Ident Help Please ...

[darb]

These are very poor photos, but it was the best that I could do/get in the store ...

Anyways, the store tried to tell me that this was a Checkerboard Wrasse, I am not at all sold on the idea.

Personally because of body shape and behaviour I am thinking that it is the Wetmorella genius, but colouration doesn't really work with any of nigropinnata, tanakai or albofasciata species although it may just be off colour due to shipping and environment.

Any thoughts?

[fishoholic]

Doesn't look like a checkerboard wrasse to me (but the pic's are hard to tell what it is) here's a pic of the one I had

[darb]

yah, I will eat my shorts if that is a checkerboard; the body shape is completely different, short and stout as opposed to thin and elongated for the checkerboard.

the body shape fits this genus, and possibly species:

[fishoholic]

I was thinking its shape was similar to a possum wrasse but the colour is wrong. I'm pretty sure I've seen wrasses similar to your pic but for the life of me I can't quite place it. I keep thinking its along the lines of a juvi maori wrasse but I'm not sure. Did he look like this?



Slender maori wrasse - Cheilinus-orientalis

or this: Speckled Maori Wrasse Cheilinus arenatus

[fishoholic]

or maybe a juvi sea grease wrasse?

[darb]

The body shape would be more along the lines of the Speckled Maori Wrasse Cheilinus arenatus; but I would say that it is shorter and stalkier than the other two.

Not a critical matter, I was mostly just curious because I was looking for a Wetmorrella species; but went and ordered a W. albofasciata elsewhere on the weekend.

[fishoholic]

Possum wrasses are cool! FYI they have a very poor survival rate. Most are very hard to get eating. They are also very shy fish and often will hide refusing to come out to eat, or will get bullied by most other fish and die. Make sure you have a peaceful tank with no fish over 4" in it for it to go into, large fish (even peaceful ones) spook them causing them to hide and not come out to eat.

[darb]

so far I have Yasha and Rainford gobies and will nurse it along in a QT tank until I can get it stabilized. I was kind of thinking of finishing off the tank with a African Flameback or Cherub Angel, which could be an issue once they mature and supposedly get meaner, or at least territorial.

[fishoholic]

Originally Posted by darb

so far I have Yasha and Rainford gobies and will nurse it along in a QT tank until I can get it stabilized. I was kind of thinking of finishing off the tank with a African Flameback or Cherub Angel, which could be an issue once they mature and supposedly get meaner, or at least territorial.

What size tank is it? As long as the tank is over 30g and the possum wrasse is in 1st, and has had awhile (2 months) to settle in, then adding a dwarf angel should be ok. However stay away from the African Flameback as they are the meanest dwarf angels out there. Mine picks on my other fish (sometimes relentlessly) in my 230g. He was the last fish in there and is the most aggressive by far. In my boyfriends 110g he picked on all his fish (including the tangs) in that tank. The fisher's, golden and coral beauties IME are more peaceful dwarf angels. A friend of mine had a cherub angel and it was fairly aggressive as well, so you might want to avoid that one too.