Green Coris Wrasse
Halichoeres chloropterus

Wrasses are a great addition to most tanks. They are active, beautiful, have great personalities, and are even sometimes useful in the erradication of what many consider pests in the home reef tank. They range in size from a couple inches to feet and with wrasses being the second largest family of fishes, surely there's one which will fit the conditions of your own tank.

Wrasses sometimes do not mix well with other wrasses in the tank unless the tank is very large. Many wrasses such as fairy wrasses live in harems in the wild with one supermale and can be kept in groups if you have the room. Add more supermales to the harem and you are sure to have trouble on your hands. Care should be taken when adding different types of wrasses to your tank.

Wrasses are gluttons and will usually take any type of food offered. They should be offered meaty marine fare and given a varied diet. Some wrasses would love to dine on your pricey clean up crew or ornamental shrimp so one must be careful about which wrasse they add to their system. Some wrasses such as the dragon wrasse are known for flipping over rocks in the hopes of finding a meal hiding underneath. As they get bigger, so do the sizes of the rocks they are able to flip. A stable rockscape should be in place when keeping these fish.

When first added to the tank a wrasse might not come out for a day or even several until it has grown accustomed to it's new environment. They may bury themselves in the sand only to emerge for feeding if they feel like coming out at all. Sufficient hiding places should be provided for the wrasse to sleep in and feel comfortable should it feel threatened.

Green coris wrasses can get to a size of around 8linches and prefer a diet of crustaceans. It can be useful in a reef tank containing tridacna clams as it's often know to eat the snails which prey on and kill these clams. It may also go after cleaner shrimp and other ornamentals. This fish may also attempt to jump from the aquarium especially if harrassed.