Marjorie's wrasse, is it or isn't it????

fishoholic · #1 01-01-2011, 11:34 PM

I got a cute little pink fairy wrasse a little while ago and I wasn't sure what type of wrasse it is. Doug told me it was a fairy wrasse and a lfs thought it was a pink sided fairy wrasse, however after googleing images I believe it is a female marjorie's wrasse aka Cirrhilabrus Marjorie from which I understand after doing a lot of reading are very rare. Anyone know if that is what mine is or not?

Pic's of mine: Mine is a pinky/red colour with white on it's belly and a very distinct black dot by it's tail.
(this pic sucks but the colour shows up fairly right)

(this pic is better but the colour is off)

Google pic.'s

links of info on them:
http://www.qualitymarine.com/News/Co...%2804/20/07%29

http://fishbase.org.cn/Summary/Speci...y.php?id=61859

http://www.saltcorner.com/AquariumLi...CritterID=1828

A thread on reef central about them
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1851552

If it is a marjorie's wrasse I got a heck of a deal on it

fishoholic · #2 01-02-2011, 02:16 PM

Anyone know if that is what my wrasse is or not? Any guesses?

freddy · #3 01-02-2011, 03:04 PM

Not sure,my buddy just bought a fairy wrasse and his was multi coloured,purple pink orange blue.

Myka · #4 01-02-2011, 03:49 PM

Laurie, your pic reminds me of a Mystery Wrasse...I've seen them in some different shades. Doesn't quite look like a Marjorie Wrasse...but I haven't seen a Marjorie in person.

nlreefguy · #5 01-02-2011, 03:52 PM

I guess the biggest problem is that a lot of female fairy wrasses look very similar. The pictures we are used to looking at are almost always of males.

Myka · #6 01-02-2011, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nlreefguy

I guess the biggest problem is that a lot of female fairy wrasses look very similar. The pictures we are used to looking at are almost always of males.

Exactly what I was thinking. Most Wrasses are imported as males too since they are usually more colorful. They sex change from female to male, so taking only males from the wild isn't a big deal.

Either way, I think your fish is a female Laurie. You might be able to get a better ID in a few months when it will probably turn into a dominant male being the only one of its kind in the tank.

fishoholic · #7 01-02-2011, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myka

Laurie, your pic reminds me of a Mystery Wrasse...I've seen them in some different shades. Doesn't quite look like a Marjorie Wrasse...but I haven't seen a Marjorie in person.

Ya I thought it was similar to mystery wrasse or a secretive wrasse when I first got it but after Doug saw it he said it is definitely a fairy wrasse of some sort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Myka

Exactly what I was thinking. Most Wrasses are imported as males too since they are usually more colorful. They sex change from female to male, so taking only males from the wild isn't a big deal.

Either way, I think your fish is a female Laurie. You might be able to get a better ID in a few months when it will probably turn into a dominant male being the only one of its kind in the tank.

Ya right now it looks female. What made me think marjorie wrasse, is the distinctive black dot on the tail. Also it's pinky/red colour on top and white belly is similar to a marjorie too.

Did not know that it could turn male....interesting.....she's just under an inch in size so maybe as she gets bigger or turns into a he I'll be able to tell better.

Delphinus · #8 01-02-2011, 04:46 PM

Looks VERY much like 85% of juvenile fairy wrasses ..

I think Myka's right, it should become a little more evident in a few months methinks.

fishoholic · #9 01-02-2011, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Looks VERY much like 85% of juvenile fairy wrasses ..

I think Myka's right, it should become a little more evident in a few months methinks.

Ya I guess it does, should be interesting to see if it changes or not in the next few months. So far she's eating well and gets along well with her tank mates in the folwr tank. Thought for sure I'd find her in the overflow a few times but so far she hasn't gone in them. Ironically my dumb big king angel made it into the overflow but this tiny little wrasse stays out.

Myka · #10 01-02-2011, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishoholic

Did not know that it could turn male....interesting.....she's just under an inch in size so maybe as she gets bigger or turns into a he I'll be able to tell better.

Oh, she's teeny! I didn't realize she's that small. She looks like a couple inches in the photos. Pretty tough to say if she's still that small. It might take more like 6 months before she will be big enough to ID and/or change sex.