Christmas Wrass

[Neal359]

i have desided to get rid of my powder brown tang and will be replasing it with a Christmas wrass do you all think that this is more apropreat for a 72bow reef. i know their a little fragiel. but the on at my lfs just came in today and after about an hour it was eating like a pig i will leav it their till sunday just looking for your opinion on this tanks.

ps any one have pics of then in your tank:eek3:

[Ninong]

Neal ~

A good place to start looking for information on any fish that you are considering is www.fishbase.org

Here is some interesting information from fishbase about the Christmas Wrasse (Thalassoma trilobatum): Feeds on crustaceans (especially crabs), molluscs, and ophiuroids (brittle stars) (Ref. 3921).
Max. size: 30.0 cm TL

You can read more by following this link: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/Spec...ame=trilobatum

Another good site to check out for information is Robert Fenner's site: www.wetwebmedia.com

Here is what he has to say about this genus: "Thalassoma wrasses comprise several cigar-shaped, fast swimming, robust and to a degree aggressive fishes of good to okay to poor aquarium use. The larger species when shipped of size and from far away (long times in the bag) suffer especially. Most species stop growing at about six inches, though a few about double that in the wild. Like most wrasses they are good with only one male to a tank, and need soft sand to dig and sleep in."

You can read more here: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/thalassoma.htm

I think I'll post a pic here for you to check out to make sure we are talking about the same fish because many LFS refer to any wrasse that has red and green coloration as a "Christmas Wrasse" ~~~


Did it look like that? If it did, then you should consider what it eats to make a decision about whether it would be a good choice for a reef tank. Will you be keeping any snails or hermit crabs in your tank?

Regards,

Ninong

[Neal359]

the one that i am talking about is a Halichoerer ornatissimus

[Ninong]

OK, that one is smaller but looks somewhat similar. The correct common name for that species is the Ornamented Wrasse or the Ornate Wrasse; however, it is one of three species that are all called Christmas Wrasses.

Here is what fishbase has to say on that guy: Inhabits lagoon and seaward reefs, coral-rich areas with sand patches (Ref. 9710). Feeds primarily on small benthic crustaceans and mollusks (Ref. 3921).
Max. size: 18.0 cm TL

Here is the link: http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/Spec...e=ornatissimus

This is a pic of H. ornatissimus in an aquarium:


Here is H. ornatissimus in the wild:


Ninong