Scott's Fairy Wrasse

Cirrhilabrus scottorum

Also known as Scott's Wrasse, Greenback Fairy Wrasse, Scott's Velvet Fairy Wrasse

SaltwaterFish

Scott's Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus scottorum) — Jeffrey T. Williams · Copyrighted free use

Care at a glance

Temperature: 73–81°F (23–27°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 5.1 in (13 cm)
Minimum tank: 90 gal (340 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Social
Swim level: Middle
Difficulty: Easy
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Common
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Native to the southwestern Pacific around the Coral Sea, Fiji, and French Polynesia, over coral rich outer reef slopes.
Family: Labridae

Overview

Provide a 340 litre or larger reef aquarium at 23 to 27 C and pH 8.1 to 8.4 with a covered top to stop jumps. It is reef safe with corals and inverts and eats zooplankton, so feed mysis, enriched brine, and pellet several times a day. It is generally peaceful but will fight other fairy wrasses that resemble it, so introduce it last or give it space.

In the wild

Scott's fairy wrasse ranges over coral and rubble slopes where males defend small territories and court passing females. It feeds on drifting zooplankton and tiny bottom animals. Males show a green to blue back and a bold flank patch that brightens during display. It appreciates plenty of rock cover along with clear swimming space.

Good to know

Cirrhilabrus scottorum is a fairy wrasse in the family Labridae, described from the Coral Sea. Color varies noticeably between regions, so Fijian and Society Island fish can look quite different. Like its relatives it is a protogynous hermaphrodite that changes from female to male.