MacroWr Sel F

FAQs on Leopard Wrasses, Genus Macropharyngodon, Stocking/Selection

Re: McCosker's Flasher Wrasse Female To Male Change -- 02/02/11
Hello again,
<<Hiya Becca>>
Thanks for the quick reply.
<<Quite welcome>>
I think I will give my cousin a ring and ask if he wants them for his tank (500L).
<<A much better solution>>
By the sounds of it they will be much happier in there than in my tank.
<<Indeed>>
Would the sub adult male be ok to go with the other two or is it best for me to take him to my LFS?
<>
May see if he's willing to trade me his rather nice ornate leopard wrasse for them!
<<Ah Becca'¦you may be going from the frying pan in to the fire. Before deciding, please read here and among the associated links: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macropharyngodon.htm >>
Becca
<<EricR>>
R2: McCosker's Flasher Wrasse Female To Male Change -- 02/03/11
Thank you again for another quick reply.
<<Always welcome, Becca>>
The only reason I suggested the wrasse is I had him for two years first and gave him to my cousin for his birthday :)
<<Ah then, obviously this particular specimen has acclimated well to captive care (rare'¦the vast majority don't survive the first weeks of captivity), though for its long-term health a larger reef system will give it more room to roam/forage>>
But if he's not my best option I may go have a good look at his tank and nick something better suited to my tank.
Becca
<<Do keep thinking about/researching your options and feel free to come back and discuss re. Eric Russell>>

Thinking Of Getting A Splendid Leopard Wrasse Macropharyngodon bipartitus) - 02/02/08 Dear Bob and Crew, <<Hello Dane…EricR here>> I am thinking of purchasing a Splendid Leopard Wrasse from Kenya from a local seller. <<Exquisite fish…rarely seen in the trade around my parts; and for the best really, considering their dismal survival rate…and quite "pricey" when they do show up>> However, I have researched and have found out they have very specialized feeding requirements i.e. copepods. <<Indeed…these fish require a dense and self-sustaining population of live natural prey>> My tank is 55g with 80 lbs live rock. <<Needs to be twice this size…with a "mature" in-line plankton-generating refugium of at least 30 gallons in size…along with a dearth of same-food-type competitors in the display>> Inhabitants currently are 2 Ocellaris clowns and 1 coral banded shrimp. <<Not the best tank mates, especially in this size tank>> While the tank has only been set up in my apartment for 2 months it was actually running continuously for 4 years prior to my purchasing it. I moved this tank with all substrate intact under a few inches of water and moved all live rock with the original water. I would say I used about 60% of the original water in the tank when it arrived it my apartment. <<Even all considered…this tank just doesn't have enough "real estate" to generate/sustain enough prey food organisms for the wrasse>> My question is, do you think the micro crustacean population will be sufficient for this wrasse? <> Can it be supplemented with live brine shrimp and frozen brine and Mysis? <<Some individuals may take to frozen foods (Mysis preferred over brine shrimp)…and I would stress that anyone purchasing any wrasse from this genus ensure that/witness the fish eating in the store, first>> Lastly, re: quarantine, is it possible to do this for this fish as there would be no copepods in my quarantine tank. <> Thanks in advance for you help, Dane <<I do hope that you will reconsider purchasing this fish, Dane. One of the smaller Halichoeres species would be much more likely to do well/survive in a system the size of yours. In my experience the Halichoeres genus of wrasse will more readily take to prepared foods (frozen Mysis and glass worms are good fare…and do also look in to new Life Spectrum pelleted food for these/all your fishes). There are also some spectacular specimens among this genus…perhaps H. ornatissimus or H. iridis would suit your fancy. One special requirement I need mention for these fishes, and which also pertains to Macropharyngodon species, is a soft and fine substrate of suitable depth. These fishes "bury" in the substrate to sleep and when startled or harassed. A substrate that is too coarse or too sharp, or even too shallow, will ultimately result in the fish's demise...either through physical damage and subsequent infection, or through psychological stress. A sugar-fine Aragonite of 4-inches or more in depth works nicely. Regards, Eric Russell>>

