Let Me ID Your Wrasse!

Greenstreet.1 · Jan 2, 2016

eatbreakfast said:
Halichoeres marginatus, male. It gets a little larger than a melanurus. A little more attitude and more likely to eat cuc, but males are quite desirable.

Can he mix with other aggressive wrasses ?

Well could not leave it not when it's a wrasse and only 20$ hope he gets along with my eight line and coris in the main DT

Flashy Fins · Jan 2, 2016

Ben jammin said:
Ok, here's some video from this afternoon.

Stunning pink face wrasse! I notice you had a quoyi parrot in the first video, but not in the second. Was there any conflict with wrasses?

Thank you so much for sharing the videos and experience.

eatbreakfast · Jan 2, 2016

Greenstreet.1 said:
Can he mix with other aggressive wrasses ?

Well could not leave it not when it's a wrasse and only 20$ hope he gets along with my eight line and coris in the main DT

He should be able to mix, just use a social acclimation box for introduction.

Ben jammin · Jan 2, 2016

I suspect eatbreakfast will say the same thing, but use an acclimation box to introduce him and it should help significantly. I do for all my new additions and it's been a big help.

That's a beautiful fish by the way. I'd be tempted to add him to my crew if I came across him. I only have two Halichoeres after all

peterbeamon · Jan 3, 2016

what about these two. Just picked up the second one yesterday

eatbreakfast · Jan 3, 2016

peterbeamon said:
what about these two. Just picked up the second one yesterday

First one is Halichoeres radiatus, puddingwife wrasse, juvenile.

Second is Cirrhilabrus cf. cyanopleura, ruby head wrasse, male.

Ben jammin · Jan 3, 2016

Flashy Fins said:
Stunning pink face wrasse! I notice you had a quoyi parrot in the first video, but not in the second. Was there any conflict with wrasses?

Thank you so much for sharing the videos and experience.

Sorry - overlooked your post earlier.

The quoyi was an awesome fish. Gorgeous and peaceful. I got it from Diver's Den, but unfortunately, could never get it eating sufficiently and it died after a couple months. I don't know if it didn't like what I was eating - though I tried every kind of frozen, pellet, wafer, flake and algae sheet I could get my hands on. It seemed to like algae wafers the best, but my other fish would always grab them first. Several months later I came across a smaller quoyi at a LFS and I gave it one more shot, but could not get it to eat either. After two failed tries I am out of the quoyi business. I got the pink face wrasse some time later as a substitute, and suffice to say it is not shy about eating. I was actually a little worried about adding it since I'd read on here and elsewhere about quinquevittatum wrasses eating the eyeballs of tankmates, etc., and I know Thalassoma's are generally aggressive, but mine has been no trouble. It gets along with my melanarus which has similar shape and general coloration, and never even took issue with my nebulosa, which is also green but smaller, and was added afterwards.

Flashy Fins · Jan 4, 2016

Thanks for all the info, Ben jammin ! Having a giant tank is a long way off (if ever) fantasy of mine, but that does not stop me from researching my dream fish and seriously planning out a wrasse-dominated fowlr. A quoyi parrot is my must-have star of the show!

Many of my favorite fish are Thalassoma wrasses, but I had resigned myself to not having any of those, having read the same thing about their tendency to remove eyeballs and wanting to keep many other large wrasses, such as the harlequin tusk. Some say paddlefins are doable, but I just don't find them as stunning as the pink face and others.

You've really inspired me! I now think if I set up a tank like I want, I might risk a pink face as the last addition to the tank. Might be a decade before I have such a tank... I'll report back then!

(Apologies for hijacking the ID thread with my personal tank dreams!)

MoReefs · Jan 6, 2016

No ID on this fish at all, not sure this is even a wrasse, but it seems to move and act like one.

evolved · Jan 6, 2016

That's a tough one... I'm thinking something of the Pteragogus genus.

eatbreakfast · Jan 6, 2016

MoReefs said:
No ID on this fish at all, not sure this is even a wrasse, but it seems to move and act like one.

evolved said:
That's a tough one... I'm thinking something of the Pteragogus genus.

Definitly a Pteragogus, but more brightly colored than most I've seen. Based on facial markings and body stripings, I will venture P. enneacanthus as the i.d.

MoReefs · Jan 6, 2016

I believe you found it! Thank you. Now my question is, how big will it get and how aggressive is it?

evolved · Jan 6, 2016

Around 6". I can't find much about diet or aggression, but from what I do find I'd expect the temperament to be pretty mild, but for it to eat any motile invert it can fit in it's mouth.

eatbreakfast · Jan 6, 2016

Pteragogus wrasses usually aren't too aggressive and are also left alone by other fish. They DEFINITELY eat motile inverts and also small fishes. Fish about half the size of firefish will be hunted.

MoReefs · Jan 6, 2016

I thought it might like to eat inverts just from watching him(I'm gonna assume it's a male since its so colorful). But I also have pair of yellow coris wrasses, pair of Melanurus wrassses so I already expect that. I also have an exquisite and a flame wrasse. Everyone seems to play nicely so far in my 200DD. Thanks again for your help! I feel very fortunate to have acquired this seemingly rare fish.