All fish / Labridae

Rockmover Wrasse

Novaculichthys taeniourus

Also known as dragon wrasse, rockmover, rock mover wrasse, reindeer wrasse, olive-scribbled wrasse, bird wrasse juvenile, no wrasse, carpet wrasse, オビテンスモドキ, 带尾美鳍鱼, 雷达, 石头搬运工

Juveniles are mottled green, brown or red with long leaf-like fin filaments on the head and sway in the water to mimic drifting algae. Adults become darker with a pale-spotted body and a white bar on the tail. Keepers like the striking juvenile look and the habit of flipping over rocks to hunt prey.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Semi

Adult size

25 cm

Temperature

23 to 28 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

500 litres

Keep as

Keep singly

Diet

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

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

5 to 10 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Indo-Pacific and eastern Pacific, from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii, Polynesia and Panama

Breeding

It is a pelagic spawner that changes sex from female to male as it grows. Captive breeding in home aquariums has not been reported.

Good to know

It grows to about 30 cm in the wild, moves rocks and corals, and eats invertebrates such as shrimps, crabs, snails and urchins, so it is not reef safe. Provide a deep sand bed and a secure rockwork, and avoid housing it with small, timid fish.