All fish / Labridae

Carpenter's flasher wrasse

Paracheilinus carpenteri

Also known as carpenter's flasher wrasse, carpenter flasher wrasse, carpenter's wrasse, redfin flasher wrasse, flasher wrasse, carpenteri flasher, クジャクベラ, 卡氏丝隆头鱼, 卡氏副唇鱼

A small, slender reef wrasse; males are orange-red with blue lines along the body and a tall, filamentous dorsal fin that they flare in bright courtship displays. It is popular because it is colourful, active and reef safe, leaving corals and most invertebrates alone.

Care at a glance

Care level

Moderate

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

7 cm

Temperature

23 to 27 °C

pH

8.1 to 8.4

Smallest tank

115 litres

Keep as

One male with two or more females; keep only one male per tank unless it is very large

Diet

Carnivore: small meaty foods such as mysis, enriched brine shrimp, copepods and quality marine flakes or pellets, fed several times a day

Swims

Middle of the tank

Lifespan

3 to 5 years

Water

Marine (saltwater)

Wild range

Western Pacific: Philippines, Indonesia, Taiwan, southern Japan and Palau

Breeding

It spawns in pairs in open water, with the male flashing his fins to court females at dusk and releasing tiny pelagic eggs. Spawning happens in aquariums, but raising the larvae is very difficult and rarely achieved.

Good to know

It is a skilled jumper, so a tight-fitting lid or mesh cover is essential, and it can be bullied by larger or more aggressive fish such as dottybacks. Males fight each other, and it looks very like other Paracheilinus species, which are often mislabelled.