Filamentous Flasher Wrasse

Geographical Origin and Habitat: Broadly distributed in the Central Indo-Pacific, from Indonesia and the Philippines to the Solomon Islands and the Great Barrier Reef. Found in protected seaward reefs, lagoons, and coral slopes at depths between 5 and 35 meters.

Taxonomy and Morphology: Part of the Labridae family. Males are characterized by having multiple long filaments extending from the dorsal fin and a double-lyrate tail. Reaches a maximum length of 10 cm (4 inches).

Social Behavior: Highly social and peaceful. Males spend much of their day actively courting females by performing quick darting motions and flaring their fins. Sleeps in a mucous cocoon in rock caves.

Coloration and Sexual Dimorphism: Males display a vibrant red-orange body with electric blue horizontal lines, red-and-yellow fins. Females are smaller, mostly plain pink-orange, and lack long fin filaments.

Aquarium Setup: Needs an aquarium of at least 150 liters with plenty of live rock for caves and abundant open swimming room. A secure lid or mesh net is mandatory as this species is a frequent jumper.

Diet and Feeding: Planktivorous. Requires multiple daily feedings of small meaty foods like mysis, brine shrimp, copepods, and high-quality small pellets to maintain its fast metabolism.

Water Quality: Maintain standard reef parameters: temperature 24-26°C (75-79°F), pH 8.1-8.4, specific gravity 1.022-1.025, GH 15-25, and KH 8-12.

Compatibility and Cohabitation: Perfect reef-safe fish. Ignores corals and invertebrates. Keep one male with a harem of 2+ females to stimulate flashing displays. Avoid territorial or aggressive tankmates.

Aquarium Breeding: Extremely difficult in home aquaria. Group or pair pelagic spawners. Rearing the microscopic larvae requires specialized live micro-feeds.

Risks and Diseases: Highly susceptible to stress and shipping. The primary risk is loss through jumping; always ensure the aquarium is fully covered.