Let Them Flash!

H.Tanaka · #1 04/20/2006, 07:51 AM

Here is a new thread for flasher wrasses (genus Paracheilinus).

They are closely related to Fairy Wrasses (Cirrhilabrus).

I will show all the species within a month.

Amphiprion · #2 04/20/2006, 07:53 AM

Wonderful! I am looking forward to it.

BTTRFLYGRL · #3 04/20/2006, 08:05 AM

Nice Red x Wrasse

H.Tanaka · #4 04/20/2006, 08:11 AM

Thanks. Just now I exchanged the photo that was too large.

IanInDC · #5 04/20/2006, 11:22 AM

This is going to be an awesome thread. At some point we'll have to talk about how to get awesome deals on groups of flashers!

blface · #6 04/20/2006, 11:23 AM

Great idea for a new thread. I've been trying to get a blue flasher locally but the last one died at the LFS before I could get it home. Your pics are awesome & your knowledge is even better.

Madoktopus · #7 04/20/2006, 04:55 PM

i have a flsher just like the one in the middle like to see how this goes...

dhost · #8 04/20/2006, 08:37 PM

Great fish, any places on line to buy them at a good price? ( with good quality?)

BTTRFLYGRL · #9 04/20/2006, 08:43 PM

Now I see them!!

H.Tanaka · #10 04/20/2006, 11:33 PM

Welcome to the flasher wrasse world.

I start this column with a short explanation of the genus Paracheilinus.

The genus is closely related to the genus Cirrhilabrus and shares it with coloration, behavior, and distribution, etc. The genus ranges the Red Sea, African coasts, islands of the Indian Ocean through Southeast Asia, north to southern Japan, the Marshalls, south to the Great Barrier Reef, Vanuatu, Fiji to samoa. They do not occur in the Hawaiian Islands or Cook Islands.

They are small reaching 10 cm or a bit larger and their basic color is orange to reddish yellow, often with long filaments on dorsal fin, but pelvic fins are short in any species.

They form a harem, comprising a dominant male, several females and juveniles, that is aggregating on the reef. They are feeding on small planctons but in home aquaria they will accept almost all the foods offered.

Like its relative, males have an ability of changing colors within seconds, red to blue, white or yellow partially.

At present the genus includes 14 valid species, and most of them were recently described. As some of them sometimes mix in their natural environment hybridized specimens will be reproduced on occasion. Then there are some cases that cannot be readily identified but we can find characters for both parents by close observation.

How to identify them? They are very similar at first glance, but there should be some distinct features in any species. You should pay attention to its caudal-fin shape, filaments on dorsal fin, anal-fin coloration, etc.

Well let's start the first member Paracheilinus cyaneus today.

The photo shows 4 Blue Flasher Wrasses (deeply lunate tail), and a Linespot Flasher (ronded tail, lower right), and two Cirrhilabrus. The species came from Sulawesi, but shipment was rather rare. Only recently the species found their trade into various countires and they will appear at retailers so often at present. How do they change colors ?

Purple Haze · #11 04/21/2006, 12:03 AM

So for the masses, have you introduced each Flasher seperately on in groups? I'm inferring compatability.

Very nice photos, by the way.

-Ryan
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H.Tanaka · #12 04/21/2006, 06:39 AM

This is P. cyaneus, ca 6cm, exciting. Greenish coloration appears on head and back.

H.Tanaka · #13 04/21/2006, 06:47 AM

It just is flashing. Brilliant blue on head and back, and white filaments on dorsal fin. It continues for just three to four seconds, and soon returned to its usual coloration.

Usually males will first change colors of the filaments as far as I experienced; red to white. But some specimens keep red there.

H.Tanaka · #14 04/21/2006, 07:04 AM

Purple Haze,
Thank you for your comment.?@I got five individuals of the Blue Flasher and introduced them at the same time. They did not show any trouble except colors of excitement.

Norberg · #15 04/21/2006, 07:11 AM

Tanaka how many P. cyaneus would you recomend for a normal harem to fuction well in aquarium! And is it possible to have more than 1 male in larger tanks.

I have had this fish befor and it is realy nice.

