Melanurus of Doom.

[Tnops]

I would like to tell you guys about my male 4 inch melanurus wrasse. Said to be peaceful and reef safe by most, mine would be an exception. A wonderful gem but don't be fooled by its looks. This is a hardcore serial killer and destroyer of properties. When I first got it, it was in the QT along with a foxface. One day, my foxface started to wither and die out of thin air. It was speculated by another member that the cause of death was the menacing sole presence of this melanurus wrasse. I didn't buy this at first but what happens later changed my mind. Some time later, I purchased a black cap jawfish. Absolutely awesome looking lil dude, always wanted something unique like this. At the time I got it, the wrasse was sleeping in the sand. When I woke up the day after, it was SAVAGELY beaten by the melanurus wrasse. I didn't have anywhere else to place it so I put it in an acclimation box within the QT. One day when I came back from the outside, the jawfish was gone. The lid had opened by itself. It was not in the tank, it was not around the tank. There was a 5 gal bucket by the tank with waste water and there it is. Heavily breathing and injured in the bucket. How lucky was it to jump into a body of water! Except its salinity was at 50 ppt. That's not all. After I finally Qted it and put it in my display tank, everytime I feed my corals, it would nip and rip my corals apart. I even found it shredding clove polyps once even though there was no coral food on it. It also started to attack the new bangaii cardinals which I introduced. I was done with it so I decided to banish it to the sump with some sand. Today, I decided to return it to the DT because I forgot the menace it was and immediately it started to show aggression to the cardinals and rip off tentacles from my euphyilias when I fed them. Anyways, that's my little rant/experience with a single male melanurus devil.

TLDR: Absolute bully and terror to new fish, destroyer of innocent corals, NOT reef safe OR peaceful from my experience.

 

[MEPAWN35]

I have to say I love the article, very well written!

Can't say my wrasse was like that but ita kinda funny to hear about one!

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

I have one on hold at my LFS that I'm picking up in about an hour... this made me LOL but is also making me nervous, not gonna lie! He'd be the smallest fish in my tank besides my male clownfish though, so hopefully that would deter him from terrorizing everyone. He better not disrupt the peace! I'll report back.

 

[Jmcg89]

I have one on hold at my LFS that I'm picking up in about an hour... this made me LOL but is also making me nervous, not gonna lie! He'd be the smallest fish in my tank besides my male clownfish though, so hopefully that would deter him from terrorizing everyone. He better not disrupt the peace! I'll report back.

Mine is very peaceful, although may be responsible for a few empty snail shells!

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Mine is very peaceful, although may be responsible for a few empty snail shells!

Good to know! I have a ton of snails (the dwarf ceriths keep reproducing like rabbits), so it could pick some off and not affect anything really. So far, I've found my darn hermit crabs to be the snail murderers! So annoying. I'm going to add some more empty shells so they stop doing that. I'm excited about the wrasse - they're so beautiful!

 

[Slocke]

Mine is the savior of my tank. I put a hortulanus wrasse in and my mela attacked it quite viciously which is never seen it do before. So I caught it and put in my spare tank. The next day the hortulanus came out an immediately went after all the smaller fish. In 3 days it killed a firefish, a longnose hawk, and some shrimp as well as injuring others. It also refused to be caught. So I panicked and added the mela back.
Problem was very quickly solved.

 

[HBtank]

But look how beautiful he is!

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

The wrasse came out of hiding today! My big tomini tang is chasing him a lot, but he seems to be holding his own. Can't be TOO bothered or he'd dive into the sand. He's so pretty!

 

[DavidinGA]

Mine doesn't bother any other fish, just eats all the small inverts it can find...

 

[vetteguy53081]

