Wrasses

Wrasses are the busiest fish in a marine tank - constantly moving, constantly investigating, and in a couple of cases genuinely useful for pest control. Gallery Aquatica stocks three species at our shop in Tingalpa, east of the Brisbane CBD.

Wrasses are in-store purchase and pickup only. We do not send live fish by courier or freight. Ring 0420 484 584 to check what is in.

Two things all three have in common

They jump. Wrasses are among the most determined jumpers in the hobby, and they will find a gap around pipework or a return nozzle that you would not think a fish could fit through. A properly sealed lid is a requirement, not a precaution.

They need sand. Most wrasses bury themselves in the substrate to sleep, and several will dive into it when startled. That means a sandbed deep enough to disappear into - a few centimetres at least - and it means bare-bottom tanks do not suit them.

The wrasses we stock

Melanurus Wrasse (Halichoeres melanurus, tail-spot wrasse)

The one we would recommend, and one of the more useful fish in the shop. Green-blue body laced with horizontal pink and orange lines, changing considerably as it matures. Reaches 13 cm and wants 300 litres.

It earns its place by eating pests. A melanurus will hunt down pest flatworms, small nuisance snails such as pyramidellids, and bristleworms, working over the rockwork methodically all day. For anyone with a flatworm problem it is a better answer than a chemical treatment.

The trade-off is that it will also eat small ornamental shrimp and tiny snails you wanted to keep, so it is not a fit for a tank built around inverts. Reef safe as far as coral is concerned. Needs sand to sleep in and a tight lid.

Coris Wrasse (Coris gaimard, yellowtail or clown coris)

Two completely different fish depending on age. The juvenile is bright orange with white saddles edged in black - a genuinely striking little fish. The adult is deep blue-green, heavily speckled in electric blue, with a yellow tail. Almost nobody buying the juvenile expects the adult.

And the adult is large: 40 cm, needing around 800 litres. It is also a committed excavator. A coris wrasse flips rubble, digs through the sandbed and will unseat unglued frags looking for food underneath. In a carefully aquascaped reef that is a problem.

Hardy and long-lived. Best suited to a large system with robust rockwork and no small invertebrates. Reef safe with caution.

Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus, bluestreak cleaner wrasse)

We stock this fish and people ask for it, so it is worth being straight about what it is.

The cleaner wrasse makes its living picking parasites, dead tissue and mucus off other fish. That is not a supplementary behaviour, it is the diet. In a home aquarium there are rarely enough fish to sustain one, and many specimens never learn to take prepared food at all. Survival rates in home tanks are poor - most do not last long, and they starve slowly rather than obviously.

There is a second consideration. Cleaner wrasses perform a real service on the reef, and removing them measurably affects the health of the fish that depend on them. That is a reasonable thing to weigh before buying one.

Our honest recommendation is to pass on it. If what appeals is the idea of a fish that works over the tank all day dealing with problems, the melanurus wrasse above does that, eats prepared food readily, and thrives in a home aquarium. If what appeals is the look, a neon-striped goby gives you something similar in a fish that will actually live.

If you do decide on one, buy only a specimen you have watched eating prepared food, and put it in a large, well-stocked tank. Reaches 11 cm.

Which wrasse should you buy?

The melanurus, in almost every case. It is hardy, it eats readily, it looks good, it stays a manageable size, and it does useful work on pests.

The coris only if you have a large tank, sturdy rockwork and no small invertebrates - and only if you actually want the 40 cm adult rather than the orange juvenile.

The cleaner wrasse: see above.

Tankmates

The melanurus mixes well with clownfish, tangs, anthias, chromis, blennies and dwarf angelfish. Be aware it may harass small gobies and will eat ornamental shrimp.

The coris needs a large tank, so it suits big tangs, rabbitfish and large angelfish. It will eat inverts.

Avoid keeping any of these with lionfish or morays, which will take a wrasse of this size.

Common questions

Do you ship wrasses?

No. All marine fish are in-store purchase and pickup only. We do not send live fish by courier or freight.

Are these wrasses in stock right now?

These are the species we stock as our regular range, not a live inventory. Ring 0420 484 584 or email shop@galleryaquatica.com.au to check.

Are cleaner wrasses hard to keep?

Yes. They feed on parasites and mucus taken from other fish, and a home aquarium rarely holds enough fish to sustain one. Many never accept prepared food, and survival rates are poor. We would generally steer you toward a melanurus wrasse instead.

Which wrasse eats flatworms?

The melanurus wrasse. It will work through pest flatworms, small nuisance snails and bristleworms steadily over days. It will also eat ornamental shrimp and small snails, so it is not suited to an invertebrate-focused tank.

Are wrasses reef safe?

All three leave coral alone. The melanurus and coris will eat small invertebrates, and the coris will physically disturb rockwork and dislodge unglued frags while foraging.

Why does my coris wrasse look nothing like the one I bought?

Juvenile and adult Coris gaimard have entirely different colouring. The juvenile is orange with white saddles; the adult is blue-green with electric blue speckling and a yellow tail. It is the same fish, grown up.

Do wrasses need a sandbed?

Yes. Most wrasses bury themselves in sand to sleep and dive into it when frightened. A few centimetres of sand is the minimum, and bare-bottom tanks are not suitable.

Do wrasses jump?

Constantly, and through smaller gaps than you would expect. A sealed lid with the pipework gaps blocked is essential.

More marine fish

See all the marine fish we stock, or the Brisbane store page for coral and equipment.