Bluehead Wrasse

Thalassoma bifasciatum

Also known as Bluehead, Blue-Headed Wrasse, Two-Band Wrasse

SaltwaterFish

Bluehead Wrasse (Thalassoma bifasciatum) — (c) Jay Brasher, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 7.1 in (18 cm)
Minimum tank: 74 gal (280 L)
Temperament: Mostly peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Not reef safe
Origin: Native to coral reefs of the tropical western Atlantic, including Florida, the Bahamas, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean.
Family: Labridae

Overview

Give it a 280 litre or larger tank at 23 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4 with a lid, as it can jump. It is not reef safe and will eat ornamental shrimp, small crabs, and feather dusters, though it leaves corals alone. Feed meaty foods such as mysis and chopped seafood. It is a fast, semi peaceful fish that may harass new additions, so add it late.

In the wild

The bluehead wrasse is one of the most common fish on Caribbean reefs, where it swims actively over coral and sand. Large terminal males have a blue head and green body split by black bars, while smaller fish are yellow. It cleans parasites off other fish when young and hunts small invertebrates as it grows. It uses rockwork for shelter and sleeps buried in sand at night.

Good to know

Thalassoma bifasciatum is an Atlantic member of the wrasse family Labridae and a classic subject in studies of fish sex change and mating. Individuals can mature as females or males, and dominant females can switch to become large terminal males. On the reef it works as a cleaner fish in its juvenile phase.