Hartzfeld's Wrasse

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Western Pacific, ranging from Indonesia and the Philippines to northern Australia and the Ryukyu Islands. Found along reef margins and seagrass beds on sand at depths of 10 to 30 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Part of the Labridae family, genus Halichoeres. Features a slender, compressed body adapted for rapid swimming. Reaches up to 18 cm (7 inches) in length.

Social Behavior: Active and inquisitive. Constantly searches the sand and rockwork for food. Dives quickly into the sand bed to sleep at night or when startled.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Blue-green body with a bright yellow mid-lateral stripe and a distinct black spot below the dorsal fin. Terminal males display vibrant pink and blue facial patterns.

Aquarium Setup: Minimum aquarium size of 400 liters (100 gallons) with open swimming space. A deep sand bed of fine substrate (6 cm minimum) is required. Secure aquarium lid is essential.

Diet and Feeding: Carnivorous. Diet should consist of frozen mysis, brine shrimp, krill, and high-quality pellets. Beneficial for controlling bristleworms and other small reef pests.

Water Quality: Maintain standard marine parameters: temperature 23-28°C (74-82°F), pH 8.0-8.5, specific gravity 1.020-1.026, and KH 8-12. Good filtration is necessary.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Best kept with medium to large active fish. Avoid housing with small decorative shrimp or snails. Completely safe with all corals.

Aquarium Breeding: Spawning has not been successfully achieved in home aquaria. In the wild, they exhibit group pelagic spawning.

Risks and Diseases: Mouth damage can occur if kept in tanks with coarse gravel. Susceptible to bacterial skin infections if stressed during introduction.