christmas wrasse
- Thread starter norcal
- Start date
ophiura
Active Member
OK, here is something I posted in another thread. Try going to fishbase.org and type in these names for pictures.
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There are two species of wrasse in the hobby often referred to as the "Christmas wrasse" and it is extremely important to distinguish them. Thalassoma trilobatum is actually the "true" Christmas Wrasse and it gets huge (a foot or so) and is definitely not reef safe. Halichoeres ornatissimus is the reef safe variety, and is often more commonly referred to as the "ornate wrasse." It is more reef safe than the larger guy, but still a potential risk to smaller crustaceans and stuff.
When I worked in an LFS, the "christmas wrasse" we had was the one most people wouldn't want, except in a large fish only system! Just keep an eye out before buying!
[hr]
There are two species of wrasse in the hobby often referred to as the "Christmas wrasse" and it is extremely important to distinguish them. Thalassoma trilobatum is actually the "true" Christmas Wrasse and it gets huge (a foot or so) and is definitely not reef safe. Halichoeres ornatissimus is the reef safe variety, and is often more commonly referred to as the "ornate wrasse." It is more reef safe than the larger guy, but still a potential risk to smaller crustaceans and stuff.
When I worked in an LFS, the "christmas wrasse" we had was the one most people wouldn't want, except in a large fish only system! Just keep an eye out before buying!
keleighr
Active Member
One of our local pet stores just started their salt water tanks about 9 months ago. One of the first fishes they placed in the tank was the aggressive bigger wrasse.
It is still there.
Due to the aggressive nature of this fish it killed anything that was put in the tank with it. So now it is all by itself in a tank that they use for their live rock.
It is still there.
Due to the aggressive nature of this fish it killed anything that was put in the tank with it. So now it is all by itself in a tank that they use for their live rock.
norcal
Member
thallasoma trilobotom is the one i have. i caught him in the water here in hawaii. he is still small (5 inches) and very un-aggressive. i have him in my 55 fo with a little bit of live rock. ophiura do you think i should get rid of him? my tank is probably too small huh. he swims in circles all day. he perches a lot too. really gorgeous fish tho. if not, what is some good food to feed him? he has been gobbling up flake food like a champ. i heard they like crustacions on the reef, so should i get some crab or sumthing like that? let me know. thanks
ophiura
Active Member
Sorry it didn't work out. They are not nice small fish for sure.
Since the topic was mentioned. I will say that I strongly discourage capturing unknown fish from the wild...and then RETURNING them to the ocean. This gives hobbyists a very bad name and can introduce foreign animals and pathogens into the wild. If you catch a fish that is not suitable, IMO, you are obligated to find a new home for it, or to kill it. But never return it to the ocean. JMO tho
Since the topic was mentioned. I will say that I strongly discourage capturing unknown fish from the wild...and then RETURNING them to the ocean. This gives hobbyists a very bad name and can introduce foreign animals and pathogens into the wild. If you catch a fish that is not suitable, IMO, you are obligated to find a new home for it, or to kill it. But never return it to the ocean. JMO tho
norcal
Member
Really??
I mean i understand that it can be bad to introduce non-native species to the the ocean. but do you think it is wrong to put him back? those fish are native to these waters and i just caught him like a week and a half ago.
now what i do think i need to do is understand the native fish better, so i know what to keep and what to leave. if i had known this wrasse was a mean one, i obviously would have left him in the ocean in the first place.
let me know what you think cuz i respect your opinion and i know you know a lot more than me on this topic
I mean i understand that it can be bad to introduce non-native species to the the ocean. but do you think it is wrong to put him back? those fish are native to these waters and i just caught him like a week and a half ago.
now what i do think i need to do is understand the native fish better, so i know what to keep and what to leave. if i had known this wrasse was a mean one, i obviously would have left him in the ocean in the first place.
let me know what you think cuz i respect your opinion and i know you know a lot more than me on this topic
toughguy80
Member
I'm curious too ophiura, what makes you say that? What comes to my mind is when people find injured animals and get them healthy then release them back into the enviroment they belong in. I know the wrasse wasn't injured but he was placed back into his enviroment. Was just curious if there's a reason why you feel this way?
ophiura
Active Member
In general, we keep several types of non-native organisms in our tanks. We may have live rock from a different region or ocean, fish (or fish that "crossed" in transit) in our tanks...and this means that we can introduce foriegn things just by keeping something in our tanks and releasing it even into its native environment....and of course several incredibly irresponsible hobbyists have released non-native fish, algae, etc into the environment which is a disaster. These folks really don't care and this particular case is certainly not an example of this type of issue. I definitely don't want to give that impression.
