ANYONE have experience with keeping a DRAGON WRASSE?

[skylsdale]

I've found just about every bit of info I can, and the just of it is that they get big(approx. 12" in the wild), beligerant, and don't put them in a reef. Well, I was looking for a little more personal experience with them, and have yet to find anyone that had kept them for any decent amount of time (people usually put them in their reef....then took take out after the wrasse begins re-arranging the rockwork.) An LFS nearby always has a juv. dragon wrasse(2-3") in at least one of their tanks, which bothers me because most of their tanks are full of CC. They seem to have quite the personality and not afraid of me at all--swimming right up to the glass and giving me a good look-over--definitely a good sign. I know they loose their color when they mature and end up looking pretty drab (nothing like the juvenile form.)

I have a 20g long that I would set up as a dragon wrasse ONLY tank, producing as close as possible an environment that it is indicative of. My concern was the size that this fish would reach, in which case the 20g would be a pretty cruel place to live. But I've heard that they grow at an EXTREMELY slow rate. One experience I have heard is from someone who had one for 2 years and he never noticed any type of substantial growth(it never passed 3.5") Another has told me that they are slow growers, and not nearly as active as they appear to be. I'm trying to gain from others experiences as to what this fish is like in the aquarium and any distinct needs it may have.

 

[CandyRed]

My Dragon Wrasse was very comical, but very mean. He killed smaller fish and harrassed all the fish. Also, he layed in the sand and kicked it all over the place. I gave him back for free. I wish you luck.

 

[rockdiver]

I have one and I think he's totally cool
He freaks out my wife all the time, he buries himself in the gravel at night and lays upside down on it. Also my wife thought it was dead once and went to move it with her finger and BOOM it sprang up and scared the s**t out of her. Very Funny
He eats great, have my clown with him cuz I got the wrasse and put him with my Panther Grouper but the Grouper just didnt want him in HIS tank so had to put him in my hosipital tank till my 150 gets cycled.
He so cool he swims the top and puts his fins up like a shark But he will rearrange stuff but I knew that getting into it. No big deal for such a cool fish. Hopefully the Grouper and him will get alone in the 150, plus a few triggers if not the wrasse will be in the 75. Go for it.
DIVER

 

[M.E.Milz]

I had one for a couple of years back some time ago. I gave him away when I decided I wanted to try and keep shrimp in that particular tank (it was a FOWLR). In any event, he was a pretty cool fish.

 

[popepain]

I HAVE A DRAGON IN MY 135 REEF THAT I TOOK OUT FROM MY 55 REFF ,sry caps. well as hes goten older he has eaten all the hemit crabs .all of the serpent stars but the red one .all of my shrip camel, cleaner and pepermint.most of my snails, an my scoter blenies are MIA.but

i do like him and i have other fish with him 3 green chromis,1 yellow tang ,1 flame hawk,1 unicorn tang and 1 black head gobi. hope that helps.

 

[Xphixer2]

Rockdiver, I had a Panther Grouper several years back in my fish only tank (55gal) and he grew at an alarming rate. He was fed fresh and frozen fish. You might be cautious about putting the dragon wrasse in with the grouper. He may just eat him, even if the wrasse is bigger than a juvenile. Good luck, I wouldn't do it though....

 

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by skylsdale:
I've found just about every bit of info I can, and the just of it is that they get big(approx. 12" in the wild), beligerant, and don't put them in a reef. But I've heard that they grow at an EXTREMELY slow rate. One experience I have heard is from someone who had one for 2 years and he never noticed any type of substantial growth(it never passed 3.5") Another has told me that they are slow growers, and not nearly as active as they appear to be.

If I recall the lifespan of N. taeniorus is about 11 or 12 years and their growth rate is only about 2 to 3 cnm per year. So yes they do tend to grow slow.

Regards,
David Mohr

 

[Neal358]

Hade one and it was a very funny fish. if you get them when their small 1-2 inches it will grow but it wont get HUGE in your tank mine never bothered anything i loved it and one day it just disapered. he was one of my favoret fish. he got replased with a christmas wrass

 

[skylsdale]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote

Hopefully the Grouper and him will get alone in the 150,

Actually RockDiver, I've talked with someone who kept a dragon wrasse, and this is the exact way his died. The grouper mangled the little wrasse pretty bad....had to euthanize it. Might want to rethink that decision...

Thanks for the info. guys!

 

[rockdiver]

YA I wasnt planning on doing it I put them together again and BAM the panther went right for him.
Guess the panther will be with the triggers.
diver