Girdled Fairy Wrasse

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Western Central Pacific: Marshall Islands. Found in deep lagoons and seaward reefs at depths ranging from 7 to 22 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Member of the family Labridae. Grows up to 10 cm. Characterized by long, flowing pelvic fins in mature males.

Social Behavior: Peaceful and highly active. Dominant males form harems of females. Spends the day swimming in the middle water column searching for food.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Males have a striking bright yellow-orange band or "girdle" on the flanks against a purple or greenish body. Females are solid reddish-pink.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum 250 liters. Requires a spacious swimming area and plenty of live rock with caves to simulate its deep-reef habitat.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivore. Planktivorous feeder. Offer frozen mysis, brine shrimp, krill, and copepods at least twice daily to support high activity levels.

Water Quality: Keep temperature at 22-27°C, pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025 SG. High oxygen level and efficient filtration are required.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Ideal for peaceful community reefs. Keep with non-aggressive tankmates. Avoid housing multiple males together.

Aquarium Reproduction: Broadcast pelagic spawner. Spawns in open water column. Captive breeding has not been successfully achieved in home aquariums.

Risks and Diseases: High jumping risk; a tight lid or screen cover is mandatory. Susceptible to stress-induced diseases if harassed by tankmates.