But there is a similar risk, just on a much less apparent scale, which leads to my opinion on the issue.
If you had a tank that was ONLY local stuff - you didn't buy any fish from an LFS, and you only collected locally, that would be one thing (though I disagree with keeping an animal, messing with its natural feeding patterns over months or years, and releasing it after it has adapted to captivity with some idea that it can easily readapt to the wild...."Willy" the killer whale eventually died in the "wild," IMO, for similar reasons). Then there is little chance of cross contamination.
The great white shark, kept and released by Monterey Bay, is an example case. It was a natural seawater system, with naturally found local inhabitants, including the great white. In addition, most animals in large aquarium systems are placed in stringent quarantine and medicated for parasites before being mixed...and ultimately few are rereleased.
But if you buy fish from an LFS, they are kept in mixed systems with fish and parasites possibly from different oceans. There is the risk of introduction of diseases in this way if a fish is then released back into the environment...and it may only take one release to do it. So it is my opinion that it is not the best practice. I encourage people not to "overbuy" for their tank with the assumption they can "get rid" of a fish down the road.
If an animal can not be found a new home, then IMO it is best to destroy the one, than to risk harming the wild population - even if the risk is considered minimal. JMO
But there is a similar risk, just on a much less apparent scale, which leads to my opinion on the issue.
If you had a tank that was ONLY local stuff - you didn't buy any fish from an LFS, and you only collected locally, that would be one thing (though I disagree with keeping an animal, messing with its natural feeding patterns over months or years, and releasing it after it has adapted to captivity with some idea that it can easily readapt to the wild...."Willy" the killer whale eventually died in the "wild," IMO, for similar reasons). Then there is little chance of cross contamination.
The great white shark, kept and released by Monterey Bay, is an example case. It was a natural seawater system, with naturally found local inhabitants, including the great white. In addition, most animals in large aquarium systems are placed in stringent quarantine and medicated for parasites before being mixed...and ultimately few are rereleased.
But if you buy fish from an LFS, they are kept in mixed systems with fish and parasites possibly from different oceans. There is the risk of introduction of diseases in this way if a fish is then released back into the environment...and it may only take one release to do it. So it is my opinion that it is not the best practice. I encourage people not to "overbuy" for their tank with the assumption they can "get rid" of a fish down the road.
If an animal can not be found a new home, then IMO it is best to destroy the one, than to risk harming the wild population - even if the risk is considered minimal. JMO
norcal
Member
thanks for clearing that up ophiura. that makes sense. i never really thought about the fact that there could be other bacteria or parasites in my tank that arent in the native waters. i will definetly keep that in consideration in the future. i think from now on instead of just catching a fish that is "pretty" i will research the native fish and that way i can figure out which ones could be a good fit for my tank. so that being said, let me ask you this ophiura. what do you know about the racoon butterfly fish. i see juveniles in tidepools quite often and would love to catch one. in my 55 gal tank i have
2 small convict tangs (i know its too small but they are only 1" and 2" respectively)
some sort of local tidepool blenny (he eats everything i throw in the tank)
a chinese bar goby
and a velvet fairy wrasse (such an awesome fish by the way)
from my knowledge raccoons they are peaceful and eat a lot of inverts. i know a 55 is probably a little small for one, but then again the ones i see are always like 1 inch. very small. let me know what you think.
thanks again for increasing my knowledge
2 small convict tangs (i know its too small but they are only 1" and 2" respectively)
some sort of local tidepool blenny (he eats everything i throw in the tank)
a chinese bar goby
and a velvet fairy wrasse (such an awesome fish by the way)
from my knowledge raccoons they are peaceful and eat a lot of inverts. i know a 55 is probably a little small for one, but then again the ones i see are always like 1 inch. very small. let me know what you think.
thanks again for increasing my knowledge