i cant think
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I’m sure many of you already know I own a specific wrasse which can have some nasty habits. I figured it was time to try and shed some light into how I care for mine and my experience with him.
If you can’t tell already from the title, this is about my Halichoeres chloropterus or the “Jade Wrasse” or “Pastel Green Wrasse” or even “Green Coris Wrasse”. Now, let’s get one of the common names out of the way, obviously this isn’t a true Coris Wrasse as they come from the genus Coris whilst this guy comes from the genus Halichoeres. This is the same case with Halichoeres chrysus the “Yellow Coris Wrasse”. I have yet to figure out why these are often sold under the common name “Green Coris Wrasse” however I feel it’s something to do with their body shape. I mean, look at this body shape and tell me you don’t see the resembl of a species when looking at it.
From just the first photo, you may be able to notice something ‘surprising’ about this specimen. Alright, it’s not as surprising if you know wrasses like the back of your hand, however usually I find people will try sell them on after finding out their nasty habits. This specimen is a Transitional Phase Male, usually I find people get juveniles and once they learn about this species, they try to get rid of them. Unfortunately I fell trap to the beauty of the Juveniles and got myself a ~1 inch Juvenile, now I personally prefer the Fish over the Coral/Inverts however this is only because I enjoy the personality of many RSWC (Reef Safe With Caution) fish. This guy is no exception and I refuse to let go of this specimen unless I have a proper issue - their aggressive tendencies. I have been warned by many about this species and for good reason.
The reason why many will try to get rid of this species after getting it is because these guys are known for being some of the worst with aggression. These guys are also a larger species of Halichoeres and so are more likely to take out CUC. I saw mine take on a fully grown Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) two years ago. However, the diet is also very useful with certain outbreaks. I got mine because I liked the colours of him as a juvenile and I also needed a wrasse to deal with a flatworm outbreak. The flatworms were taken out within a week, and I have never regretted this wrasse since then. I unfortunately don’t have photos of her as a juvenile (I thought I did but they’ve vanished) so the majority of these photos will be from this year.
Their aggression can be nasty as I mentioned above. However, my specimen only ever displayed true aggression when he started the transition phase. Ever since then, he has been submissive to my Halichoeres iridis. It’s not recommended to mix these guys with smaller species of Halichoeres (Or actually most of the wrasses we keep aren’t meant to mix with these guys). However, I got my Iridis as a Juvenile a month or so after the Chloropterus and they have always been relatively peaceful with eachother. I have seen the Iridis showing off to the Jade every so often however it’s the Iridis establishing that he’s the boss and the Chloropterus allows it. Here’s the Iridis with his fins in show whilst swimming.
I’m sure many may be thinking that to not have aggression from the Chloropterus I must have a rather large tank. Actually, I have a standard sized tank that many others may have if not smaller than some of your tanks. I have my 6 wrasses in a 4’x2’x2’ tank. I believe the biggest thing with keeping aggression down is I have slightly more fish for a 4’ tank than someone may recommend. I have 13-14 fish total in this tank and a very cave suited rock structure. The Jade loves to hunt in the crevices along with my Chelmon rostratum and Halichoeres iridis. Another thing I do that keeps aggression down is I will feed rather heavily and keep ontop of natural food sources (I supplement Pods on the weekly). On the daily I feed 6-7 cubes of mixed foods and 2-3 pinches of a mix of flakes and pellets. However, altogether I believe what keeps the aggression low is… The fish’s own personality.
You may also be wondering how I know this is a transitioning male and not a mature female. Well, if you look at a juvenile then you won’t see the beautiful facial markings that you see on this specimen. But I have found that these facial markings are seen on mature females as well as males, so this doesn’t really help us know if it’s transitioning or not. Another difference is how in some of the photos you can see a darker patch more easily. This isn’t a trick of the light but is in fact the fish showing the darker brownish/black splotch of a Male. On mine, towards the head there’s a slightly more olive green to white just above the facial markings and towards the caudal fin from the very white stomach. This is yet another sign of a Transitional Phase Male. But the biggest sign I have found is actually one of the hardest to spot. It’s the yellow and black rings at the bottom of the Pectoral Fins. This photo shows all of the signs best as this is him from today. In comparison to the other photos, he is much further along the Transitioning phase.
I hope you follow along with this journey of my experience with a Halichoeres chloropterus and join in to see this transitioning phase (Will be trying to get weekly photos from now on). Obviously, this isn’t me trying to say “Go out and buy this fish” I just thought it would be fun to document my experience with a Halichoeres chloropterus and have you guys follow along. I have found this guy to be my one of my most interesting wrasses, my hybrid flasher barely takes the cake though.
