TankBud

Green bird wrasse

Gomphosus varius

Also known as Bird Wrasse, Birdmouth Wrasse, Birdnose Wrasse, Blue-Green Bird Wrasse

SaltwaterFish

Green bird wrasse (Gomphosus varius)
Rickard Zerpe · CC BY 2.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
11.8 in
30 cm
Minimum tank
125 gal
473 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Middle
Diet
Carnivore
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Not reef safe
Family
Labridae
Origin
Indo-Pacific reefs, from the Cocos-Keeling Islands to Hawaii and the Marquesas Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Lord Howe Island

Overview

The green bird wrasse is a fast, active wrasse that needs a large tank and bold tank mates. It is not reef safe, and it suits a keeper with a little experience.

Did you know

The green bird wrasse's long, beak-like snout works like a pair of tweezers built into its face. It lets the fish pick shrimp, crabs and worms out of narrow holes that a blunt-nosed wrasse could never reach.

Caring for the green bird wrasse

Plan for at least 125 gal (473 L), since this fish needs a lot of unobstructed open water. Arrange the live rock to leave long swimming lanes rather than a maze of tight caves. Bird wrasses are determined jumpers, so fit a tight lid with no gaps.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. Feed a varied carnivore diet of mysis, brine shrimp, krill and other meaty foods. Include some foods with algae content to keep its color.

The green bird wrasse is energetic and bold rather than mean toward other fish. Keep it with confident species such as tangs, larger angelfish, triggerfish or puffers, not small, timid fish. Its long beak is built for hunting, and it will clean out a cleanup crew of snails and hermit crabs. It also picks off small ornamental shrimp and worms in short order.

Two can sometimes be kept as a pair if they go into the tank at the same time. Females are a duller grayish brown with a pale belly and a reddish orange patch on the upper snout. Males turn blue-green all over.

Good to know

Gomphosus varius is a protogynous hermaphrodite in the wrasse family Labridae. It is sold as the green bird wrasse for the male's color, even though females and juveniles are brown or black.

In the wild

The green bird wrasse ranges across the Indo-Pacific, from the Cocos-Keeling Islands to Hawaii and the Marquesas. Its range runs north to southern Japan and south to Lord Howe Island. It lives on reef flats and in lagoons at roughly 2 to 30 m.

Common questions

What size tank does a green bird wrasse need?

A green bird wrasse needs at least 125 gal (473 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a green bird wrasse need?

A green bird wrasse is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a green bird wrasse eat?

A green bird wrasse eats a varied carnivore diet of mysis, brine shrimp, krill and other meaty foods. Some of its food should have algae content to keep its color.

How big does a green bird wrasse get?

An adult green bird wrasse reaches about 11.8 in (30 cm).

How can you tell a male green bird wrasse from a female?

Males turn blue-green all over. Females are a duller grayish brown, with a pale belly and a reddish orange patch on the upper snout.

Related species