All fish / Labridae

Pastel Green Wrasse

Halichoeres kallochroma

Also known as pastel green wrasse, pastel wrasse, kallochroma wrasse, yellow-green wrasse, pink-lined wrasse, 彩色海猪鱼

A slim wrasse that is pale green to yellowish with pink or orange lines on the head, and juveniles show dark spots along the body. It is kept for its soft colours and active swimming, and it helps control small pests such as flatworms and bristleworms.

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

Singly, or one male with females in a large tank

Diet

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

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 8 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Eastern Indian Ocean and western Pacific: Andaman Sea, Indonesia, Philippines, northern Australia

Breeding

It is a protogynous hermaphrodite, so females can change into males, and pairs spawn eggs into open water. It has not been bred routinely in home aquariums.

Good to know

Needs a deep sand bed of at least 5 cm to bury itself at night and a tight lid as it can jump. It may eat small shrimps, snails and other ornamental invertebrates, so it is only partly reef safe.