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Unread 01/12/2018, 04:45 PM   #1
Sharpchick
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Sixline wrasse picking at GSP

Hi, new to reef tanks, kept freshwater tanks for years.

I have a 10 gallon nano reef tank, started almost three months ago.

Plain Jane rimmed 10 gallon aquarium
Sanrise A029 Aqua Knight 30W CREE Nano Aquarium LED
Hydor Koralia Nano 240
Aqueon whisper 10 filter (running carbon in this)
50w heater
Open top, 13# live rock, with a small piece of Fiji rock
10# live sand

20% water change every Sunday
Most recent readings on water parameters show 0 nitrates, pH 8.2, calcium 400 ppm, temp 77 degrees F. I dose with the aquavitro line of calcium, iodide and magnesium, along with fuel, although I target feed some of the corals with Reef Roids twice a week.

My question is about the most recent livestock addition to the tank, a sixline wrasse. Beautiful little fish (s/he will be the only fish in the tank), cruises around and in and out of the rock. Seems to give the two scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp wide berth, except when he blows by them in a tunnel in the live rock. Ignores the snails.

And I have this lovely litttle 5-6 inch wide stand of GSP in the right front corner of the tank. He seems to be drawn to it, and looks like he is taking little pecks at it.

It's closed up, and has been ever since he went into the tank earlier this week.

He does this all the time, even when I am target feeding him and the shrimp (he snatches food almost right out of their mouths). He doesn't seem to be interested in any of the other corals.

Is he really pecking at it? Will the GSP open back up, or do I need to try and squiggle it into my five gallon nano?


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Unread 01/12/2018, 07:39 PM   #2
bertoni
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Once a fish has started picking at a coral, I'm not sure that it's likely to stop. I might give it a few days, but it sounds like the fish has been in the tank longer than that.


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Unread 01/12/2018, 08:17 PM   #3
avoidtheboyd
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Could he possibly be picking something off of it? Maybe something you can't see?


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Unread 01/12/2018, 10:12 PM   #4
ReefkeeperZ
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six lines are one of the best coral protectors I have ever introduced to my tanks, that said you could have an abberant one, but IMHO he is probably feeding on whatever is causing your GSP to be closed (which very well may have been introduced in the same tank water) or have been pre-existing (and not irritable to the coral but living there and delicious to the fish) and his insistence at getting at what resides there is irritating the GSP. it's almost impossible to say with even 50% accuracy. JMHO


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Unread 01/12/2018, 11:48 PM   #5
Jon0807
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Six lines are great at pest picking. I've seen mine cruise along the rock really slowly and picking at stuff I can't see. I have yet to see it go after corals itself. But I do have a suspicion that it ate my cleaner shrimp while it was trying to shed. I've had mine for over a year, so far so good coral wise


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Unread 01/13/2018, 06:09 AM   #6
Sharpchick
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Thanks for the welcome and the responses. I'm going to watch it today and see if the wrasse continues. Moonlights are on right now (I start with deep moonlight and gradually increase white light for a couple of hours until "sunrise'), and some polyps are starting to open on the GSP.


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Unread 01/14/2018, 03:21 PM   #7
Uncle99
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MAybe just pecking a copepod or two, watch him carefully, never ever had a prob with a 6 line and a coral....


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Unread 01/14/2018, 06:06 PM   #8
SRQreef3r
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Most likely just eating, mine swims around patrolling all the rock and coral picking at stuff quite frequently


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Unread 01/15/2018, 04:38 AM   #9
homer1475
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GSP will over run the tank, and the sixline will become a major dhead in a 10G tank. Heck they get that way in a 100G system.


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Unread 01/15/2018, 06:16 AM   #10
Sharpchick
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Quote:
Originally Posted by homer1475 View Post
GSP will over run the tank, and the sixline will become a major dhead in a 10G tank. Heck they get that way in a 100G system.
He's the only fish in the tank.


