I'm SHOCKED, Wrasse has Fast Gender Transition

[TessGlo]

I knew wrasse (here Macropharyngodon bipartitus/ Blue Star Leopard) can go from female to male but I never expected it would happen soo quickly. I started to notice something was up about a week ago, and already it is looking very different. I've had this fish for about two years as a female, she grew during that time but only in the last week or so did I notice color changes. Perhaps its all the staying at home but this is so exiting to me.

Has anyone else observed this happen so quickly?

Hoping this does not cause any issue with the Potters wrasse, but so far they still seem to pal around together, anyone had issues after wrasses transition genders?


August 2018, bottom

Today (best photo I could get)

 

[Copingwithpods]

Becareful who you call ugly in middle school

 

[MIKE NY]

Congrats....I had mine for about 4-5 years before it changed and it was pretty quickly too within a couple of weeks, but unfortunately it only lived for about another year or so before I lost him which in my experience is within its live expectancy 5-7 years.

 

[TessGlo]

Congrats....I had mine for about 4-5 years before it changed and it was pretty quickly too within a couple of weeks, but unfortunately it only lived for about another year or so before I lost him which in my experience is within its live expectancy 5-7 years.

Thank you for sharing your experience, I kept thinking did I not notice or did this really just happen that quick. Hopefully I get that many years with this dude.

 

[OrionN]

My Black Leopard change over a few days too.

 

[esther]

Wow. Amazing!

 

[TessGlo]

My Black Leopard change over a few days too.

Sooooooo cool!!! love to see the photos!

 

[mattzang]

 

[dohc97]

My hooded wrasse changed in about 2 weeks,. Previous to that I think the fastest change I saw was a couple months.

 

[Mark3]

Sooooooo cool!!! love to see the photos!

Just fiddling with phone photos yesterday...here's my guy....

 

[evolved]

It can be as fast as just a few days. A couple weeks is more typical, though.

It should be okay with the potters as long as it remains female (which it is in that photo). If it also transitions to male, then sometimes two male Macropharyngodon males of different species won't tolerate another.

 

[TessGlo]

Just fiddling with phone photos yesterday...here's my guy....

Oh thats a pretty boy!

 

[TessGlo]

It can be as fast as just a few days. A couple weeks is more typical, though.

It should be okay with the potters as long as it remains female (which it is in that photo). If it also transitions to male, then sometimes two male Macropharyngodon males of different species won't tolerate another.

Thank you for the info. How do you tell male and female potters apart? Last time I looked into it I recall it being a fairly subtle difference in the lines in the face/ spotting. Photo of my potters from yesterday is below, do you still think its a girl? I see now that the lines on the face are different from the early photo.

 

[evolved]

How do you tell male and female potters apart?

See here:

Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

Was sold to me as a McCosker Flasher but they weren't 100% sure.

www.reef2reef.com

Photo of my potters from yesterday is below, do you still think its a girl? I see now that the lines on the face are different from the early photo.

Looking like a transitional male now, but that isn't necessarily bad. The bipartitus male might hold it in this transitional state.

 

[TessGlo]

See here:

Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

Was sold to me as a McCosker Flasher but they weren't 100% sure.

www.reef2reef.com

Looking like a transitional male now, but that isn't necessarily bad. The bipartitus male might hold it in this transitional state.

Cool, thank you for all the info, so interesting.