H.Tanaka · #16 04/21/2006, 07:24 AM

It will depend on the purpose; I always intend to get their flashing display so I will obtain males as many as possible if I can. Flasher males tend to display well when other males are kept at the same time (no need to have P. cyaneus females). It will be OK when other species of Paracheilinus are maintained in the same tank. But I will reintroduce them when I bought a new fish. So I always have a simply decorated tank with white sands, (live) rocks and dead corals that should be white.

Norberg · #17 04/21/2006, 07:37 AM

That sounds great that you can have many males att the same time. I am looking for them to display/flash as mutch as possible. I think i will try to get 5-6 of them the next time i see them.

Is there any problem to mix many different species of flaser males together? For exampel 2-3 males of 3-4 species?

H.Tanaka · #18 04/21/2006, 08:39 AM

No, I have no serious problem with several specimens of the same species or different ones together, but I will introduce them again after my holding them in a small bucket for some ten minutes with aeration.
But some of these will sometimes have a trouble with fighting (actually they exhibit an unbeliebable coloration!), and it will usually appear soon after introduction. I will save the weaker one and put it in a smaller box or another tank for recovery for several days.

Another male specimen in display.

heuerfan · #19 04/21/2006, 09:40 AM

Awesome collection Tanaka, glad to know that you are here on Reef Central, have lots of questions to ask you about Flashers, they are my favorite!

I currently have only two flashers, i believe they are Mccoskers but you can help me ID

Here is a pic of my two Mccoskers when i first got them. One of them has become very dominant and has out grown the other.

My blue flasher that i had, unfortunatley was killed by a Masudai Hog (Peppermint Hog). Didn't realize the hog was a wrasse killer

My first mccosker and yellowfin flasher, both killed by a sixline wrasse

I currently have a 72 gallon bowfront aquarium with 2 mccosker and 1 lineatus. I am planning on getting more flashers, blue, yellowfin, etc.. and also one austrailian scotts fairy. Do you think i should add them all at once? I know if i add just one flasher at a time it will be picked on immediately.

What do you suggest i do?

Thanks for your help,
Steven

MarvinsReef · #20 04/21/2006, 10:15 AM

I'll join the fun..

not so good at pics taking but you get the idea.. here's some pics of my blue flasher...

Hiroyuki: do you think I can get a filamented wrasse with the blue flasher?

Thanks
Marvin

Madoktopus · #21 04/21/2006, 10:55 AM

this is weird my good lfs freind has a purple one, i have a red one with longer filaments. i asked if they could be mixed and he said dont ever do that he tried to do that with his one, he saw a a tornado of fish and then one died. all over in 30 seconds. anyone know what happend?

H.Tanaka · #22 04/21/2006, 03:53 PM

Heuerfan,
Many thanks for your comment and pics. Your ID for your fishes are all OK. P. mccoskeri has some minor variants and I will show you here later. You Blue Flasher is also nicely pictured, and surely Bodianus would be a terror.
Yes, if you introduve them at the same time it is the better, but when I tried to do only one larger flasher to the tank that housed other species of Cirrhilabrus and Paracheilinus no serious problem took place. At first tank mates were curiously looking at the new comer.

Marvin,
Yes, it is possible, and I actually did several times. When I got three cyaneus and four filamentosus they ignored each other and did well.

Madoktopus,
I have no idea what happened, but I have a similar experience some time ago. Perhaps the dead one suffered from an acute shock. Was there some difference in water temperature?

MarvinsReef · #23 04/21/2006, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by H.Tanaka

Marvin,
Yes, it is possible, and I actually did several times. When I got three cyaneus and four filamentosus they ignored each other and did well.

Thanks for the reply..

Marvin

moonpod · #24 04/21/2006, 06:43 PM

Any comments on the 8 line flasher?

heuerfan · #25 04/21/2006, 08:43 PM

Thank you Tanaka, i hope to one day have a collection of wrasses as great as yours and Bronco's. I will post some more pics of flashers i've had in the past. But for now, I would like to share this little video clip i just learned how to make

Why do they call these wrasses Flashers? Click below

http://media.putfile.com/Why-they-call-us-Flashers