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Unread 01/15/2018, 07:46 AM   #11
Str8linespeed
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Quote:
Originally Posted by homer1475 View Post
GSP will over run the tank, and the sixline will become a major dhead in a 10G tank. Heck they get that way in a 100G system.
You sir are correct about the sixline. Mine became a major wrassehole! He soon found himself secluded to a QT tank, until I could find someone else that wanted it, for free at that!


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Unread 01/15/2018, 08:39 AM   #12
Sharpchick
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You sir are correct about the sixline. Mine became a major wrassehole! He soon found himself secluded to a QT tank, until I could find someone else that wanted it, for free at that!
I get it. Neither of you likes six line wrasses, and one of you doesn't like GSP.

I'm not sure how much terror the only fish in a 10 gallon nano reef can cause. Perhaps I'll see in the future.

I moved the GSP to the 5 gallon nano tank, and they are starting to open now. The 5 gallon nano is more suited to soft corals, and I like GSP. To each her own, right?

Other than the artful play-on-words, do you have anything on topic you'd like to add?


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Unread 01/15/2018, 08:58 AM   #13
Str8linespeed
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sharpchick View Post
I get it. Neither of you likes six line wrasses, and one of you doesn't like GSP.

I'm not sure how much terror the only fish in a 10 gallon nano reef can cause. Perhaps I'll see in the future.

I moved the GSP to the 5 gallon nano tank, and they are starting to open now. The 5 gallon nano is more suited to soft corals, and I like GSP. To each her own, right?

Other than the artful play-on-words, do you have anything on topic you'd like to add?
Well I thought I was answering your question IMO. My wrasse caused some of corals not to open by constantly picking in them. Not to mention he picked on other fish. Hence why I got rid of it. Since I did get rid of my six line I have not had an issues even switching to a Christmas Wrasse, and I no longer have that problem.


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Unread 01/15/2018, 09:15 AM   #14
Sharpchick
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Str8linespeed View Post
Well I thought I was answering your question IMO. My wrasse caused some of corals not to open by constantly picking in them. Not to mention he picked on other fish. Hence why I got rid of it. Since I did get rid of my six line I have not had an issues even switching to a Christmas Wrasse, and I no longer have that problem.
Good to know. Thanks.


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Unread 01/15/2018, 12:09 PM   #15
alcimedes
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won't a six line want a tank at least twice that size to be happy?


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Unread 01/15/2018, 03:46 PM   #16
Sharpchick
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won't a six line want a tank at least twice that size to be happy?
Since I only wanted one fish for the tank, my LFS suggested a six line wrasse.

I read some threads here in the nano reef forum, and also did some searches on the net.

All of them cautioned about introducing more than one wrasse together, trying to keep a wrasse with a timid fish (like most gobies), or (depending on the size of the tank), introducing the six line last.

The mature length of a six line in aquaria is about 3 inches. A 10 gallon nano with no other fish should be fine for the wrasse.

You may want to take a look at this.
http://absolutelyfish.com/top-ten-nano-reef-fish/


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Unread 01/15/2018, 04:03 PM   #17
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What you've got should be fine. PROBABLY he is picking up copepods, near invisible crustaceans. GSP can be invasive, but it can also make a nice living carpet in a small tank. You might consider some inexpensive shrooms, also, which would give you an added texture and the purple or green-striped discosoma shrooms are pushy enough to take their own space.


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Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low.

Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.
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Unread 01/15/2018, 04:22 PM   #18
Sharpchick
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Picked up a couple of pretty frags on Saturday. Ironically, purple, and green striped.


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Unread 01/16/2018, 11:30 AM   #19
ReeferNoob4ever
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I have a blackmouth chromis that picked at my GSP but I actually saw it tear a piece off and spit it out. He did that a couple times for a few weeks and it's been months and months he doesn't do it anymore. So maybe your wrasse might stop or like others have said is grabbing pods out of the coral.


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