Wrasse Recommendations!

[vaguelyreeflike]

We’d like a wrasse in our 125g frag tank for flatworm prevention, but it needs to be fully invert safe including shrimp, and completely reef safe.

Any recommendations? I’ve been looking at yellow coris but hesitant with shrimp

 

[Cthulukelele]

I'd suggest a possum wrasse, pink streak wrasse, or any of the commonly available leopard wrasse. If you go the leopard wrasse route make sure it's voraciously eating in the store and doesn't have a sunken belly. Honestly same with the possum wrasse. Pink streak wrasse are hardier but smaller. Halichoeres wrasse are honestly probably the most effective, but I'd only call them 75/25 invert safe.

 

[Derrick0580]

6 line

 

[Lavey29]

We’d like a wrasse in our 125g frag tank for flatworm prevention, but it needs to be fully invert safe including shrimp, and completely reef safe.

Any recommendations? I’ve been looking at yellow coris but hesitant with shrimp

Yellow coris won't harm shrimp neither does my 6 line. I have both and no pests

 

[Cthulukelele]

6 line

6 line also a good option and relative of pink streak. In a 125 wouldn't be much of a jerk either most likely

 

[ReeferHD]

possum wrasse is good if you have more docile tankmates, but a mystery wrasse might be better suited for that big of a tank.

edit: i have a possum in my 54 gallon and haven't seen a single flatworm since adding him, hasn't touched a coral or invert either.

 

[Cthulukelele]

possum wrasse is good if you have more docile tankmates, but a mystery wrasse might be better suited for that big of a tank.

Do you worry about invert safety with a mystery wrasse? I've heard many a tale of them crushing shrimp to death for dinner

 

[ReeferHD]

Do you worry about invert safety with a mystery wrasse? I've heard many a tale of them crushing shrimp to death for dinner

not sure as i haven't owned one, but if i got another wrasse it would be a mystery, i think it's a possiblity but it depends on the individual.

 

[SaltyT]

If your frag tank doesn't have any other fish in it I'd 100% go with a six line. They're perfect pest hunters for frag tanks. And they'll leave your inverts alone.

 

[i cant think]

We’d like a wrasse in our 125g frag tank for flatworm prevention, but it needs to be fully invert safe including shrimp, and completely reef safe.

Any recommendations? I’ve been looking at yellow coris but hesitant with shrimp

When it comes to inverts… No wrasse that does a pest eating job is 100% safe around wanted inverts.
Even Sixlines can be risky with inverts, my old one took down a young fire shrimp and a Spotted Orange Hermit Crab (Those of you who have come across this species know how destructive this hermit is).

 

[nereefpat]

Does the frag tank have sand?

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

Does the frag tank have sand?

Gravel but I can add a box of sand for it to use. I have a sand box for our bare bottom tanks and the Melanurus uses it every night

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

When it comes to inverts… No wrasse that does a pest eating job is 100% safe around wanted inverts.
Even Sixlines can be risky with inverts, my old one took down a young fire shrimp and a Spotted Orange Hermit Crab (Those of you who have come across this species know how destructive this hermit is).

That’s very fair. I need snail safe over anything else, but we would like to have peppermint shrimp in the tank possibly. I have some emerald crabs in the tank but no hermits so it can be a hermit hunter.
If the wrasse ends up going after things it can be removed or swapped for a different one.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

If your frag tank doesn't have any other fish in it I'd 100% go with a six line. They're perfect pest hunters for frag tanks. And they'll leave your inverts alone.

It will have other fish in it, there is a scopas tang and mollies, and eventually we will be adding another tang or two depending on how the scopas treats them

 

[Tamberav]

It is probably personality dependent, my leopard wrasse is not nice to emerald crabs and I doubt it would have been nice to peppermint shrimp.

I would probably try a sixline just because they are cheap, small, don't need sand, and highly effective at pest removal. I don't think the risk is any greater then a yellow coris.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

I'd suggest a possum wrasse, pink streak wrasse, or any of the commonly available leopard wrasse. If you go the leopard wrasse route make sure it's voraciously eating in the store and doesn't have a sunken belly. Honestly same with the possum wrasse. Pink streak wrasse are hardier but smaller. Halichoeres wrasse are honestly probably the most effective, but I'd only call them 75/25 invert safe.

Thank you for the suggestions! We are the store so we will be ordering these in, if it’s a finicky eating species I may pass because we don’t want to go through multiple of them to find one that eats haha. Pink streak sounds like a really good fit though

 

[Cthulukelele]

Thank you for the suggestions! We are the store so we will be ordering these in, if it’s a finicky eating species I may pass because we don’t want to go through multiple of them to find one that eats haha. Pink streak sounds like a really good fit though

Totally valid. There's a case to be made that finicky eaters like leopard and possum wrasse should stay in the ocean honestly no matter how lovely

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

Totally valid. There's a case to be made that finicky eaters like leopard and possum wrasse should stay in the ocean honestly no matter how lovely

Is it like blue streaks where the possums just fail to thrive in captivity? If so I will avoid ordering them (have done so anyways because Im not familiar with them yet and dont like ordering things that are completely unknown to me lol). Leopards i have always been told should be left to advanced hobbyists, and I feel im not there yet lol

 

[Cthulukelele]

Is it like blue streaks where the possums just fail to thrive in captivity? If so I will avoid ordering them (have done so anyways because Im not familiar with them yet and dont like ordering things that are completely unknown to me lol). Leopards i have always been told should be left to advanced hobbyists, and I feel im not there yet lol

Possums are probably similarly hard to onboard as leopards (not bluestreak wrasse territory) but better suited once they do

 

[i cant think]

That’s very fair. I need snail safe over anything else, but we would like to have peppermint shrimp in the tank possibly. I have some emerald crabs in the tank but no hermits so it can be a hermit hunter.
If the wrasse ends up going after things it can be removed or swapped for a different one.

Good luck getting a non-snail eater to eat other pests…
The best way to do that is through getting snails that are either Nocturnal or can flip themselves.

Thank you for the suggestions! We are the store so we will be ordering these in, if it’s a finicky eating species I may pass because we don’t want to go through multiple of them to find one that eats haha. Pink streak sounds like a really good fit though

The downside to pinkies is;
1. They’re a nightmare to get unless you’re looking for them in the season’s they’re available
2. They only eat the smaller pests, if you have huge Flatworms/Nudibranchs you will want to get a different species of wrasse.