Moon Wrasse - Compatibility?

[squall7733]

I'm looking at getting one of these lovely fish in my 150G. reef tank. Currently I have a school of Yellow Tangs(4), a Flame Angel, a green mandarin, a few shrimps and a couple damselfish.

I'm looking at this fish because of its reputation to constantly be on the move during the day, swimming all around the tank.

http/www.overnightfish.com/item--Lunare-...e--F-WRA22.html
this is the species I'm looking at . Thalassoma Lunare

http/www.overnightfish.com/cat--Wrass-Fish--wrasses.html
This is the wrasse page at overnightfish.com

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with these fish, I'd like something active , but I dont want to have him start a war with my other fish. I know that putting a mandarin and a active fish like this in the tank might not be such a good idea, as the mandarin is a shy little critter. But I have so much live rock in the tank, and also my tank is very tall I dont think the mandarin would be bothered by its activities. I'm more worried of my yellow tangs picking a fight with it.

Any suggestions?

 

[Navarre]

dont know much about these wrasse but they definately aint reef safe.
Any cleanup crew you have is now a potential meal so if you are not using a cleanup crew then what are you using to keep the tank clean?

 

[squall7733]

I had heard it would pick at the occasional hermit or snail but that it wouldnt be a concern of it consuming the entire population. Maybe we arnt talking about the same species. From the reading Ive done I thought it would take to prime reef or formula one, possibly even spectrum.

EDIT:
Hah, I hadnt noticed. It does say reef compatibility no right on the purchase page. Maybe I have the wrong species. I'll try to track the correct one down.

 

[superman]

That's a lot of tangs!

 

[squall7733]

yea they are really pretty when they swim out together! I was thinking about adding a couple more at some point to make it a school of 6, but Yellow Tangs are such territorial little guys, I wouldnt want to upset the balance they have now.

 

[superman]

yea they are really pretty when they swim out together! I was thinking about adding a couple more at some point to make it a school of 6, but Yellow Tangs are such territorial little guys, I wouldnt want to upset the balance they have now.

How long have you had that many tangs in such a small tank? I wouldn't add any more, they are stressed out enough as it is, having so many in such a small tank can lead to major problems with ich, one of the plagues that tangs are so commonly seen carrying. For now, make sure that you are keeping them fat and happy, this will help them stay less territorial and less stressed, as well as keeping them well nurished to deal with stress.

 

[squall7733]

150 gallon too small for them?

Edit:
I've had them in there living together for a good 6 months or so now. I do feed every day, they seem to be pretty calm most of the time, each one has its own little spot. But during the day when feeding time comes they all come out and swim together waiting for food.

 

[superman]

Please take everything I say in a friendly manner, I don't want to come off as being mean and cold hearted. Keep in mind that there are varying opinions about the size of tanks needed for tangs, but most would agree that 150 gallon is small even for 2-3 tangs. The truth of the matter is that tangs in our 6 foot-10foot tanks are stressed out, they are straight line swimmers and they are unable to swim for the long distances that they would in the wild. Their bodies are made to swim for long distances, their mucous (sp?) layer on their body is constantly regenerating (because it would be continually stripped away by currents in the wild) so in our tanks the mucus can build up and can lead to skin issues. If you want to be a successful as possible with your tangs, use a lot of flow, like 40x turnover, feed often and couple this with aggressive filtration. Are some of them pacing, like swimming from one end to the other constantly without much change, or swimming in vertical circles?

 

[squall7733]

They seem to be doing fine. Havnt had any ick problems and they show little signs of stress. They dont really try to dart back and forth in the tank like I would expect.

I'll take your advice and not add anymore fish

 

[superman]

How large are the tangs? IF they are still rather small, as they get larger you will have to keep a close eye on them. Hope things go well for you, maybe you'll get the tank upgrade itch, I sure did!

 

[squall7733]

lol, I already have the large tank itch. Unfortunetly dont have the money to support it Ontop of that I'm currently cycling a 120G. for a Bimac Octopus. So most of my money is going towards that.

The tangs are about medium size now, pretty decent but I'm sure theyll get another inch or two to them before they stop growing. If I have issues maybe it will become an excuse to get a bigger tank I never thought id need to upgrade from 150g lol, but thats life I guess. I'd have to get a 300+ to satisfy my urges. And then to think, I'll need to move out in 2-4 years. What a trip it would be to move a tank like that!

How big do Flaming Angels get?

 

[superman]

lol, I already have the large tank itch. Unfortunetly dont have the money to support it Ontop of that I'm currently cycling a 120G. for a Bimac Octopus. So most of my money is going towards that.

The tangs are about medium size now, pretty decent but I'm sure theyll get another inch or two to them before they stop growing. If I have issues maybe it will become an excuse to get a bigger tank I never thought id need to upgrade from 150g lol, but thats life I guess. I'd have to get a 300+ to satisfy my urges. And then to think, I'll need to move out in 2-4 years. What a trip it would be to move a tank like that!

How big do Flaming Angels get?

Flame angels don't get too big, only about 4+ inches. As far as the tangs go though, I've seen them about 9+ inches in captivity.

 

[squall7733]

thats good. My flame angel is only about 3" so he's about at the end of his growth. The tangs might have a long ways to go. Although I'm not sure if theyll really outgrow their hiding spots, that seems to be a large factor in fish growth, at least in my experience.

As they get bigger I can up the water flow, make them feel like they are running a treadmill lol.

 

[Ben]

I was once at a friends house and her dad has a massive reef tank(you can see it from three rooms in the house! It's right in the middle, bigger then a kiddies pool) And he was feeding his moon wrasse snails and showed me how the wrasse picks up the snails with its mouth and smashes it against a peice of live rock untill the shell breaks and then eats the slug, pretty neat

So, they aren't exactly invert compatible and need a big tank, they grow pretty big.

DD

 

[@ombomb]

Scientific Name: Thalassoma Lunare
Reef Compatible: No
Size: 1-8 inches
Care Level: Moderate
Diet: Pellet, Krill, Brine
Guaranteed: Yes

From the site you linked to...