Is your Fairy wrasse still in the tank?

kaboom · #1 09-26-2008, 07:37 PM

I've lost 3 fairy wrasses at different times due to them jumping out of the tank and/or into the overflow. I don't have a cover, net, or egg crate over my tank. I just saw a pair of nice Hawiian flames I would like to try but would like to hear what others have experienced. Please share your story of how you are able to keep them in the tank...or is that just a myth?

justinl · #2 09-26-2008, 07:59 PM

for any wrasse, and i mean ANY wrasse, a cover or canopy is mandatory. Sooner or later the usually skittish fish will try to go carpet surfing.

For my banana wrasse, I fashioned an open topped canopy using screws, brackets and faux cherry hardwood flooring panels. a simpler solution is a tank cover of eggcrate.

MikeP · #3 09-26-2008, 08:02 PM

They are known jumpers. I bought a flasher from Big Al's yesterday and while the girl was trying to catch one for me two tried to jump out (unsuccessfully). I've had a blue sided wrasse for a while and he managed to get into my overflow. He lived there for a day while I tried to figure out how to retrieve him but then went down the standpipe and into the sump on his own. I have since put some of the reflective silver eggcrate on my tank as a cover and haven't had any problems. This eggcrate doesn't block any light as far as I can tell.

HTH

slakker · #4 09-26-2008, 08:03 PM

I have a six line in a biocube and a leopard in a 72G bowfront. The cube contains the fish but I've never seen him try to jump.

I have heard the leopard hit my egg crate cover a few times, so I'm sure he would'a been a carpet crusty if it wasn't for the cover.

wickedfrags · #5 09-26-2008, 09:04 PM

I have a wide variety of wrasses in my collection. Let me tell you, an enclosed canopy is a requirement, specially when you have more than one species. The like to jump, and they like to chase each other which can promote jumping.

MikeP · #6 09-26-2008, 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wickedfrags.com

I have a wide variety of wrasses in my collection. Let me tell you, an enclosed canopy is a requirement, specially when you have more than one species. The like to jump, and they like to chase each other which can promote jumping.

Bit of a highjack here - sorry. I've recently become quite fond of reef safe wrasses. Other than some chasing here and there is it okay to keep several different types in a tank my size (190g with lots of rock)?

Borderjumper · #7 09-26-2008, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeP

Bit of a highjack here - sorry. I've recently become quite fond of reef safe wrasses. Other than some chasing here and there is it okay to keep several different types in a tank my size (190g with lots of rock)?

Depends on the wrasse. I have a canary, some kind of purple, a green coris and a male and female pencil in one tank. In another I have 2 clown fairy and 2 female pencils. In my third tank I have 2 tiny yellow canary and a yellow fin fairy. They all get along, but again it depends on the fish, and how and when they are introduced. Ones going to become dominate. Ive found the dominate one usually has to be moved to the sump until the newest addition gets settled in.

Delphinus · #8 09-26-2008, 10:20 PM

The accepted doctrine that I've heard is that generally speaking you can keep multiple individuals of fairy wrasse as long as you don't have two supermales of the same species together. Not sure if supermales of different species would be a problem or not, though.

FWIW eggcrate is not a guaranteed fish stopper. I have eggcrate over my 30" tall 115g and I still lost my canary wrasse earlier this summer to jumping. I don't know if he fit through a square (I thought he was too big) or whether he jumped with enough force to lift the eggcrate and allow him to pass through and then the eggcrate fell back down exactly in place. The eggcrate did not look disturbed at all but I found the fish on the floor right in front of the tank.

BC564 · #9 09-26-2008, 10:37 PM

I have had 4 different wrasses and the one I have now is the longest running one with no surfing involved. I actually had the same wrasse carpet surf about 5 times...when someone was home....then sadly it only took once when no one was home. I lost my Nassa Tang 2 weeks ago and never did find the body. So I have to assume it wasnt a surfing incident. Now I need to get another one....geeeesshhhh

wickedfrags · #10 09-26-2008, 11:05 PM

I am sure you can keep as many specieis as you can find locally. I have quite a few in my 270.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeP

Bit of a highjack here - sorry. I've recently become quite fond of reef safe wrasses. Other than some chasing here and there is it okay to keep several different types in a tank my size (190g with lots of rock)?