Polack's pencil wrasse

This species is native to the South-Western Indian Ocean, with populations primarily recorded along the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and around Madagascar. It inhabits shallow coastal coral reefs and seagrass beds at depths between 10 and 35 meters, preferring sandy areas mixed with coral rubble.

Belonging to the family Labridae, it features an extremely elongated, cylindrical body typical of the genus Pseudojuloides, commonly referred to as pencil wrasses. The head is tapered with a sharp, pointed snout. Adults reach a maximum length of about 12 centimeters. Its physical structure is adapted for diving into the sand.

It is a peaceful, shy, and gentle species. In the wild, it lives in small haremic groups dominated by a single male with several females. It displays zero aggression toward other reef species. In the aquarium, it can be easily intimidated by fast or territorial fish, causing it to remain buried in the sand.

This species shows remarkable sexual dichromatism. Males boast a spectacular coloration with a bright orange upper body and a lemon-yellow lower body, separated by a distinct black and blue horizontal stripe. Females are much more uniform, displaying a pinkish-orange or reddish hue with a pale belly, making sexing simple.

Requires a mature marine aquarium of at least 250 liters. The most critical requirement for keeping this wrasse is a deep bed of fine sand (at least 5-8 centimeters deep). This species dives into the sand to sleep at night or when threatened. Coarse gravel or sharp rocks can injure the fish's snout or body, often leading to fatal infections.

It is a demanding carnivore that feeds on tiny benthic invertebrates. In captivity, it must be fed multiple times a day with small portions of high-quality frozen foods like mysis, copepods, and finely chopped krill. It may take a while to accept dry foods, which should be very small pellets or flakes.

Requires stable, high-quality water parameters: temperature between 24°C and 26°C, pH range from 8.1 to 8.4, specific gravity of 1.020 to 1.025, and nitrate levels ideally below 10 ppm. Regular water changes and efficient protein skimming are essential to maintain low nutrient levels and high water clarity.

Completely reef safe and suitable for coral systems as it does not harm polyps. It should be housed with calm, peaceful tankmates such as gobies, anthias, firefish, and peaceful wrasses. Avoid housing it with aggressive or highly territorial fish like dottybacks, damselfish, or large tangs that might stress it.

There are no reports of successful captive breeding in home aquariums. In nature, they are protogynous hermaphrodites (females can transition into males) and reproduce via pelagic spawning. The larval phase is long and pelagic, relying on microscopic zooplankton, which is difficult to replicate in closed systems.

This is a delicate species that does not ship well. The main risks are starvation during shipping or physical injury due to lack of a proper sand bed. It is also susceptible to skin parasites under stress. Quarantine tanks must be equipped with a container filled with fine sand to allow the fish to sleep naturally.