I am a reef beginner who probably started with too big a tank (750 Gal). I was sold a lunare wrasse on the grounds it was a beautiful fish. True. What I was not told is that it is a most brutal killer. Now I am trying to get it out of the tank. Nets, baited hooks and traps have been tried. No luck. It must be the smartest fastest fish in north america. Any help gratefully received.
Lunare Wrasse
- Thread starter BirthdayKoi
- Start date
I made the same mistake once. 
Lunare wrasses are pretty fish but they can be very hard on other fish, they need to be housed with fairly tough fish who can handle their high level activity and "assertiveness".
*edit: oops, I see you have already tried a trap!*
Catching a wrasse is tough. Since your tank is so big, it might be worth your while to cut a piece of eggcrate to a snug fit and use that as a tank divider so you don't have to go chasing him all over the entire tank, should you go the net route. Probably a good idea to accept the fact that you are going to have to take a bunch of rock out too. I know it is a pain but if you just make a day of it, gather all your empty buckets and lay zillions of towels on the floor, and just get the job done. There have been several times I have had to do this, granted not on such a huge tank.
You can also try getting a very small fish hook, and filing the barb off so you can remove it without damaging his mouth much, and bait it with food and "fish" for him. I haven't ever done this myself but I could see how it would be a good technique for a hungry wrasse like a lunare.
Lunare wrasses are pretty fish but they can be very hard on other fish, they need to be housed with fairly tough fish who can handle their high level activity and "assertiveness".
*edit: oops, I see you have already tried a trap!*
Catching a wrasse is tough. Since your tank is so big, it might be worth your while to cut a piece of eggcrate to a snug fit and use that as a tank divider so you don't have to go chasing him all over the entire tank, should you go the net route. Probably a good idea to accept the fact that you are going to have to take a bunch of rock out too. I know it is a pain but if you just make a day of it, gather all your empty buckets and lay zillions of towels on the floor, and just get the job done. There have been several times I have had to do this, granted not on such a huge tank.
You can also try getting a very small fish hook, and filing the barb off so you can remove it without damaging his mouth much, and bait it with food and "fish" for him. I haven't ever done this myself but I could see how it would be a good technique for a hungry wrasse like a lunare.
I would be leaving the trap in all this time and really getting him used to it. You have nothing to lose by trying anyway. Is this the type of fish trap with a door on a string that you pull shut?
Do you have other fish in the tank? If he is the only fish in there, then I would only ever put food in the trap, not just free in the tank, so he gets good and comfortable going in to eat. Eventually the trap will be just another part of the reef to him, the question is how long will that take. 8O
Do you have other fish in the tank? If he is the only fish in there, then I would only ever put food in the trap, not just free in the tank, so he gets good and comfortable going in to eat. Eventually the trap will be just another part of the reef to him, the question is how long will that take. 8O
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