I would like to tell you guys about my male 4 inch melanurus wrasse. Said to be peaceful and reef safe by most, mine would be an exception. A wonderful gem but don't be fooled by its looks. This is a hardcore serial killer and destroyer of properties. When I first got it, it was in the QT along with a foxface. One day, my foxface started to wither and die out of thin air. It was speculated by another member that the cause of death was the menacing sole presence of this melanurus wrasse. I didn't buy this at first but what happens later changed my mind. Some time later, I purchased a black cap jawfish. Absolutely awesome looking lil dude, always wanted something unique like this. At the time I got it, the wrasse was sleeping in the sand. When I woke up the day after, it was SAVAGELY beaten by the melanurus wrasse. I didn't have anywhere else to place it so I put it in an acclimation box within the QT. One day when I came back from the outside, the jawfish was gone. The lid had opened by itself. It was not in the tank, it was not around the tank. There was a 5 gal bucket by the tank with waste water and there it is. Heavily breathing and injured in the bucket. How lucky was it to jump into a body of water! Except its salinity was at 50 ppt. That's not all. After I finally Qted it and put it in my display tank, everytime I feed my corals, it would nip and rip my corals apart. I even found it shredding clove polyps once even though there was no coral food on it. It also started to attack the new bangaii cardinals which I introduced. I was done with it so I decided to banish it to the sump with some sand. Today, I decided to return it to the DT because I forgot the menace it was and immediately it started to show aggression to the cardinals and rip off tentacles from my euphyilias when I fed them. Anyways, that's my little rant/experience with a single male melanurus devil.

TLDR: Absolute bully and terror to new fish, destroyer of innocent corals, NOT reef safe OR peaceful from my experience.

Ive had a couple B A D ones myself and reason I no longer keep one. Same with red coris wrasse who flips every coral and frag over in search of food

 

[Rovert]

Uh, oh. Just came back from the LFS with a Melanarus today, acclimating as I write this. Keeping my fingers crossed...

 

[sfin52]

I would like to tell you guys about my male 4 inch melanurus wrasse. Said to be peaceful and reef safe by most, mine would be an exception. A wonderful gem but don't be fooled by its looks. This is a hardcore serial killer and destroyer of properties. When I first got it, it was in the QT along with a foxface. One day, my foxface started to wither and die out of thin air. It was speculated by another member that the cause of death was the menacing sole presence of this melanurus wrasse. I didn't buy this at first but what happens later changed my mind. Some time later, I purchased a black cap jawfish. Absolutely awesome looking lil dude, always wanted something unique like this. At the time I got it, the wrasse was sleeping in the sand. When I woke up the day after, it was SAVAGELY beaten by the melanurus wrasse. I didn't have anywhere else to place it so I put it in an acclimation box within the QT. One day when I came back from the outside, the jawfish was gone. The lid had opened by itself. It was not in the tank, it was not around the tank. There was a 5 gal bucket by the tank with waste water and there it is. Heavily breathing and injured in the bucket. How lucky was it to jump into a body of water! Except its salinity was at 50 ppt. That's not all. After I finally Qted it and put it in my display tank, everytime I feed my corals, it would nip and rip my corals apart. I even found it shredding clove polyps once even though there was no coral food on it. It also started to attack the new bangaii cardinals which I introduced. I was done with it so I decided to banish it to the sump with some sand. Today, I decided to return it to the DT because I forgot the menace it was and immediately it started to show aggression to the cardinals and rip off tentacles from my euphyilias when I fed them. Anyways, that's my little rant/experience with a single male melanurus devil.

TLDR: Absolute bully and terror to new fish, destroyer of innocent corals, NOT reef safe OR peaceful from my experience.

What size tank

 

[sfin52]

Uh, oh. Just came back from the LFS with a Melanarus today, acclimating as I write this. Keeping my fingers crossed...

Mine was peaceful except to crabs and shrimp.

 

[Screwgunner]

I had a female my foxface has heald from his wonds but she would hit him so fast and leave holes in him . He finally stuck her with a poison dart she laid on the bottom of the tank a whole day and has not messed with my foxface again. Lesson learned!

 

[Tnops]

What size tank

standard 75 gallon

 

[HBtank]

I like how mine goes to bed at 4pm like some old man.

 

[Tnops]

I like how mine goes to bed at 4pm like some old man.

Yup, when I try to feed it, just stuck in the sand

 

[Jeffcb]

Mine is a model citizen. He may nibble on a snail or 2 but....

 

[billyocean]

I like how mine goes to bed at 4pm like some old man.

Ha...mine goes to bed with the lights on still everyday at just about 7:30 and accordingly with time change.

 

[Sink_or_Swim]

Uh, oh. Just came back from the LFS with a Melanarus today, acclimating as I write this. Keeping my fingers crossed...

How's it going with the wrasse today? Mine took 2 days to come out of hiding, but now he's been out and about. My tomini tang is being a huge jerk and chasing him around though. The melanurus seems downright peaceful in comparison, just minds his own business.