus is beating on the new addition. It's now day 2, and the RedLine has not been out of the sand for more than 5 mins. And of course he's not eating.
Is this a doomed situation? Should I move the Melanurus to my reef tank (60 gal, and pretty heavily stocked) for a couple weeks and hope the new guy pulls through? Other tricks to try?

 

[Steve and his Animals]

I don't know what exactly you read, but aggression from between wrasses is most likely if they're in the same genus. This can sometimes be circumvented by introducing the wrasses to the tank at the same time, but adding them one at a time is asking for issues with dominance. Especially in that small of a tank.

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Agree w above post I like having my Melanarus in the reef. Just a great looking utility fish

 

[homer1475]

And this is exactly why you use an acclimation box when introducing new wrasses to established ones.

The Mel is probably not going to let the other out of the sand for a very long time. Unfortunately it's more then likely going to starve to death.

What you could try is to put the Mel in an acclimation box to reset the hierarchy in the tank.

 

[i cant think]

These wrasses will be alright as long as the one introduced after is female and young. I have managed to have a Halichoeres chloropterus and Halichoeres iridis together however I added both as young juveniles, the iridis was added after and was much smaller than the chloropterus.
If they’re added as both females and young then you will have more chance of success. As for wrasse aggression, it varies a lot, Cirrhilabrus will only be aggressive with eachother depending on their Complex - Scottorum being one of the worst for aggression.

If this doesn’t make sense I apologise - I was just waking up when I wrote this and only just posted it so I didn’t have my morning coffee to wake me up.

 

[Moonwrassler]

Thanks to you all.
I wish I had an acclimation box. Anybody have a clever way to make one out of stuff from Home Depot?

 

[homer1475]

Zip ties and eggcrate. Assuming the fish is large enough it can't fit through the egg crate?

I've made, and used one a couple times if the fish was big enough.

 

[homer1475]

Just for clarification....

What we call "eggcrate" in the hobby, is actually light diffusers found in the lighting dept.

 

[Zionas]

A 35g is really too small for both the Red Lined and Melanurus and especially considering they have similar colors. I’d remove the Melanurus and keep the Red Line and you can add a smaller species of wrasse.

 

[Moonwrassler]

Happy to report that I was able to make a nifty acclimation box out of a cheap critter carrier (plus an hour or so with a drill carefully perforating all sides) and the Mel is in the box and the Red Line is out and eating brine shrimp with a vengance. I gave the Mel an inch of sand so he can sleep like normal "in jail," and will see how things go for a couple weeks. Right now he's pretty ticked when the Red Line swims into view. But he's eating, and hopefully that aggression will mellow over time.
If he never calms down, I'm thinking we put one in the 60g reef tank. Only hesitation is the reef tank has no lid, and it's pretty full. In reverse dominance order:
Indigo dottyback
Dwarf flameback angel
Clownfish
Male Lyretail anthias
Copperband Butterfly
Two-Spot blue-eye tang.
There are lots of rock caves and hideouts so everyone is getting along, but I think adding one of the Helichoeres wrasses will be pushing it.
How big have I screwed up my stocking here?

 

[JCM]

Happy to report that I was able to make a nifty acclimation box out of a cheap critter carrier (plus an hour or so with a drill carefully perforating all sides) and the Mel is in the box and the Red Line is out and eating brine shrimp with a vengance. I gave the Mel an inch of sand so he can sleep like normal "in jail," and will see how things go for a couple weeks. Right now he's pretty ticked when the Red Line swims into view. But he's eating, and hopefully that aggression will mellow over time.
If he never calms down, I'm thinking we put one in the 60g reef tank. Only hesitation is the reef tank has no lid, and it's pretty full. In reverse dominance order:
Indigo dottyback
Dwarf flameback angel
Clownfish
Male Lyretail anthias
Copperband Butterfly
Two-Spot blue-eye tang.
There are lots of rock caves and hideouts so everyone is getting along, but I think adding one of the Helichoeres wrasses will be pushing it.
How big have I screwed up my stocking here?

My tank is a little larger than yours (36x21x21, so maybe 65g-70g), I'd feel about half stocked with that list. I guess I'm firmly in the overstocking crowd, but I don't think one of the halichoeres is going to throw you over the edge. I don't think you've screwed yourself at all.

Put a lid on it though. Regardless of if you add one the wrasses. Losing a fish carpet surfing is bone headed and easily avoidable.