flasher wrass

[Neal359]

flasher wrass i just got one and put it in tank i have herd they can be a little dificalt to keep alive. i desided to try it out because i have been doing well with my cristmass wrass and from what i have been told is they are both about the same when it come to fish dificalty. any one ells have one and what has your expereanc with them thanks. and just to make sur it is reef safe

[dougc]

Attached is a picture of my flasher wrasse (I hope), which has been in my tank since last Fall. They are pretty unaggressive, which may cause them more problems if put in with damsels and other aggressive tankmates. I think they sometimes don't ship well, either. Once settled into the tank, though, they are very entertaining, eat anything, and play well with others. They are pretty much reef-safe, although they may attempt to make a meal of small bristle-worms.

[Neal359]

i am having a problem my cristmas wrass is realy giving the flasher wrass a hard time the flasher did eat a little but spends the day in the corner of the tank if i have to take one out witch one should go the cristmas or the flasher?? are wrasses usualy not able to be in the same tank with other wrasses??

[dougc]

My flasher wrasse hid for a solid month when introduced to the tank because of harassment by a Fiji blue devil. The wrasse hid in the overflow during the day. Shortly before the lights were to turn off, he would JUMP back into the tank to hide in the rocks for the night. Yes, he actually jumped in and out of the overflow every day. Keep the tank covered! I finally had to remove the blue devil from the tank. After one day, the wrasse was cruising around the tank as if nothing bad had ever happened. These fish will respond to aggression by hiding. Period. Some wrasses will get along, others won't. In my tank, I also have a yellow coris wrasse about the same size as the flasher. You would think that they were a mated pair the way they patrol the tank together. The yellow coris, however, is also a non-aggressive fish. Neither perceives the other as a threat or a competitor. Another wrasse might be a completely different story.

Having kept both a Christmas wrasse and a flasher, I could not say which I would keep. That may largely be driven by the other inhabitants of the tank. In my tank, I would stick with the flasher wrasse, partly because it is a reef tank and partly because the other fish in the tank are easily intimidated.

My fish in my tank are now so incredibly compatible that I agonize before adding any new fish to the tank. I read up on each fish, search the boards, and post questions before committing to a new addition. The tank is mature enough that I have no desire to rip the tank apart to remove a rogue fish.

Maybe we need a new profession - fish psychologist (or tank counsellor).