All fish / Labridae

Bicolor wrasse

Halichoeres bicolor

Also known as bicolour wrasse, pearly wrasse, halichoeres bicolor wrasse, 双色海猪鱼

This is a slim wrasse from shallow coastal reefs and rubble areas. It is greenish to pale on the body, with darker markings that become brighter as it grows into a mature male. Aquarists keep it because it is hardy, always on the move, and eats pest invertebrates.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

15 cm

Temperature

24 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

300 litres

Keep as

Keep singly, or one male with several females in a large tank

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, chopped shrimp, krill, small crustaceans and good-quality marine pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Northern Indian Ocean: India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Sea and western Indonesia

Breeding

Like other Halichoeres it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, so a female can turn into a male, and pairs scatter their eggs in the open water. It has not been bred in home aquariums with any regularity.

Good to know

Give it a soft sand bed at least 5 cm deep, because it buries itself to sleep, and keep a tight lid on the tank. It is not reef safe with small shrimps, snails or other ornamental invertebrates, and it may pick on small, timid fish.