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
Origin: Western Pacific reefs, Philippines and Indonesia
Family: Labridae

Overview

A peaceful, hardy plankton eater that is completely reef safe and ignores corals and invertebrates. Males of this species tolerate each other better than most fairy wrasses do, though a single male is still the safer choice outside a very large tank. It does well with other peaceful reef fish and should get a varied diet of mysis, brine shrimp, and enriched flake or pellet food multiple times a day. It is also a reliable jumper, so do not skip the tight lid.

In the wild

Native to reefs around the Philippines and Sulawesi in Indonesia, typically found over rubble and coral at 5–30 m. A tank of at least 208 litres (55 gallons) gives it room to cruise mid-water while still offering live rock cover and a few shaded pockets to duck into. It is a persistent jumper, so the aquarium needs a tight, gap-free lid.

Good to know

Cirrhilabrus lubbocki is a protogynous hermaphrodite that starts life as a female and can change to a male when a harem loses its dominant male. Terminal males show a red back fading into a yellow band across the upper body and dorsal fin, with yellow pelvic and anal fins and a blue-tipped tail, while females stay a plainer orange-red. It tops out around 8 cm, one of the smaller fairy wrasses commonly kept.

Did you know

Lubbock's fairy wrasse is one of the most affordable and widely stocked fairy wrasses in the hobby, and its unusual tolerance for other males of its own kind makes it one of the few Cirrhilabrus species where an aquarist might successfully keep two males in a single large tank.