All fish / Labridae

Twotone Wrasse

Halichoeres prosopeion

Also known as two-tone wrasse, twotone wrasse, halfgrey wrasse, half grey wrasse, two tone wrasse, prosopeion wrasse, カザリキュウセン, 双色海猪鱼

Juveniles are pale with dark horizontal stripes, while adults have a bluish grey head and front body fading into a yellow rear half. It is an active, hardy wrasse that hunts small pests such as bristleworms and flatworms in reef tanks.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

11 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

4 to 7 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Indonesia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, northern Australia to Samoa and Taiwan

Breeding

A protogynous hermaphrodite that spawns in pairs, scattering pelagic eggs. Captive breeding is very rare and impractical for home aquarists.

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 crustaceans, snails and ornamental shrimps.