All fish / Labridae

Checkerboard Wrasse

Halichoeres hortulanus

Also known as checkerboard wrasse, checkered wrasse, marbled wrasse, hortulanus wrasse, checkerboard halichoeres, カノコベラ, 云斑海猪鱼, 格纹海猪鱼

Adults have a white body with a black checkerboard scale pattern, a green and pink head and a yellow saddle under the dorsal fin, while juveniles are black and white with a bright yellow spot. It is kept for its striking looks, active swimming and habit of hunting pests such as bristleworms and small snails.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

20 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Keep singly or as one male with females in a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, krill, chopped seafood, small crustaceans and quality marine pellets

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to the central Pacific

Breeding

It is a pelagic spawner and a protogynous hermaphrodite, with females able to change into males. Captive breeding is very rare and rearing the tiny larvae is extremely difficult.

Good to know

It grows to around 25 cm and will eat ornamental shrimps, crabs, snails and small worms, so it is not reef safe for invertebrates. It needs a deep sand bed to bury in at night and a tight lid, as wrasses jump.