- I Cant Think
If you can’t tell already from the title, this is about my Halichoeres chloropterus or the “Jade Wrasse” or “Pastel Green Wrasse” or even “Green Coris Wrasse”. Now, let’s get one of the common names out of the way, obviously this isn’t a true Coris Wrasse as they come from the genus Coris whilst this guy comes from the genus Halichoeres. This is the same case with Halichoeres chrysus the “Yellow Coris Wrasse”. I have yet to figure out why these are often sold under the common name “Green Coris Wrasse” however I feel it’s something to do with their body shape. I mean, look at this body shape and tell me you don’t see the resembl of a species when looking at it.
From just the first photo, you may be able to notice something ‘surprising’ about this specimen. Alright, it’s not as surprising if you know wrasses like the back of your hand, however usually I find people will try sell them on after finding out their nasty habits. This specimen is a Transitional Phase Male, usually I find people get juveniles and once they learn about this species, they try to get rid of them. Unfortunately I fell trap to the beauty of the Juveniles and got myself a ~1 inch Juvenile, now I personally prefer the Fish over the Coral/Inverts however this is only because I enjoy the personality of many RSWC (Reef Safe With Caution) fish. This guy is no exception and I refuse to let go of this specimen unless I have a proper issue - their aggressive tendencies. I have been warned by many about this species and for good reason.
The reason why many will try to get rid of this species after getting it is because these guys are known for being some of the worst with aggression. These guys are also a larger species of Halichoeres and so are more likely to take out CUC. I saw mine take on a fully grown Coral Banded Shrimp (Stenopus hispidus) two years ago. However, the diet is also very useful with certain outbreaks. I got mine because I liked the colours of him as a juvenile and I also needed a wrasse to deal with a flatworm outbreak. The flatworms were taken out within a week, and I have never regretted this wrasse since then. I unfortunately don’t have photos of her as a juvenile (I thought I did but they’ve vanished) so the majority of these photos will be from this year.
Their aggression can be nasty as I mentioned above. However, my specimen only ever displayed true aggression when he started the transition phase. Ever since then, he has been submissive to my Halichoeres iridis. It’s not recommended to mix these guys with smaller species of Halichoeres (Or actually most of the wrasses we keep aren’t meant to mix with these guys). However, I got my Iridis as a Juvenile a month or so after the Chloropterus and they have always been relatively peaceful with eachother. I have seen the Iridis showing off to the Jade every so often however it’s the Iridis establishing that he’s the boss and the Chloropterus allows it. Here’s the Iridis with his fins in show whilst swimming.
I’m sure many may be thinking that to not have aggression from the Chloropterus I must have a rather large tank. Actually, I have a standard sized tank that many others may have if not smaller than some of your tanks. I have my 6 wrasses in a 4’x2’x2’ tank. I believe the biggest thing with keeping aggression down is I have slightly more fish for a 4’ tank than someone may recommend. I have 13-14 fish total in this tank and a very cave suited rock structure. The Jade loves to hunt in the crevices along with my Chelmon rostratum and Halichoeres iridis. Another thing I do that keeps aggression down is I will feed rather heavily and keep ontop of natural food sources (I supplement Pods on the weekly). On the daily I feed 6-7 cubes of mixed foods and 2-3 pinches of a mix of flakes and pellets. However, altogether I believe what keeps the aggression low is… The fish’s own personality.
You may also be wondering how I know this is a transitioning male and not a mature female. Well, if you look at a juvenile then you won’t see the beautiful facial markings that you see on this specimen. But I have found that these facial markings are seen on mature females as well as males, so this doesn’t really help us know if it’s transitioning or not. Another difference is how in some of the photos you can see a darker patch more easily. This isn’t a trick of the light but is in fact the fish showing the darker brownish/black splotch of a Male. On mine, towards the head there’s a slightly more olive green to white just above the facial markings and towards the caudal fin from the very white stomach. This is yet another sign of a Transitional Phase Male. But the biggest sign I have found is actually one of the hardest to spot. It’s the yellow and black rings at the bottom of the Pectoral Fins. This photo shows all of the signs best as this is him from today. In comparison to the other photos, he is much further along the Transitioning phase.
I hope you follow along with this journey of my experience with a Halichoeres chloropterus and join in to see this transitioning phase (Will be trying to get weekly photos from now on). Obviously, this isn’t me trying to say “Go out and buy this fish” I just thought it would be fun to document my experience with a Halichoeres chloropterus and have you guys follow along. I have found this guy to be my one of my most interesting wrasses, my hybrid flasher barely takes the cake though.
- I Cant Think
