All fish / Labridae

Four-spot wrasse

Halichoeres trispilus

Also known as yellow & purple wrasse, yellow and purple wrasse, four spot wrasse, threespot wrasse, trispilus wrasse, purple wrasse, 三斑海猪鱼

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A slender reef wrasse with a yellowish to green body marked with purple or pink lines and dark spots, with males showing brighter purple tones. It is kept for its colour, constant activity and its habit of picking pests such as flatworms and small snails from live rock.

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

200 litres

Keep as

Singly or one male with females; one male per tank

Diet

Carnivore: mysis, brine shrimp, chopped seafood, pellets and small live invertebrates

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

4 to 6 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Indian Ocean: East Africa, Mauritius, Réunion, Seychelles, Maldives to Sri Lanka

Breeding

A protogynous hermaphrodite that spawns in pairs or groups in open water, producing pelagic eggs. Captive breeding is very rarely achieved because the larvae are tiny and hard to rear.

Good to know

Needs a deep sand bed of at least 5 cm to bury itself at night and a tight lid, as it jumps. It may eat small shrimps, snails and other ornamental crustaceans, so it is not fully invertebrate safe.