Need fish Id please

[nichols]

About 3 weeks ago I picked up a fish from another member of the club. I was told it was a Christmas Wrasse. It's not a Christmas Wrasse. I've had this fish in a Qt tank since I got it. I'm no expert here, but the jaw structure doesn't look like any Wrasse I've ever seen. It seems to have rasping teeth on the top jaw. It spends a lot of time chewing the liverock in the Qt tank. I spent a bit of time researching on the web, but I'm looking for other opinions.
Here are a few of the best pictures I could get. Photo skills aren't one of my strong points either.

 

[nichols]

I do not want to add any fish to my 210 which I'll have to remove later. I know this would be a tough fish to catch.

 

[BIG SEY 93]

It looks like some sort of parrotfish to me. If it is a parrot, the chewing on your live rock will never end. Enjoy all the white marks on the rock as it turns it into sand. The parrot fish is not usually an aggressive fish, it does get pretty large however. I hope that the fish did not cost too much, as you expected something entirely different.

 

[Gina McReeferson]

I would be awfully cautious about putting a fish with a mouth like that in a tank full of corals, that mouth looks like it was made for taking big chomps out of beautiful corals.

 

[CaptainAndy]

Not a wrasse. 99% sure it's a parrot fish. 100% sure it's not a christmas wrasse. Interestingly, the majority of sand around a reef comes from parrot fish chewing up coral and pooping out sand.

 

[jacqur]

Cool looking fish Bill. I think the parrot fish comment is a good guess (Wrasse family) based just on the upper teeth. If I were guessing the wrasse family, I would take a SWAG at genus Thalassoma.

Reef safe??? I wouldn't put anything from Thalassoma in my reef tank, but I have never heard of corals being in danger, just everyone on the cleanup crew.

 

[nichols]

It looks like some sort of parrotfish to me. If it is a parrot, the chewing on your live rock will never end. Enjoy all the white marks on the rock as it turns it into sand. The parrot fish is not usually an aggressive fish, it does get pretty large however. I hope that the fish did not cost too much, as you expected something entirely different.

That's exactly what I was thinking. Very friendly fish. Eats like a pig. It was living in a small sump and was kind of skinny. Comes right up to the glass to see what I'm up to.
At this point I have no idea what I'm going to do with this fish. If I had a FOWLR I'd keep it, but I know it's not going in with my SPS. I only paid $10. It's not a money thing at all. It's a neat living creature.

 

[jacqur]

I'll take this opportunity to correct myself. Parrot fish apparently are not Labridaes. Thanks to the magic of the internet for helping me learn that.

This parrotfish however is the bomb.

 

[nichols]

LMAO!!! Now that's funny.
Rob stop over sometime and pick up that Saramentosa. (sp)

 

[maxfischer]

its a wrasse stop being a wuss! I still have to send you and scott that link!!!!!

 

[nichols]

its a wrasse stop being a wuss! I still have to send you and scott that link!!!!!

I'm more than willing to try it out in your tank Corey!!!!
Yes you do have to send that link over.

 

[smpross]

Still waiting for it too!

Scott

 

[maxfischer]

what do you think???

 

[Liam]

are any of the marking like this Bill

http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/wrasses/SixbarWrasse.php

 

[CaptainAndy]

Check out the mouth of this adult parrot

http://www.csulb.edu/depts/biology/marine/species/Queen_Parrotfish.html_f/Queen_Parrotfish.html
Same basic anatomy. Also, does your fish make a mucous cocoon at night.

The wrasses, especially a christmas wrasse, loves to hide in the sand. I had one about 20 years ago and for the first month I was forever moving around rocks and pushing around the sand to make sure it was still alive.

 

[Liam]

Check out the mouth of this adult parrot

http://www.csulb.edu/depts/biology/marine/species/Queen_Parrotfish.html_f/Queen_Parrotfish.html
Same basic anatomy. Also, does your fish make a mucous cocoon at night.

The wrasses, especially a christmas wrasse, loves to hide in the sand. I had one about 20 years ago and for the first month I was forever moving around rocks and pushing around the sand to make sure it was still alive.

thats a dead ringer from the pics there Andy

 

[Scott G]

I remember that guy, defanitally like a parrotfish.

 

[MichaelJ]

Maybe a Violet-Lined Parottfish?.... There is one that looks like it one of my books...

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Looks like an sps muncher, thats all I know

 

[nichols]

Check out the mouth of this adult parrot

http://www.csulb.edu/depts/biology/marine/species/Queen_Parrotfish.html_f/Queen_Parrotfish.html
Same basic anatomy. Also, does your fish make a mucous cocoon at night.

The wrasses, especially a christmas wrasse, loves to hide in the sand. I had one about 20 years ago and for the first month I was forever moving around rocks and pushing around the sand to make sure it was still alive.

I think you might have hit the nail on the head here Andy. It has the same mouth parts. The tail is not as pointed at the ends, but the markings on the fish are very similar concidering that it's still a juvinal. It makes a massive mucous cocoon at night.