Halichoeres garnoti (Yellow Headed Wrasse

[Bob Gardner]

"Halichoeres garnoti"

I purchased this fish as a juvenile. Shop called it a "Yellow Blue Line Wrasse". The Adult is various shades of yellow and currently about 4.5 inches long. No problem with other fish in the tank. It's the only one I have seen on this side of the pond. Only reference to it is in
Vol 1 of Baensch which states that it comes from the Caribbean and west Atlantic. Hence my question on this forum. I'm hoping that someone on here will have kept this fish and one other that I will mention.

I keep a head of hermit crabs in my reef and when the numbers appear to be diminishing I purchaseabout fifty more. I have never got to a point when there were none in the tank, until now! The only changes that have been made are the maturing of the Wrasse and the addition of a Smith's Tooth Blennie which is a mid water swimmer.

Does anyone have experience of these two fish and can tell me of the likelyhood that one or the other maybe eating my hermits?

Thanks
Bob Gardner
England

PS: posted this question on the Fish discussion forum for several days without any reply

 

[Anonymous]

If these are the itty bitty hermits that people often stock in numbers, I would say that the Halichoeres garnoti might be slowly taking them out. I have kept another wrasse of the same genus, and I did notice that small snails would disapear. I spent a long time trying to get a population of strombus snails in the tank, and no matter how many I would add, they always disapeared and the wrasse was the only likely culprit. I never some him actually go after any, but I think that with this fish if they get hungry they go hunting.

 

[GSchiemer]

Halichoeres garnoti is a fairly common Caribbean wrasse that unfortunately gets too large and boisterous for the typical reef aquarium. They're often sold as cute juveniles in stores in the States with no warning as to how large they will eventually grow. They live in harems with one supermale and many juvenile yellow females. This fish can defintely take out hermit crabs. Its dentiture was designed for precisely that task.

Greg

 

[Bob Gardner]

Thank's folk, You have confirmed what I suspected. I shall have to decide whether I want to keep the fish or the Blue leg hermits that I like to think help keep my reef tank detrius cleared up. maybe I can pass the fish on to someone who has a fish only tank.
Bob