Lunar Wrasse ?'s

[chocochipper]

Well I went to the LFS yesterday and picked one up since I figured I'd spare my other fish from a possible death from the Lion fish I had a really hard time passing up. Anyway, in all the books and stuff on the internet I've read I'm getting conflicting answers. Some say they are peaceful additions to FO and reef tanks others say they are limited to FO and others say beware. So I'm wondering who here has had one before and what your experience has been with them. So far he's been great. Active as can be, but a little glutton when it comes to feeding time. Will he eventually bother my shrimps and crabs or anything else? Hopefully someone here can give me a straight answer about this cute little guy. One more ?. Some places say he'll get up to a foot long and others only up to 4-5 inchs. Any ideas here? Thanks. I tried to do my research, but no one agrees.

 

[grouperhead]

one of your books says it can go in a reef?!?! that is crazy, what book is that? i have one, and right now he is around 5". very hardy fish, he never misses a meal. they will bury in your sandbed to sleep at night. the largest one i have seen was around 8". they will accept no newcomers to their tank once they are established, and will kill them. they are very cool fish. oh yeah, you can consider your shrimp and crabs dead with this guy in them. bo
[ September 08, 2001: Message edited by: Grouperhead ]

 

[risc]

First of all make sure you don't have a Moon wrasse rather than a Lunare wrasse. They two have very different lifestyles and eating habbits. Lunare wrasses can get around 14" to 15" as I have had 3 at this size. They also do not really bury themselves in the substrate unless they are fearful of something in the tank with them. They will destroy any smaller fish than they are. The ate all my damsels, shrimp, and even picked apart my mexican turbo snails. Moon wrasse which look very similar only they don't have the long bladed fins on their tails will bury themselves while sleeping all the time. They also do not grow as large only about 7" to 9". It does depend on where your fish was captured on a lot of the things in it's life cycle, however I can tell you that mine has grown to well over a foot long and four inches tall.
Jim

 

[tangsrule27]

I had a lunare wrasse for awhile. He was very large and aggressive I had to return him. He nipped the fins off of a flame angel. He also hunted down and killed a yellow coris wrasse within its first day. He also has a big bioload. He will try to kill you inverts. For some reason though all of mine survived. They only came out at night though when he was asleep. Hope this helps.

 

[dugan]

Friend of mine had one in a 300 gallon and it terrorized everything in the tank. Killed a Harlequin Tusk that was the same size as him the first week. Plus the constant agitated swimming around he was doing seemed to make the other fish nervous around him.
You might want to consider taking him back. If it was me, I wouldn't want him in my tank.
Katie

 

[denisec]

I bought one and have him in Q right now. I was told by the owner of the lfs that he was docile and would get along with my tomato clown and scotter blenny. Should I rethink adding him or do you think they will be ok cause he will be the newcomer?

 

[grouperhead]

hmm, i think your lfs gave you some very bad advice. how big is he now? they are not docile and should go in agressive tanks with other agressive fish. it will probably devistate your whole system if you put him in. for tangsrule27, im sorry about the loss of your fish, but the lunare shouldnt have been in there. they are very agressive and will kill community tanks. bo

 

[denisec]

He is about 4 inches long right now. and sleeping under an undergravel filter plate.. the one opening is not capped as I never even thought about it when the seahorse died and I started using it as a q/hospital thank the only other fish that has been in there was a yellow tang and he couldn't have gone in it if he wanted to. I was a bit worried when I first saw him go down it but he seems to love it, so I haven't capped it. He went in and out about 20 times in 30mins.. I guess your saying that my tomato clown and scotter blennie will be toast if I add him. I love the scotter. Do you think he is hardy enough a fish to be a perm. resident in the hospital/Q tank? It is a 10 gal with just and over the back filter and a big piece of live rock and crushed coral, also a heater?

 

[youbetyourwrasse]

Of course I am a bit bias, but it was a Lunare wrasse (T. lunare, aka moon wrasse, lunar wrasse, lyretail wrasse etc) that inspired me to set up my first marine tank. I've had my boy for almost 3 years, and though at 7"+ and patiently waiting for a tank bigger than the outgrown 48"L 55G, he tolerates his tankmates, though he longs to munch the Haliochoeres wrasse in the tank next to him. NOT "reefsafe," but the nighttime LR critters are flourishing. Too much a swimmer for any tank less than 48" long. Now that he is mature, my Lunare wrasse's green has deepened to turquois blue, the pink is a rich violet, and his tail is a bright yellow. He will always be my "showpiece."
YBYW.

 

[redhermit]

I have a lunar wrase in a FO tank for about 6 months now he's about 4-5". Along with him in the tank are a white tailed trigger, 5 damsels and a red hermit crab. He doesn't bother any of them and the don't bother him. Although I notice he's very curious about the hermit, but whenever he gets to close the crab will poke one of it's claws in his direction and the wrasse backs-off.