Anampses
I have not kept Anampses wrasse before but have always admired them, particularly Anampses meleagrides, know as the Yellow tailed wrasse, amongst a number of other common names. I have seen these beautiful fish in the LFS and have always found them entrancing. Previously a couple of things had put me off, one being size, with a quoted maximum of 22cms, the second being the difficulty of keeping these fish in a reef aquarium. I have seen a number of other striking Anampses wrasse in various LFS and have often thought of getting one. Well I am now taking the plunge.
All Anampses wrasse seem to come with the warning that they are extremely difficult to keep. Some online retailers saying they have the lowest survivability of all marine fish in the aquarium. Poor ability to ship well and difficulty feeding are cited as some of the reasons for having problems in the home aquarium. When looking at the requirements for keeping Anampses wrasse they are very similar to the Macropharyngodon genus (Leopard wrasse). A good sand bed, plenty of live rock with caves and nooks and crannies, access to small sized food on a regular basis and a covered aquarium.. My reef setup provides all of these factors and I have not had issues keeping three different Leopard wrasse species even though they come with similar guidance. Size could still be an issue but I am working on the principle that the maximum size quoted related to the data on Fishbase for maximum size recorded for terminal males in the wild so I reckon most fish will remain smaller in captivity especially females.
I have not been able to find a great deal of information on these wrasse and what I have found is not always consistent with things like recommended tank size, but am working on the principle that they are very similar to my lovely Leopards.
Anampses wrasse are also called Tamarin wrasse, hence the article title below.
Monkeys from the underwater jungle: the genus Anampses Henry C Schultz lll
All Anampses wrasse seem to come with the warning that they are extremely difficult to keep. Some online retailers saying they have the lowest survivability of all marine fish in the aquarium. Poor ability to ship well and difficulty feeding are cited as some of the reasons for having problems in the home aquarium. When looking at the requirements for keeping Anampses wrasse they are very similar to the Macropharyngodon genus (Leopard wrasse). A good sand bed, plenty of live rock with caves and nooks and crannies, access to small sized food on a regular basis and a covered aquarium.. My reef setup provides all of these factors and I have not had issues keeping three different Leopard wrasse species even though they come with similar guidance. Size could still be an issue but I am working on the principle that the maximum size quoted related to the data on Fishbase for maximum size recorded for terminal males in the wild so I reckon most fish will remain smaller in captivity especially females.
I have not been able to find a great deal of information on these wrasse and what I have found is not always consistent with things like recommended tank size, but am working on the principle that they are very similar to my lovely Leopards.
Anampses wrasse are also called Tamarin wrasse, hence the article title below.
Monkeys from the underwater jungle: the genus Anampses Henry C Schultz lll
Anampses twistii, Yellowchest, Yeallowbreasted or Twister wrasse is my choice for my little reef. This is partly because I have only ever seen one and partly because they are smaller than the Yellow tailed wrasse, coming in at around 16cms as a maximum but probably smaller in reality. Two other factors come into play, I think they are absolutely stunning fish and are one of the few wrasse species that do not exhibit any significant colour changes with either age or gender. They are also a very different colour from anything else in the aquarium so hopefully will not attract too much aggression. I have had to ask my LFS to bring in one of these fish for me so I will make sure she is settled and feeding in the shop before bringing her home. I think one issue with feeding might be they only have small mouths and also take time to eat their food. I will have to make sure they get enough and are not outcompeted by my rather greedy Halichoeres wrasse.
I do think there may be some risk with this fish and wonder why there is so little information and that which is available is often a decade or more old and therefore possible out of date. But we shall see. Still waiting for one so now realising how difficult they are to get hold of.
Anampses twistii Fishbase
Yellowchest Twist Wrasse Liveaquaria
Twistii Wrasse Maidenhead Aquatics
I do think there may be some risk with this fish and wonder why there is so little information and that which is available is often a decade or more old and therefore possible out of date. But we shall see. Still waiting for one so now realising how difficult they are to get hold of.
