Clown Coris

Geographic Origin and Biotope: Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the Line Islands and French Polynesia. Inhabits sandy areas near seaward reefs and channels at depths of 2 to 30 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Part of the Labridae family, genus Coris. Can grow up to 60 cm in tanks (120 cm / 4 feet in the wild). Adults are heavy-bodied with thick lips and a prominent forehead hump.

Social Behavior: Solitary, aggressive, and highly active. Known to flip rocks and rearrange decorations in search of prey. Buries itself deep in the sand bed to sleep at night.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Juveniles are white with black spots and two orange dorsal ocelli. Adults turn dark green/grey with light central bands. Large terminal males develop a prominent cranial hump.

Aquarium Setup: Needs a monumental aquarium of at least 1500 liters (400 gallons) with secured, heavy rockwork. A deep sand bed of fine substrate (10-15 cm) is mandatory. Strong lid required.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Feeds on hard-shelled invertebrates. Provide whole mussels, clams in shell, crabs, shrimp, and large chunks of fish. Hard food helps wear down their teeth.

Water Quality: Keep stable parameters: temperature 22-28°C (72-82°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.020-1.026, and KH 8-12. Requires heavy filtration and high-performance skimmers.

Compatibility and Tankmates: Keep only with large, robust fish (groupers, large tangs, moray eels). Unsuitable for reef aquariums as it devours clean-up crews and flips coral structures.

Aquarium Reproduction: Unachievable in domestic aquariums due to size constraints. Pair-spawners in the open ocean in the wild.

Risks and Diseases: Injury risks occur if the sand bed is too shallow or coarse. Heavy rockwork must be secured to the tank bottom to prevent crushing. Otherwise highly disease-resistant.