Pintail Fairy Wrasse Advice

[BPCGuy]

Hello all, first time poster! I learned a lot lurking here and hope to contribute more.

A week ago I told the lfs staff to bag me a Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse. It wasn’t until I got home that I realized he had bagged a Pintail Fairy Wrasse instead.

i have a BioCube32 mixed reef. I knew the Carpenter’s wrasse was pushing it the tank size limit But I wanted to try. I read that Pintail Wrasse get 2 inches longer than Carpenter’s and require 70-90 gallon setups! Any advice on what to do? Do I need to rehome the Pintail immediately? Or can I keep him and see how large he gets (He is 3 inches terminal phase)? How long will he get? Any indicators of stress I should look out for? If the time comes, any advice on how to catch a wrasse?,

Tank mates are a pair ocellaris clowns, a royal gramma, and a yellow watchman goby. I haven’t seen much aggression, just a little chasing of the royal gramma. The fish seems happy, is eating well, has set up his cave, and swims in Patterns through the rock work. Water chemistry seems right down the middle, although I just started running NO3 export blocks and the refugium Cheato has been growing quickly.

 

[CindyKz]

Rehome. A biocube 32 doesn't provide enough swimming room for either fish.

 

[evolved]

Rehome. A biocube 32 doesn't provide enough swimming room for either fish.

+2

 

[eatbreakfast]

+3

 

[EvanDeVita]

+2

Would a 30 gallon long be enough?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Would a 30 gallon long be enough?

Honestly, for the little extra cost- go with a minimum 40 Breeder or better yet- a 55 gallon. You'll be glad you did

 

[EvanDeVita]

Honestly, for the little extra cost- go with a minimum 40 Breeder or better yet- a 55 gallon. You'll be glad you did

dang. I just picked up a good sized one from my LFS. They had it at $45 so I took it. Is it a ‘’must rehome?”

 

[vetteguy53081]

dang. I just picked up a good sized one from my LFS. They had it at $45 so I took it. Is it a ‘’must rehome?”

You have the fish now. Might as well try it, but many have indicated reasons not to.

 

[EvanDeVita]

You have the fish now. Might as well try it, but many have indicated reasons not to.

Thanks for the advice. He is eating and swimming around and seems to be doing well. If I see any stressful behavior I’ll rehome him.

 

[mattzang]

the problem with wrasses in small tanks is that they're pretty darty and much more likely to up and crash into the tank glass or something else and then succumb to a spinal cord injury

i also found QTing them in a 29g tall tank that they just don't like to be in there. i suppose this could be the more sterile environment, but they just hide and don't swim around much and generally behave poorly. i had an orangeback fairy wrasse that behaved like a goby, he'd just sit under a rock and have his head poked out and not really swim around unless i put food in there

 

[EvanDeVita]

the problem with wrasses in small tanks is that they're pretty darty and much more likely to up and crash into the tank glass or something else and then succumb to a spinal cord injury

i also found QTing them in a 29g tall tank that they just don't like to be in there. i suppose this could be the more sterile environment, but they just hide and don't swim around much and generally behave poorly. i had an orangeback fairy wrasse that behaved like a goby, he'd just sit under a rock and have his head poked out and not really swim around unless i put food in there

Hmm. I currently have a small ornate leopard wrasse in the tank, and the two have been acting the same. If I see any of the behavior you mentioned above I will rehome him. I’ve already done the research.

 

[Dreamin_Reefer]

I have one in a 5ft reefer 450 and he is swimming (and sometimes darting) the length of the tank all day...

 

[EvanDeVita]

I have one in a 5ft reefer 450 and he is swimming (and sometimes darting) the length of the tank all day...

Like I said, if I see any behavior that shows he isn’t happy I will take him out immediately!

 

[evolved]

You have the fish now. Might as well try it, but many have indicated reasons not to.

I disagree - already purchased doesn't grant a license to try.

If I see any stressful behavior I’ll rehome him.

And what is that exactly? If you haven't kept a lot a Cirrhilabrus to have the experience to know normal behaviors, this will be quite nebulous.

the problem with wrasses in small tanks is that they're pretty darty and much more likely to up and crash into the tank glass or something else and then succumb to a spinal cord injury

i also found QTing them in a 29g tall tank that they just don't like to be in there. i suppose this could be the more sterile environment, but they just hide and don't swim around much and generally behave poorly. i had an orangeback fairy wrasse that behaved like a goby, he'd just sit under a rock and have his head poked out and not really swim around unless i put food in there

Exactly. Cramped spaces gives way to abnormal behaviors.

I have one in a 5ft reefer 450 and he is swimming (and sometimes darting) the length of the tank all day...

+1 to this sentiment - they'll use a lot of space if they have it.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I disagree - already purchased doesn't grant a license to try.

And what is that exactly? If you haven't kept a lot a Cirrhilabrus to have the experience to know normal behaviors, this will be quite nebulous.

Exactly. Cramped spaces gives way to abnormal behaviors.

+1 to this sentiment - they'll use a lot of space if they have it.

Store will likely not take it back, at least by me they don’t

 

[ReefBeta]

I have one in a 5ft reefer 450 and he is swimming (and sometimes darting) the length of the tank all day...

Interestingly, I have a pintail and a lineatus in a 6ft tank. Most of the time they hop around a 2ft area for a while, then move to next. Don't usually see them dashing left to right (my niger trigger do that all day long nonstop). My flow is pretty strong, the fairy wrasses seem to most enjoy riding against the flow and just chill in place. The timor wrasse is very exploratory on the contrast, constantly swimming in and out of rock looking for pods.

 

[EvanDeVita]

I disagree - already purchased doesn't grant a license to try.

And what is that exactly? If you haven't kept a lot a Cirrhilabrus to have the experience to know normal behaviors, this will be quite nebulous.

Exactly. Cramped spaces gives way to abnormal behaviors.

+1 to this sentiment - they'll use a lot of space if they have it.

You're right- I don't have any experience with fairy wrasses. I brought the fish back yesterday!

 

[EvanDeVita]

Store will likely not take it back, at least by me they don’t

I got it at a very low price and I sold it back to a different store yesterday

 

[EvanDeVita]

Store will likely not take it back, at least by me they don’t

Also, there is almost no way that a store would give up a free Pintail Wrasse. At least not my LFS which sells Algae Blennies for $45. (Im trying to say that overprice all livestock and people still buy them there)