Mixing fairy wrasse?

[Chris C]

Hi all,

Is it wise to keep more than one fairy wrasse together? I'm talking about different spices, not male and female. For example, keeping C. rubripinnis and C. naokoae together? Cheers

 

[Duke4Life]

Hi all,

Is it wise to keep more than one fairy wrasse together? I'm talking about different spices, not male and female. For example, keeping C. rubripinnis and C. naokoae together? Cheers

It's easily done if you select the right 1s. I have 3 and a flasher in a 125g and plan to add more. @eatbreakfast @evolved

 

[eatbreakfast]

It definitely depends on the species, but keeping different species gets the best out of their displays.

I generally find you want to keep more than just 2. They set up a social hierarchy and if there are onlu 2 one will dominate the other, but if there are more, everyone gets a break from chasing and dominance.

Rubripinnis and naokoae should be fine, but I would recommend at least one more.

Also, utilizing a social acclimation box to introduce new wrasses to existing ones is a good idea.

 

[Breakthecycle2]

I've kept about 15 together once. Shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Jlobes]

generally, not a problem. Im not an expert, but have been doing hecka research for my own tank and stocking. you dont wanna keep multiple males of same species but ok, and seems preferred to keep more varied species. also, seems to be a poor decision to keep a pair of one species and multiple other males.
lastly, from what i have read, you can acquire single juvis/females and they will transition to males in your tank.

Hope I got all that right, and im not passing on bad info, but thats my understanding. and im planning on 6+ fairies/flashers in the tank

 

[Flashy Fins]

I keep this page bookmarked and refer to the chart at the bottom when considering fairy wrasses:

http://www.reefedition.com/cirrhilabrus-complexes-inferiority-need-not-apply/

 

[koifour]

I have 8 fairy wrasses in my tank and all get along.

 

[Jlobes]

I keep this page bookmarked and refer to the chart at the bottom when considering fairy wrasses:

http://www.reefedition.com/cirrhilabrus-complexes-inferiority-need-not-apply/

nice!! somehow i hadnt seen that yet!

 

[wangspeed]

Rubrisquamis supermale (someone referred to him as a dinosaur, he was so large)
Lineatus supermale
Solon male
Labouti male

Pecking order was lineatus then rubrisquamis, Solon, labouti. The rubri was dominant most of the time, but once in a while the lineatus would let him know who's boss. This was in a 90 gallon. Had them about 2 years before I broke it down for a move.

 

[Chris C]

Thank you @Flashy Fins! So according to the article, mixing rubripinnis and naokoae should be challenging. I managed to separate the two when the naokoae (the new comer) got chased up to the surface. Any tips on introducing new wrasse into the tank?

 

[Chris C]

So I got one more wrasse. @eatbreakfast i got it cos it was cheap. You thought it's a C. cyanopleura and It's now with the naokodae. Should I introduce both of them at the same time? Or should I try to catch the rubripinnis in the tank first?

 

[Flashy Fins]

Are you using an acclimation box? Keeping a new wrasse in one for the first couple of days allows the established fish to check out the new guy without the risk of harm. It will also allow you to see if something isn't going to work. If an established wrasse is going crazy trying to get at the fish in the box and does not let up in those couple of days, it's a bad idea to release the fish into your tank.

You can also help yourself by adding more than one wrasse at a time, so no single addition gets all the attention from existing fish. The wrasse experts can advise you on your particular mix.

 

[rlman41299]

I have 10+ flashers and fairy wrasse in my 120g tank and everyone gets along pretty good. No aggression.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thank you @Flashy Fins! So according to the article, mixing rubripinnis and naokoae should be challenging. I managed to separate the two when the naokoae (the new comer) got chased up to the surface. Any tips on introducing new wrasse into the tank?

So I got one more wrasse. @eatbreakfast i got it cos it was cheap. You thought it's a C. cyanopleura and It's now with the naokodae. Should I introduce both of them at the same time? Or should I try to catch the rubripinnis in the tank first?

Agreed with @Flashy Fins about using the acclimation box and introducing more than one simultaneously, both help.

 

[evolved]

On that note: http://www.reefedition.com/acclimation-box-can-thing-really-work/