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Wrasses

Velvet WrassePhoto courtesy: Seth Weintraub

Wrasses 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 wrasses 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 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. Wrasses 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 wrasses 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.

Basically, behaviors and needs vary from species to species. Be sure you research any wrasse you are considering to be certain it will suit your aquarium and your aquarium will suit it. The list of wrasses below includes the popular Thalassoma Wrasses, the beautiful Fairy and Flasher wrasses as well as many other species. Each fish guide provides in-depth information and pictures with fish care covering habitat, feeding, and diseases and more.

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	Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasse
Labroides pectoralis	Labroides dimidiatus

Fairy Wrasses: Cirrhilabrus
Flame Fairy Wrasse	Purplelined Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus jordani	Cirrhilabrus lineatus
Red-eyed Fairy Wrasse	Red-margined Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus solorensis	Cirrhilabrus rubrimarginatus
Rose-band Fairy Wrasse	Rosy-fin Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus roseafascia	Cirrhilabrus bathyphilus
Scott's Fairy Wrasse	Velvet Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus scottorum	Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura
Yellow-fin Fairy Wrasse
Cirrhilabrus flavidorsalis

Leopard Wrasses: Macropharyngodon
Black Leopard Wrasse	Choat's Wrasse
Macropharyngodon negrosensis	Macropharyngodon choati
Leopard Wrasse	Ornate Leopard Wrasse
Macropharyngodon meleagris	Macropharyngodon ornatus
Splendid Leopard Wrasse
Macropharyngodon bipartitus bipartitus

Lined Wrasses: Pseudocheilinus
Eight-Lined Wrasse	Four Line Wrasse
Pseudocheilinus octotaenia	Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia
Mystery Wrasse	Six-Line Wrasse
Pseudocheilinus ocellatus	Pseudocheilinus hexataenia

Other Wrasses
Bird Wrasses - Greenbird - Blackbird	Clown Wrasse
Gomphosus varius	Coris gaimard
Dragon Wrasse	King Coris
Novaculichthys taeniourus	Coris auricularis

Thalassoma Wrasses
Bluehead Wrasse	Cortez Rainbow Wrasse
Thalassoma bifasciatum	Thalassoma lucasanum
Klunzinger's Wrasse	Moon Wrasse
Thalassoma rueppellii	Thalassoma lunare
Saddle Wrasse	Sixbar Wrasse
Thalassoma duperrey	Thalassoma hardwicke
Yellow-brown Wrasse
Thalassoma lutescens

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