Yellowtail Wrasse

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Tropical Indo-Pacific. Inhabits sheltered outer reefs and lagoons with mixed sand and rubble bottoms down to depths of 30 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Labridae. Reaches about 22 cm. Compressed, elongated oval body, small mouth with small protruding teeth for scraping.

Social Behavior: Very calm and peaceful fish. When startled or when lights dim, it dives instantly beneath the fine sand to hide.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Remarkable color variation. Juveniles and females present a velvety black body covered with small white spots and a bright yellow tail. Adult males have orange-green tones with blue stripes.

Aquarium Setup: Mature aquarium of at least 280 liters (75 gallons) with a soft, fine sand bed 8-10 cm (3-4 inches) deep. Place rocks on screens to prevent collapses due to digging.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivore. Difficult to feed initially. Repeatedly offer mysis, brine shrimp, copepods, and finely minced crustacean meat.

Water Quality: Maintain temperature at 22-28°C (72-82°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.020-1.025. Very low nitrates and excellent water oxygenation are fundamental.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Reef-safe with caution. Does not touch hard or soft corals, but voraciously preys on beneficial benthic microfauna, small shrimp, and flatworms.

Aquarium Reproduction: Reproduction is not successfully documented in home aquariums due to the extremely demanding pelagic larvae.

Risks and Diseases: Tends to jump out of the tank if startled before burying. Cover the aquarium. High mortality rate from shipping stress.