very nice! Love this fish. Good bang for your buck.

You have one Kien ?

This thread makes me want to go out and buy this fish... Been looking for something useful to add to the tank for the last year.

What's this guy like over say a yellow coris?

Yes! have had one for years. He helped me wipe out an infestation of of zoa eating nudibranches :biggrin: Quite the workhorse fish as they are constantly on the hunt for small pests like flatworms and other such nuisances. I don't know that mine eats pods much because my Melanarus is fairly large. I also have a dragonette and a pipefish which only eat pods.

The yellow coris is a good worker too. Compared to the Melanarius, my yellow coris was a bit more timid so he hid in the sand a lot. He wasn't ever picked on, but was just generally skittish and a tank full of largish reef fish. I eventually sold my coris in favour of the Melanarus.

Not familiar with the yellow coris. but this guy never stops roaming the tank, very active. Pics at all the rock, and eats the pest i don't want...lol my new favorite fish.:biggrin:

cool thanks Kien.

They are great 'workhorses' and 'hunters' of pests. They get along well with almost any fish.

From personal experience.....I believe they are a little less aggressive than a yellow coris wrasse. Also; their adult size is a little smaller than a Yellow or even Green coris wrasse.

If you're fortunate enough; you'll be able to observe your fish find a home it likes and watch it burrow a place to sleep like clockwork every night :). They tend to sleep at the same time every night.

my melanarus doesnt sleep in the sand , he never sleeps as far as i know lol when i first got him he use to but not anymore:P

i dont have a sandbed anymore but he doesnt seem to mind:)

I have not seen him burrow in the sand yet. But can't find him anywhere after lights go out. Lol