Wrasses

Velvet WrassePhoto courtesy: Seth Weintraub

The Labridae family of wrasse fish come in a wide assortment of colors, shapes and sizes!

Wrasses are very beautiful and a real fun addition to a marine aquarium. They are usually very hardy and peaceful, however there are exceptions to every rule. A few species are extremely difficult to sustain in captivity, such as those in the genera Labroides. Some wrasse fish are social their entire lives, others are social as juveniles and become aggressive as adults, and yet others are aggressive their entire lives. Then there are species that are territorial just with members of their own kind.

The wrasse species list below includes saltwater Wrasse fish species guides for popular Thalassoma Wrasses, beautiful Fairy and Flasher wrasses, as well as many other types of wrasse fish. Each fish guide provides facts and in-depth information, pictures for wrasse identification, and fish care covering habitat, feeding, diseases, and more.

The Wrasse family Labridae, contains about 60 genera and over 500 species of fish and are found throughout all the tropical regions of the world. They are often very colorful and many, though not all, are well suited to aquarium life. There are lots of variations within the family. Wrasse fish range in size from just a few centimeters to over 2 meters in length, some have cylindrical body shapes while others are deeper bodied. Even within a single species they can go through many color and pattern changes which has made them a challenge to identify. There are stories of two fish of the same species looking so different that they had originally been scientifically described as two separate species.

Like many marine fish, Wrasses mainly use their pectoral fins for movement but will use their caudal fin (tailfin) for fast getaways in emergencies. Many wrasse species will bury themselves in the sand and thus provide a good stirring of the gravel. They are usually good for reef aquaria although they may eat small crustaceans, but again be sure to research the wrasse you are considering to make sure it is compatible with your set up.

These are fast moving fish using a lot of energy, thus a large appetite. With the exception of the cleaner wrasses, these fish are usually not overly picky eaters and will quickly adapt aquarium foods. Although diet varies from species to species, most wrasses eat molluscs and crustaceans in the wild. In the Aquarium they should be fed all kinds of meaty foods, including brineshrimp and most frozen fish foods. Due to their hearty appetite they will put a larger load on the aquarium and and water quality will need diligent attention.

For more Information on keeping saltwater fish see:
Marine Aquarium Basics: Guide to a Healthy Saltwater Aquarium

Wrasses: Click on the small images below
for more information about each one.

Cleaner Wrasses: Labroides

Blackspot Cleaner Wrasse

Labroides pectoralis

Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse

Labroides dimidiatus

Fairy Wrasses: Cirrhilabrus

Flame Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus jordani

Purplelined Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus lineatus

Red-margined Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus rubrimarginatus

Rose-band Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus roseafascia

Rosy-fin Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus

Scott's Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus scottorum

Solar Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus solorensis

Velvet Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura

Yellow-fin Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis

Leopard Wrasses: Macropharyngodon

Black Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon negrosensis

Choat's Wrasse

Macropharyngodon choati

Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon meleagris

Ornate Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon ornatus

Splendid Leopard Wrasse

Macropharyngodon bipartitus bipartitus

Lined Wrasses: Pseudocheilinus

Eight-Lined Wrasse

Pseudocheilinus octotaenia

Four Line Wrasse

Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia

Mystery Wrasse

Pseudocheilinus ocellatus

Six-Line Wrasse

Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

Other Wrasses

Bird Wrasses - Greenbird - Blackbird

Gomphosus varius

Clown Wrasse

Coris gaimard

Dragon Wrasse

Novaculichthys taeniourus

King Coris

Coris auricularis

Thalassoma Wrasses

Bluehead Wrasse

Thalassoma bifasciatum

Cortez Rainbow Wrasse

Thalassoma lucasanum

Klunzinger's Wrasse

Thalassoma rueppellii

Moon Wrasse

Thalassoma lunare

Saddle Wrasse

Thalassoma duperrey

Sixbar Wrasse

Thalassoma hardwicke

Yellow-brown Wrasse

Thalassoma lutescens