New Wrasse problems

[salty_trout]

So my christmas wrasse finally emerged from the sand after 4 days and soon as he did my melanurus chased him intently until he disappeared in the outcrops somewhere.... maybe back into the sand. He is never aggressive ever so I'm wondering if I should throw him in the qt for a while? Still in the sand is my vroliks wrasse and yellow wrasse. Advice?

 

[Johnson556]

I just added a marble wrasse and the same thing happened, except its now been over two weeks since I've seen the marble...following

 

[salty_trout]

I just added a marble wrasse and the same thing happened, except its now been over two weeks since I've seen the marble...following

Bummer : ( , I just fed my melanurus till he pooped, so hopefully he goes to bed happy and early with the hope of the xmas wrasse coming out in his absence.

 

[Friday24]

So my christmas wrasse finally emerged from the sand after 4 days and soon as he did my melanurus chased him intently until he disappeared in the outcrops somewhere.... maybe back into the sand. He is never aggressive ever so I'm wondering if I should throw him in the qt for a while? Still in the sand is my vroliks wrasse and yellow wrasse. Advice?

I doubt you’re going to get rid of the aggression, you added 3 species of wrasse that are almost identical in color.

 

[eatbreakfast]

So my christmas wrasse finally emerged from the sand after 4 days and soon as he did my melanurus chased him intently until he disappeared in the outcrops somewhere.... maybe back into the sand. He is never aggressive ever so I'm wondering if I should throw him in the qt for a while? Still in the sand is my vroliks wrasse and yellow wrasse. Advice?

How big of a tank? Unless it is huge it is unlikely a melanurus and vroliks will work out as they are very closely related.

Either move the melanurus to the qt or utilize a social acclimation box for a few days. Keeping another wrasse buried is not a good sign.

 

[salty_trout]

How big of a tank? Unless it is hugebit is unlikely a melanurus and vroliks will work out as they are very closely related.

Either move the melanurus to the qt or utilize a social acclimation box for a few days. Keeping another wrasse buried is not a good sign.

So the melanurus and vroliks haven't even came into contact yet. But okay Ill move the melanurus

 

[salty_trout]

I doubt you’re going to get rid of the aggression, you added 3 species of wrasse that are almost identical in color.

If you think an xmas wrasse and a melanurus look almost identical then you need an eye exam lol. However, now that I'm looking at it closely the vroliks and melanurus do have pretty much the same template with a different face. An easy fix tho ill just move my melanurus.

 

[Jesterrace]

What he was trying to get at, was that they are all from the same parent species (Halichoeres) and there are definitely those who have had problems with mixing fish of the Halichoeres variety in the same tank. You can generally mix wrasses if you have a peaceful halichoeres mixed with say a fairy wrasse, flasher wrasse and possum wrasse and there are those who have mixed various other parent species together without issue, it just gets tricky when mixing Halichoeres Wrasses.

 

[eatbreakfast]

What he was trying to get at, was that they are all from the same parent species (Halichoeres) and there are definitely those who have had problems with mixing fish of the Halichoeres variety in the same tank. You can generally mix wrasses if you have a peaceful halichoeres mixed with say a fairy wrasse, flasher wrasse and possum wrasse and there are those who have mixed various other parent species together without issue, it just gets tricky when mixing Halichoeres Wrasses.

Halichoeres mix pretty well together. Melanurus can be a little bossy to others if not socially acclimated. And vroliks(chrysotaenia) is a sister species to melanurus, so aggression is greater between the 2. If the christmas wrasse is ornatissimus there may be more aggression, but if the christmas wrasse is claudia or biocellatus, I have kept those species with melanurus frequently.

 

[salty_trout]

Halichoeres mix pretty well together. Melanurus can be a little bossy to others if not socially acclimated. And vroliks(chrysotaenia) is a sister species to melanurus, so aggression is greater between the 2. If the christmas wrasse is ornatissimus there may be more aggression, but if the christmas wrasse is claudia or biocellatus, I have kept those species with melanurus frequently.

Halichoeres mix pretty well together, is what ive always been told as well. The yellow wrasse finally came out this morning and my tang is the only one being bossy towards him but he has since forgotten since I fed him. However, the christmas wrasse is still buried, and the vroliks also buried. It did take the yellow wrasse 5 days to come out after being introduced though. I tried to catch my melanurus....... for about 3 hours lol. The xmas wrasse is almost identical to the picture I posted from live aquaria.

 

[salty_trout]

More on the yellow wrasse. He isn't being picked on, the melanurus doesn't even notice him. However, he is pretty lethargic still and not eating that I've seen. Hopefully, he would eat a hermit if he was starving lol. Then again most wrasse I've had do this lethargic/laying on side, just not after being buried in the sand for 5 days after acclimation.

 

[eatbreakfast]

More on the yellow wrasse. He isn't being picked on, the melanurus doesn't even notice him. However, he is pretty lethargic still and not eating that I've seen. Hopefully, he would eat a hermit if he was starving lol. Then again most wrasse I've had do this lethargic/laying on side, just not after being buried in the sand for 5 days after acclimation.

Lethargy isn't a good sign this far in. Was any qt or treatment done?

 

[salty_trout]

Lethargy isn't a good sign this far in. Was any qt or treatment done?

qt for several days but I had recently seen what looked like to be stringy poop from my clowns in my display and decided it best to treat all at once. I think he was just too banged up from delivery and the change from qt to display probably was what stressed him to hide for many days(growing weak id assume). Probably bad reasoning on my end. Side note, I've just never had a wrasse as mean as my melanurus. He was less aggressive, towards the vroliks that came out this morning but in fear of another fish passing from stress I scooped him out and put him in an empty 20 gallon that recently cycled about a month ago and he seems to be eating pods along with hex shield as well. Sadly the yellow wrasse was found this morning covered in crustacean, which is sad since no fish showed aggression towards him other than my goofy tang at first who is unsure of everything he encounters lol. Lastly, no sign of the xmas wrasse, even after I stirred my sand bed up while cleaning the front part of glass.

 

[salty_trout]

He looks like he is happy now.

 

[salty_trout]

Halichoeres mix pretty well together. Melanurus can be a little bossy to others if not socially acclimated. And vroliks(chrysotaenia) is a sister species to melanurus, so aggression is greater between the 2. If the christmas wrasse is ornatissimus there may be more aggression, but if the christmas wrasse is claudia or biocellatus, I have kept those species with melanurus frequently.

So after many days, the xmas wrasse came out again. My melanurus showed some aggression and was flared but not nipping at him just a chase off and on. I noticed him mainly eat pods off the glass and some hex-shield. I debated on catching him and putting him in quarantine but decided he has made it this long. After about 30 minutes he buried back into the sand.