TankBud

Lubbock's fairy wrasse

Cirrhilabrus lubbocki

Also known as Multicolor Fairy Wrasse, Lubbock's Wrasse

SaltwaterFish

Lubbock's fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus lubbocki)
Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 4.0

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
3.1 in
8 cm
Minimum tank
55 gal
208 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Swim level
Middle
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
Hard
Rarity
Very common
Reef safe
Reef safe
Family
Labridae
Origin
Western Pacific reefs, Philippines and Indonesia

Overview

Lubbock's fairy wrasse is a hardy, peaceful wrasse and one of the smaller fairy wrasses commonly kept. It swims in the middle of a reef tank and is easy to keep.

Did you know

Lubbock's fairy wrasse is one of the most affordable and widely stocked fairy wrasses in the hobby. Its unusual tolerance for other males makes it one of the few Cirrhilabrus species where two males might share a large tank.

Caring for the Lubbock's fairy wrasse

Give a Lubbock's fairy wrasse at least 55 gal (208 L), with room to cruise in midwater. Add live rock for cover and a few shaded pockets to duck into. It is a persistent jumper, so fit a tight, gap-free lid.

Keep the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It is a plankton eater, so feed a varied diet of mysis, brine shrimp and enriched flake or pellet food several times a day.

Lubbock's fairy wrasse is peaceful and completely reef safe, ignoring corals and invertebrates. It does well with other peaceful reef fish. Its males tolerate each other better than most fairy wrasses do, but a single male is still the safer choice outside a very large tank.

Males show a red back fading into a yellow band across the upper body and dorsal fin. Their pelvic and anal fins are yellow, and the tail is tipped in blue. Females stay a plainer orange-red. Breeding Lubbock's fairy wrasses is hard.

Good to know

Cirrhilabrus lubbocki is a protogynous hermaphrodite in the wrasse family Labridae. It starts life as a female and can change to a male when a harem loses its dominant male.

In the wild

Lubbock's fairy wrasse is native to reefs around the Philippines and Sulawesi in Indonesia. It is typically found over rubble and coral at 5 to 30 m.

Weekly picks

Tank mates

The Lubbock's fairy wrasse is a peaceful, social species that keeps to the middle. These picks share a community profile with it, are safe together in both directions, and overlap on water type, temperature and pH.

Check the full mix in the stocking calculator

Common questions

What size tank does a Lubbock's fairy wrasse need?

A Lubbock's fairy wrasse needs at least 55 gal (208 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.

What temperature and pH does a Lubbock's fairy wrasse need?

A Lubbock's fairy wrasse is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Lubbock's fairy wrasse eat?

A Lubbock's fairy wrasse is a plankton eater. Feed it a varied diet of mysis, brine shrimp and enriched flake or pellet food several times a day.

How big does a Lubbock's fairy wrasse get?

An adult Lubbock's fairy wrasse reaches about 3.1 in (8 cm).

How can you tell a male Lubbock's fairy wrasse from a female?

Males show a red back fading into a yellow band across the upper body and dorsal fin. Their pelvic and anal fins are yellow, and the tail is tipped in blue. Females stay a plainer orange-red.

Related species