Thinking Of Getting A Splendid Leopard Wrasse Macropharyngodon bipartitus)…One Other Thing… - 02/02/08 One other thing I forgot to mention: I have a rocky substrate. Will this affect this wrasse adversely? <<Indeed…is totally unsuitable as explained in the previous reply>> Best, Dane <<Regards, EricR>>

Re: Thinking Of Getting A Splendid Leopard Wrasse Macropharyngodon bipartitus) - 02/02/08 Thanks for your advice Eric. <<Quite welcome…sorry it's not more in your favor>> I love all these wrasses, they are beautiful, it's such a shame that my substrate is rocky. <<Indeed>> Is there some way to remedy this, such as a patch of finer sand or even a tray of sand? <> Thanks, Dane <<Happy to assist. EricR>>

Macropharyngodon kuiteri-- anyone? 9/9/07 Hi Bob and Co., <Art> What do you know about Macropharyngodon kuiteri, one of the Leopard Wrasses? <Mmm, nada... looks like it was named in honor of Rudie... Likely similar in care, lack of hardiness as the other Leopard Wrasses> The only information I can find is that it seems to be smaller than other members of the family (10cm, about 4" if I did my conversion correctly), which is good, and that it comes from deeper waters than other members of the family, so it may have different feeding habits. <Mmm, again, doubtful> Of course, I'm hoping that you know all about this fish, and that 'different' means 'easier to keep' (but I think I know better!) Thanks in advance, Art <Have never seen this fish... above or below water: http://fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=13141&genusname=Macropharyngodon&speciesname=kuiteri Our brief coverage of the genus here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/macropharyngodon.htm and the linked Related FAQs file above. Bob Fenner>

Leopard and Fairy Wrasse Together? - 03/10/07 comp., sel. Hope all is well crew. <<Doing fine, thank you>> My question for today is would a leopard wrasse get along with my yellow sided fairy wrasse. <<Is likely, yes>> The tank is a 90 gallon reef. <<Too small really...do you have a large and mature in-line refugium to help provide a ready supply of foodstuffs for these little understood and often quite difficult to feed fishes?>> I really like the potters leopard wrasse. <<A beautiful fish>> But all are Beautiful. <<Indeed>> What Leopard would you suggest? <<None are easy...all are delicate shippers and fussy to get to feed. The majority (80%?...maybe more?) don't survive more than a week or so after capture. If you can find one that is already feeding on Mysis and/or New Life Spectrum pellets (the latter is important for long-term health in my experience) then you may have a chance of keeping one of these amazing fishes alive. But if you have any doubts...either in the health/vitality of the fish or your ability to provide for its long-term well-being...do please pass it up for a more suitable species. Regards, EricR>>
Re: Leopard and Fairy Wrasse Together? - 03/11/07 Thank you for your quick response. <<Quite welcome>> Unfortunately at this point I don't have a refuge but I have about 30 pounds of LR just randomly thrown in the sump. <<Ah...then is a refugium "of sorts">> The live rock is definitely loaded with pods, and I've seen live Mysis shrimp swimming through the rocks too. <<Good>> It's the second time that I've seen my LFS bring in a leopard wrasse and each one has been eating well. <<Good again>> But I was concerned more about putting two wrasses in the same tank. <<Mmm...more concerned than whether the species is suitable for your tank to begin with?...unfortunate>> Which I've found out the hard way is not a good idea (or at least 2 aggressive species). <<Indeed, some species are more suitable for mixing in a small tank than others. It would be wise to avoid species from the genus Pseudocheilinus here. EricR>>
R2: Leopard and Fairy Wrasse Together? - 03/11/07 The two wrasses I attempted were in my aggressive tank. FYI species from the genera Coris and Choerodon. <> My Harlequin didn't want any thing to do with a Red Coris I attempted. <<Hmm, perhaps in a larger system...>> But once again thank you for your very quick responses. I might actually try a leopard wrasse. Josh <<Can be kept...but is rare. Something from the genus Halichoeres would be much hardier, as peaceful, and some are just as amazingly colored (e.g. - Halichoeres ornatissimus). Regards, EricR>>

