New Guinea Wrasse

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Western Pacific, ranging from the northern Great Barrier Reef and New Guinea to the Philippines. Inhabits coral-rich seaward reefs and sand-bottom lagoons at depths of 5 to 25 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Labridae. The genus Anampses is characterized by a single pair of forward-projecting incisors. Grows to a maximum length of 20 cm.

Social Behavior: Peaceful and shy. Spends the day hunting for micro-invertebrates on rock surfaces. Extremely sensitive to aggressive tankmates.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Protogynous hermaphrodite. Females are dark brown to black on the upper body with blue spots, and white below. Males are bright blue-green with pink and yellow details on the head and back. No similar species.

Aquarium Setup: Demands a mature tank of at least 400 liters. A deep, fine sand bed (7-10 cm) is absolutely essential for sleeping and predator escape. Heavy rocks must rest directly on the glass.

Diet and Feeding: Specialized carnivore. Feeds on copepods and tiny worms. Difficult to feed; requires multiple daily feedings of live copepods, frozen mysis, and enriched brine shrimp.

Water Quality: High water quality and stability. Maintain temperature at 23-28°C, pH 8.1-8.4, and salinity at SG 1.020-1.025. Robust skimming needed.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Reef-safe. Safe with corals and sessile invertebrates. Do not house with aggressive or fast-feeding fish like large damsels or triggerfish.

Aquarium Breeding: Not achieved in captivity due to pelagic spawning habits.

Risks and Diseases: High mortality rate due to starvation in new setups. Extremely prone to jumping out of uncovered tanks.