Stocking help

[steiger33]

I am wanting to do a variety of wrasse's that are reef safe and won't break the bank to bad. I would like to have a few different ones or pairs with a variety of color. I need advise and suggestions. Please help. Also how many could I have total?

Tank is a 120g 48x24x24

Current stock

Mocha clown pair
Citron clown goby
Blue cleaner wrasse

Later additions

Purple tang
Pair or red mandarin gobies

 

[eatbreakfast]

You can do quite a few wrasses, as many as a dozen wrasses, if not more.

Don't do pairs, wrasses don't form bonded prs, rather gender is determined through social interactions. In captivity females often transition into males, and two males in the same tank doesn't turn out well. Males of different species will still display to one another and keep each other colored up.

With mandarins in the tank,I recommend sticking with flasher and fairy wrasses, as they don't compete for pods.

A few species I like that are relatively inexpensive include mckosker, flavianalis, angulatus, and filamentosus flashers, as well as exquisite, solorensis, lubbocki, rubriventralis, and aurantidorsalis fairy wrasses.

Wrasses need tight fitting lids, as they are big time jumpers. Also, be sure to utilize a social acclimation box when introducing a new wrasse to an established one.

 

[steiger33]

Thank you @eatbreakfast. I did see a coris wrasse at lfs which really caught my eye it was the yellow coris. How are those I don't hear much about them on here

 

[eatbreakfast]

Thank you @eatbreakfast. I did see a coris wrasse at lfs which really caught my eye it was the yellow coris. How are those I don't hear much about them on here

Yellow coris wrasses are a peaceful, smaller species of Halichoeres, H. chrysus. They do, however, hunt pods and may outcompete any mandarins.

 

[steiger33]

Ok good to know. Thank you for the information.

 

[steiger33]

So I have found some wrasse's that I like and wondered best stocking advice as well as some that are questionable.

FAIRY

Tonos
Long fin
Whip fin
Tricolor
Temmincki
Sunset
Exquisite
Blue sided

FLASHER

Blue
Yellowfin
McCoskers
Filamented
Carpenters
Angular

POTTERS LEOPARD how hardy are they and what is the care like for them?

Other Wrasse's that I was looking at are

Sea Grass
Radiant
Dusky
Vrolik
Royal pencil
Melanurus
Christmas.

Let me know what you think and what would be the best order to add into 120g tank.

Also for QT they will be in a 20g innovative Marine Nuvo

Thank you in advance

 

[eatbreakfast]

So I have found some wrasse's that I like and wondered best stocking advice as well as some that are questionable.

FAIRY

Tonos a very aggressive fairy wrasse, doesn't mix well with others.
Long fin Some have reported a lot of aggression when mixed with other fairy and flashers, they have been fine when I have kept them.
Whip fin another very aggressive fairy wrasse, that also shouldn't be mixed.
Tricolor An excellent choice.
Temmincki A larger, more aggressive fairy, males colors prone to fading in captivity.
Sunset An aggressive fairy, should only be kept with larger wrasses.
Exquisite An excellent choice, with a few regional variants.
Blue sided Another good choice.

FLASHER

Blue
Yellowfin
McCoskers
Filamented
Carpenters
Angular
Any of the flashers listed above will have similar care requirements and mix well.

POTTERS LEOPARD how hardy are they and what is the care like for them?
One of the more challenging leopard species. The most difficult time is the first few weeks. Once acclimated to captivity they do well, but swings in parameters, even alkalinity, should be avoided.

Other Wrasse's that I was looking at are

Sea Grass A larger species better suited to a fowlr. Will eat shrimp, cuc, and flip corals and rocks.
Radiant An excellent choice
Dusky A larger Halichoeres species, may be added to other wrasses, but best as a last addition.
Vrolik Another excellent choice.
Royal pencil Pencil wrasses are similar to leopards as far as care, they are poor shippers, but once acclimated to captivity are quite hardy. Males have a tendency to lose coloration when kept with other sand burying wrasses.
Melanurus A popular addition, but choose only it or the vroliks as they are sister species, and aggression is worse with close relatives.
Christmas. A few species go by this name. H. biocellatus and claudia should be fine, H. ornatissmus can get larger and more aggressive.

Let me know what you think and what would be the best order to add into 120g tank.
Start with the flashers, than fairies, than leopard and pencil, finally the Halichoeres species.
Also for QT they will be in a 20g innovative Marine Nuvo

Thank you in advance

 

[4FordFamily]

You're in good hands with @eatbreakfast. He taught me much of what I know about wrasses as well as @evolved. My wrasse tank is a treasure I really enjoy it. IMO rehome the mandarin and wrasse it out!

My target mandarin lived with my nearly 2 dozen wrasses for 8 months but as mentioned could not compete in the end.

 

[evolved]

I don't have much else to add beyond what TJ has advised.

 

[steiger33]

Thank you for your help that really helps me make the choices. I want to stay away from an aggressive tank.

 

[steiger33]

@eatbreakfast I don't know if this is a stupid question of not. But when I do the at tank that is 20 g how many could I qt at a time comfortably?

 

[evolved]

Do you have experience with QT? What does your QT setup consist of?

Tentatively, 2-4ish.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Do you have experience with QT? What does your QT setup consist of?

Tentatively, 2-4ish.

Agreed with Evolved.

 

[steiger33]

I qt everything I get it. When I set up this 120g as my show tank I wanted to make sure not to introduce anything that hadn't been in Qt for 6 weeks My Qt tank is a Nuvo 20g.

 

[steiger33]

@evolved and @eatbreakfast sorry I forgot to tag you on my reply

 

[eatbreakfast]

@evolved and @eatbreakfast sorry I forgot to tag you on my reply

No worries on the tag. I get alerts from threads I have replied to.