Splendid Leopard Wrasse 10/27/06 Hi there <Hello> I am thinking of getting a bigger tank and was just wondering how hard splendid leopard wrasses are to obtain, look after and feed. <Toward the ends of the scale for marine fishes... not easy> I have been reading about them but have not found much concrete info. <... please see WWM re the genus Macropharyngodon> I really want one of these spectacular fish. Could it be housed in a 80 gallon tank if I provide it with three inches of sand bed and plenty of live rock, live sand, an abundance of copepods and other peaceful tankmates. <Mmmm, maybe> Also I was wondering whether tangs in general are aggressive or would harass other fish such as the splendid leopard wrasse. <... see WWM re...> Thank you for all of your help from Viv <BobF>

Goby and wrasse questions... Champagne livestock tastes, Bud tank 8/23/06 Hi. <Hey there!> I have a 45 gallon tank with the following critters - a clownfish (currently residing in an anemone), firefish goby, pajama cardinal, diamond sand goby, scarlet cleaner shrimp, some Christmas tree rocks, some coral frags, some snails and a scarlet legged cleaner crab. I saw a beautiful fish the other day, the store rep said it was an African Aurora Goby which I think is called Amblyeleotris aurora?) <Maybe> and he priced it at $80. <Man! I got out of the fish collection biz much too soon!> I looked on an internet site and saw something very similar but it was called a Pinkbar goby (for $30), and it was listed as originating from either Indo Pacific or Maldives, aka Cryptocentrus aurora. They look so similar to me, is there any difference? <Mmm, nope... try putting both names into fishbase.org...: http://fishbase.sinica.edu.tw/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=12694&genusname=Amblyeleotris&speciesname=aurora is the same species... is an Amblyeleotris> And is there a difference between the Indo Pacific one and the Maldives one? <Mmm, maybe slight geographic variation in color, markings... and likely cost... the further away... the higher> Also, are they hard to keep, and will there be any compatibility problems with my current fish? <Your 45 may be too small to provide sufficient habitat for this shy species to "feel comfortable"... Do you intend to supply an appropriate Alpheid symbiont? I also saw a lovely leopard wrasse; again, would there be any compatibility or feeding problems with this fish? Thanks for your time, Ak

Doomed leopard wrasses? hi everybody, I think the leopard wrasses, especially the guinea fowl wrasse is super beautiful. however, after reading your description it sounds kind of like they are similar to mandarins: very difficult to keep. I have a 125 gallon reef. I don't have a mandarin because I just don't like keeping anything I can't feed. I just don't want to rely on my reef to supply all their food. do leopards eat frozen food, etc? if they do, do you think they would mix well with a solar fairy wrasse and a tricolor fairy wrasse? ps. tell Anthony I am eagerly awaiting his next book thanks, john Kim ***Hi John, Some people have success with this fish, but not enough for me to feel comfortable recommending one for your tank. Sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the reasons why. There are so many beautiful, hardy fishes that do well in our tanks, no reason to take chances on a fish that in all probability will not adapt. Regards Jim***

Mixing Leopards Hello! <Hi there> First, a thanks to Bob for speaking to SCMAS last Friday night. I'm the guy with the Multibar angel that shared a table briefly before the talk, which was very informative by the way. <And very enjoyable for me> Anyway, I have recently become enamored with the idea of keeping several different Macropharyngodon species together, specifically M. ornatus, M. geoffroy, M. negrosensis and M. meleagris. Some preliminary research indicates that this is possible provided that there is only one male in the tank. So I have a couple of questions that some of you may be able to help answer: <Okay> Is it best to get several smaller fishes and place them in the tank together at the same time? Basically juveniles? What is the approximate size limit of a juvenile Macropharyngodon? <Anything under about three inches total length in my estimation.> Assuming that the tank will have a productive refugium, what size tank would you recommend for 4 or 5 leopards in this arrangement? <At least eighty gallons> Also, there are a couple of wrasses that look similar Macropharyngodon, but aren't. I think Halichoeres such as ornate/Christmas and dusky wrasses. How would these guys do in there with the Macropharyngodon? Or would it be the same, there could be only one male? Finally, would they be OK with a small harem (1 male and 2-3 females) of fairy wrasses in the same tank? Would there be aggression issues between the male Macropharyngodon and male Cirrhilabrus? <Not directly, except for food usage, but much better to look outside the Labrids is my guess> Thanks for you time, I appreciate it. Mike <Thank you for writing in with your interesting speculations, plans. Bob Fenner>

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