Cirrhilabrus Rhomboidalis

[tarpons]

I am wondering if a captive adult male (non-supermale) will become a supermale when kept with females?

I obtained a pair last summer that is kept in my main aquarium. Though the male has more color than the female, he is really not impressive, especially for the $$$

I am going to try to add pictures here (copied from liveaquaria, but the fish pictured are the ones I bought).

If I add more females, is he more likely to change?

If I add a supermale, is he likely to remain a sub-adult male or revert to female or be beaten to death?

Anyone have any experience???

 

[Jacky W]

I think it is related to the size...

Those in good colours that I saw have quite impressive size.

 

[tarpons]

That's interesting . . . I will post an update as he grows. Both are about 3 inches now.

Candy

 

[thecommersoni]

not 100% certain but diet probably has something to do with it.

 

[tarpons]

He has morphed this spring & is now gorgeous. The female has also colored up better too.

No change in their diet: random alternation of frozen mysis, frozen spirulina enriched brine shrimp, frozen omega-3-enriched brine shrimp, arctipods, frozen & freeze dried cyclopeeze, frozen baby brine shrimp, frozen emerald entree, formula 2 marine pellet, DT's frozen oyster eggs and Hikari marine -s pellets; not to mention regular spawnings from my cleaner shrimp & rock anemones (the wrasses love the gametes from my epicystis crucifer -- go figure).

Their sizes haven't visibly changed since I last posted.

I did shorten the photoperiod to 8 hours per day just before the morphing.

He did kill the adult male cirrhilabrus lineatus (non-supermale) in the same 100 g tank during the morph (I feel bad about that, but I wasn't in a position to dismantle the reef during that period due to an inury). He left the super-male blue flasher wrasse alone.

Now it will be interesting to see if he maintains the coloration.

Candy

 

[MelanieF]

That is a gorgeous fish! I've been attempting to avoid getting bit by the wrasse bug but it is sooo tempting. :wink: