Wrasses

[davelin315]

Instead of sealing off the back, just cut the eggcrate to fit over your tank. It will not interfere with your lighting, as it is designed to allow light to filter through it with minimal interference, and any fish that is skillful enough to jump through the small spaces is bound to find a way out of your tank no matter what. You can also cut it again in a couple of places so it is easier to remove a section to get into your tank. On my light fixture (PC's) there is a gap at the front and the back of the tank, and I have small sections of eggcrating which cover those and can easily be removed. It is also cut to fit around any tubes I have going in and out of my tank, and also allows for power cords.

 

[jamesw]

Even better better yet, go to Home Depot and get some "Gutter Gard" It's like a think plastic fence/mesh that goes over your gutters to keep leaves out.

I just cut that to fit the back of my hood and stapled it on. Now, my firefish just whack into it and fall back into the tank. I learned the trick from Leslie Douglas of the MARSH, who also kept firefish.

Much better than using eggcrate over the whole tank, IMO as the 'crate is a PITA.

HTH
James Wiseman

 

[Anonymous]

Great idea james, thanks. I was considering eggcrating the whole thing, but I have to lift my lights to open the tank (to be able to remove the eggcrate for feeding) - the chromis freak out and hide, which means they would never eat again. Right now I drop the food in a little slot in the top of the canopy.

 

[Len]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by DanConnor:
<STRONG>Hey Leonard- Have you ever kept any Macropharyngodon?</STRONG><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes. M.chaoti. I kept one for about 4 years. When I established my current tank, I decided to give it away since it disturbed the substrate too much. It's an efficient hunter of planktonic fauna, and for the years I had one in my smaller (26 and 50 gallon) tanks, I can recall rarely seeing any copepods and amphipods in those tanks.

 

[Anonymous]

It's true, ignorance is bliss.....

I didn't know that wrasses jumped until I read this thread. Then this weekend my yellow corris wrasse went carpet surfing after 21/2 years in my reef.

It's really a shame. It had a great personality and was a model tank inhabitant. When I had guests over we'd watch as the main lights would go off and the actinics(sunset) would stay on and the wrasse would go to the surface and then dive into the DSB so fast it would be a yellow streak. It was pretty cool to watch! Where it entered the DSB there would only be a little puff of sand and then nothing.

-Greg

 

[Anonymous]

Wooohoo! I went to my LFS today (yeah, yeah, I know

) and they had an orange bar fairy wrasse. They said he's been around 2 weeks and he looks great. I put him (and a spotted hawk) on hold. I have to go back tomorrow and put money on them so they'll them a week. Good choices?

 

[Len]

Depending on whether you currently have or want ornamental crustaceans, the hawkfish is a good/bad choice. If given the chance, they'll predate hermit crabs and snails too. Hawkfish are tough, hardy fishes, but may bully more timid fishes (Cirrhilabrus will hold its own, but something to think about if you plan on purchasing more fishes in the future). And depending on species, hawkfish can get pretty big. Spotted Hawk is an ambigous common name, and can describe the diminuative (2-3" max) Cirrhitichthys falco, or the huge hawkfish Paracirrhites forsteri (9" monster). Chances are, it's a C.falco. But I'd suggest you confirm my guess before you put it in your reef.

You know how I feel about Cirrhilabrus sp.

 

[Anonymous]

So maybe I'll forget about the hawk (he said it only gets 3 inches long) because I would hate to not be able to have other fish later because of one bully. I do like the hawks though - maybe one of the longnose in the future?

They also had a really neat goby - they called him some kind of tiger goby - he was about 4 inches long and had a metallic blue line under his eye and beautiful stripes down his back (vertical) but I would hate to have one of the 3 types fish in my tank hide constantly. Any ideas on him?

Leonard - you're awesome!

 

[Len]

http://www.fishbase.org/thumbnails/jpg/tn_Cifal_u4.jpg

If the one at the LFS is like the one in the pic, buy it if you want to. All hawkfish have the same general temperment, and the longnose isn't going to be much different. Generally, the smaller species are beneign; they may occasionally chase timid species, but rarely do harm. The only thing that you're really sacrificing when introducing a hawkfish is ornamental crustaceans (eg cleaner shrimps).

The goby you're describing sounds a lot like Ptereleotris zebra. Is this the fish you're referring too?
http://uri.sakura.ne.jp/~dd/g/f/g093a.jpg

They're sometimes called wormfish, dartfish or barfish. They're a schooling species, and inhabit rubble and rocky substrate zones. P.zebra is a zooplanktonvore and is perfectly reef safe. If fed often, they're fairly easy to husband. Good temperment too. On top of that, they've been bred in captivity! Be aware they burrow in substrate.

 

[Anonymous]

Nope, the goby was cream colored (sorry, didn't say that) with tan/brown stripes. They weren't perfect stripes - beautiful pattern and were outlined with the darker brown. The only real color on him that I remember was the blue stripe under his eye.

And yeah, the spotted hawk looked like that, but if he's a bully I should probably wait on him.

 

[Anonymous]

This is the goby - ffexpress calls him a tiger goby too.

The pic doesn't really do him justice - the one in the LFS stripes were much more vivid.

He's a valencienna wardi
http://www.ffexpress.com/setfish.htm

Why won't it go directly to the pic? Sorry just click on the tiger goby. Please

[ September 10, 2001: Message edited by: tangirl ]

[ September 10, 2001: Message edited by: tangirl ]

 

[Len]

Sorry about the delayed response, given the horrible events that have transpired this morning.

V.wardi, as all Valencienna sp. are extreme sand sifters, and can quickly remodel your tank's aquascape (particularly if your rockwork is insecure). Relatively hardy, known to jump (as all sleeper gobies are), and have been bred in captivity. Not aggressive except towards other Valencieena sp. Will make quick work of your substrate's infauna; Valencienna sp. are a little out of favor in reef tanks right now - in light of the interest and desire in maintaining diverse and dense benthic populations.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, thanks, I'm surprised you answered. I feel dumb posting to these types of threads today.

 

[fsa]

tangirl, I used to have a spotted hawk in my tank. I also had a purple psuedechromis that, when I initially put the hawk in chased him. After a few hours, I noticed the hawk chasing the psuedechromis. A couple of days of this and I found the psuedechromis on the floor. I had been wanting to take the Psuedechromis out but couldn't catch him. I assume the hawkfish was responsibel for him taking a dive but I don't know. After that the hawkfish never bothered any of my other fish. I really liked him. Good choice.

 

[Anonymous]

After I went back and saw him again, I just had to have the hawk too. He's so cool, standing down there, raising his fin, chasing the food dropped in. The wrasse looks great too, except that the little trigger in the tank with him took a nice chunk out of one of his fins. Keep those damn triggers away from nice fish. I'll probably pick them up Saturday.

 

[Anonymous]

I brought them home today. The orange bar fairy wrasse is absolutely beautiful - that gorgeous pic you posted doesn't do them justice!

I went with a long nosed hawk instead - I like the look of them better and he was a bit more lively and perky.

I fed them and they ate better than my chromis.