Anampses twistii Fishbase
Yellowchest Twist Wrasse Liveaquaria
Twistii Wrasse Maidenhead Aquatics
Anampses lineatus, lined wrasse or black tailed wrasse. The more I see Anampses wrasse the more I think "wow". I am still awaiting the A. twistii but I have also decided to add an Anampses lineatus. as with the twistii the A. lineatus is one of the smaller Anampses genus growing to a maximum of 13cms according to Fishbase. This is ideal for my reef. I think the conditions in my reef set up will be fine for this wrasse but there may be some risk as with the A. twistii. I have not kept this genus previously so will be interesting to see how we get on. As with all fish I will make sure it is settled and feeding in my LFS before bringing it home.
As with Anampses twistii I have not been able to find much information about this fish and how to care for it. Even sites like Liveaquaria and Maidenhead Aquatics don't make reference to this species.
I have kept Macropharyngodon negrosensis, or the Black Leopard wrasse previously and decided this would be an interesting alternative with similar colouration.
The first observation I have regarding my Anampses lineatus is when it comes to feeding. The issue is that this fish does not 'attack' the food in the way my other wrasse do so it is slow to get to the food. My concern is that she can't compete well for food against my other wrasse. Unlike my other wrasse, it would seem my A. lineatus wrasse is a "chewer" not "gulper." She can spend several seconds chewing on a piece of food before swallowing it. By the time she gets down one piece of food, the rest has been gobbled up by my other more pig like wrasse. I general she seems more sedate than her tankmates and I am pleased to say there is no aggression between the A.lineatus and any other fish. She is very peaceful and is not getting any attention from the other fish. Perhaps in this instance size has been an advantage as she is as big as the biggest wrasse in the tank. I have found exactly the same to be true of my A. twistii. I feel that thesefish cannot compete for food in my wrasse tank. The Macropharyngadon and Halichoeres genera are too boisterous and fast feeders. Perhaps in a tank with Fairy and flasher wrasse they may fair better.
Sadly I lost this fish after just a few days, not sure as to the reason why. I found her partially buried in the sand one morning. Perhaps there are genuine problems in transporting and relocating these fish. Difficult to understand possible stress. I couldn't see any physical issues as she looked healthy and had no problems swimming. Very disappointing.
Anampses lineatus Fishbase
Anampses lineatus Saltcorner
Updated 15.2.20
As with Anampses twistii I have not been able to find much information about this fish and how to care for it. Even sites like Liveaquaria and Maidenhead Aquatics don't make reference to this species.
I have kept Macropharyngodon negrosensis, or the Black Leopard wrasse previously and decided this would be an interesting alternative with similar colouration.
The first observation I have regarding my Anampses lineatus is when it comes to feeding. The issue is that this fish does not 'attack' the food in the way my other wrasse do so it is slow to get to the food. My concern is that she can't compete well for food against my other wrasse. Unlike my other wrasse, it would seem my A. lineatus wrasse is a "chewer" not "gulper." She can spend several seconds chewing on a piece of food before swallowing it. By the time she gets down one piece of food, the rest has been gobbled up by my other more pig like wrasse. I general she seems more sedate than her tankmates and I am pleased to say there is no aggression between the A.lineatus and any other fish. She is very peaceful and is not getting any attention from the other fish. Perhaps in this instance size has been an advantage as she is as big as the biggest wrasse in the tank. I have found exactly the same to be true of my A. twistii. I feel that thesefish cannot compete for food in my wrasse tank. The Macropharyngadon and Halichoeres genera are too boisterous and fast feeders. Perhaps in a tank with Fairy and flasher wrasse they may fair better.
Sadly I lost this fish after just a few days, not sure as to the reason why. I found her partially buried in the sand one morning. Perhaps there are genuine problems in transporting and relocating these fish. Difficult to understand possible stress. I couldn't see any physical issues as she looked healthy and had no problems swimming. Very disappointing.
Anampses lineatus Fishbase
Anampses lineatus Saltcorner
Updated 15.2.20