Green Wrasse

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Distributed in the central Indo-Pacific, including reefs of Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and northern Australia. Inhabits coral-rich lagoons and mixed sand and rubble zones.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Belongs to the family Labridae. The body is robust and compressed, growing up to 19 cm (7.5 inches). Juveniles look significantly different in both body shape and color patterns compared to adults.

Social Behavior: Highly active swimmer. Adult specimens develop a more assertive and territorial temperament. Like other Halichoeres, they bury themselves in the sand bed to sleep.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Juveniles display dark horizontal stripes on a light green background. Adult males assume a beautiful, solid pastel-green color with pinkish marks on the face and dark speckles near the dorsal area.

Aquarium Setup: Requires a large aquarium of at least 300 liters. A sand bed of fine sand (7-10 cm / 3-4 inches deep) is mandatory for sleeping. The tank must be fully covered to avoid jumping accidents.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Naturally preys on shrimp, crabs, snails, and benthic worms. Provide a variety of frozen foods (mysis, krill, chopped table shrimp) and protein-rich pellets.

Water Quality: Maintain stable reef parameters: temperature 24-27°C (75-81°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.022-1.025, GH 15-25, and KH 8-12.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Safe with corals, but NOT reef-safe with small invertebrates. It will eat ornamental shrimp, hermit crabs, small crabs, and snails as it matures.

Aquarium Breeding: Unsuccessful in home aquaria due to their pelagic spawning nature and the difficult larval rearing process.

Risks and Diseases: May develop skin infections if kept in systems with coarse substrate. Highly robust but prone to common marine parasites if stressed.