Reef Safe Sandbox for my Wrasses

[Willz]

I have a BB reef tank, but I really want to keep a couple of wrasses that need sand. I have heard that some folks put a small sandbox or two in the back of the tank for the wrasses. What would work for this? Any ideas would be helpful.

 

[cloak]

A small tupperware container should suffice. Walmart, Target etc should have all kinds of options to choose from.

 

[Willz]

Thanks @cloak! So, just whatever is food safe won't leach chemicals into the tank?

 

[eatbreakfast]

Yup. Tupperware seems to be the go-to sandbox for most.

 

[Willz]

Rock n roll. I'll get it set up this evening. I'm sure I have a wide variety of Tupperware that I can raid.

 

[evolved]

What species do you have in mind?
And yes, the plan on the sandbox will work fine.

 

[Willz]

What species do you have in mind?
And yes, the plan on the sandbox will work fine.

I bought a 5" twin spot coris wrasse. I know, I know, I screwed the pooch on that purchase. I just determined what it was the other day. I thought it was a leopard wrasse because of the pattern on the front of the fish. I have a 4' x 4' x 16" 175g tank. I also have a blue head wrasse on order. Will two six inch deep containers be OK for them (for now)?

 

[evolved]

I know, I know, I screwed the pooch on that purchase.

Yeah, a little bit, but at least it will be a while before it's huge.

I also have a blue head wrasse on order.

What species? Thalassoma bifasciatum or Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura? The former is a bad idea in general, and the latter will not need sand.

 

[Willz]

Yeah, a little bit, but at least it will be a while before it's huge.

What species? Thalassoma bifasciatum or Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura? The former is a bad idea in general, and the latter will not need sand.

The former (Thalassoma bifasciatum). Jeez, I'm batting 0 for a 1000.

Why is this one a bad idea?

 

[evolved]

Agressive in nature; not likely to tolerate the Coris either.

As a rule, Thalassoma and reef tanks don't mix.

 

[Willz]

I picked it out because my friend in Richmond has an awesome Blue Head wrasse in his 180 reef. He would hold the frags in the tank and the Bluehead would come up and do a 360 inspection of the frag for pests. It was pretty cool. He also had a leopard wrasse. It sounds like that situation is the outlier on the bell curve. Ugh.

 

[evolved]

There's always exceptions, but that is not the norm.

 

[Willz]

There's always exceptions, but that is not the norm.

Thanks for your input @evolved! Not what I wanted to hear, but definitely what I needed to hear. Looks like I'll be keeping a close eye on the tank until I can get rid of the twin spot...

 

[cpschult]

A friend made one of these, glued rubble to edge to make it look like part of the tank

 

[eatbreakfast]

As far as Thalassoma go, T. bifasciatum isn't terribly aggressive. I have a customer that had a large twin spot, that wasn't aggressive at all, but kept the Thalassoma wrasses in line. As long as the Coris is larger you should be fine.

 

[Willz]

I wound up using a Pyrex glass baking dish to make this happen. It is hidden in the back of the tank so it doesn't look out of place. And, more importantly, so that my wife doesn't notice it. Hahah....

He disappears right before lights out. I see a little puff of sand particles rise up around the rocks where it is hidden and he is done for the day. It's been going on a few nights and it's kind of crazy how precise with the timing he is. It is about 5 minutes before lights out that he goes missing.