Yellow coris wrasse
Halichoeres chrysus
Also known as Yellow Wrasse, Canary Wrasse, Golden Rainbowfish, Coris Yellow Wrasse
SaltwaterFish
Care at a glance
- Temperature
- 73–81°F
- 23–27°C
- pH
- 8.1–8.4
- Adult size
- 4.7 in
- 12 cm
- Minimum tank
- 40 gal
- 150 L
- Temperament
- Peaceful
- Social behavior
- Solitary
- Swim level
- Middle
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Breeding
- Hard
- Rarity
- Common
- Reef safe
- Reef safe with caution
- Family
- Labridae
- Origin
- Indo-Pacific
Overview
The yellow coris wrasse is a peaceful wrasse for a reef tank with a deep sand bed. It is one of the easier reef wrasses to keep.
Did you know
Many reefers add a yellow coris wrasse specifically as pest control. Its constant hunting of the rockwork helps knock back nuisance flatworms and the pyramidellid snails that prey on clams.
Caring for the yellow coris wrasse
Give the yellow coris wrasse at least 40 gal (150 L), with a deep bed of fine sand. It buries itself in the sand at night rather than making a mucus cocoon, and it burrows in to escape danger. A fine-grained sand bed of at least 5 to 8 cm is a survival requirement for it, not a preference. It jumps when startled, so fit a tight lid.
Keep the water at 73 to 81°F (23 to 27°C) and a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It hunts small benthic invertebrates by day, patrolling the whole length of the tank among the rock and sand.
It is reef safe with caution. It will not bother corals, but it hunts and eats bristle worms, spaghetti worms, feather dusters and other small polychaetes. It may also go after tiny ornamental shrimp or snails.
The yellow coris wrasse is peaceful and solitary, and it mixes well with most community fish. Breeding it in the aquarium is hard.
Good to know
The yellow coris wrasse belongs to the family Labridae, in the genus Halichoeres. Like most wrasses, it is a protogynous hermaphrodite, able to change from female to male.
In the wild
The yellow coris wrasse comes from the tropical Indo-Pacific. It lives over sand and rubble at the base of reefs.
Weekly picks
Tank mates
The yellow coris wrasse is a peaceful, solitary 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.
Cinnamon clownfish
Amphiprion melanopus
Saltwater4.7 in (12 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Clark's clownfish
Amphiprion clarkii
Saltwater5.5 in (14 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)
Yellow watchman goby
Cryptocentrus cinctus
Saltwater3.5 in (9 cm) · 20 gal (75 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Yellowtail tamarin wrasse
Anampses meleagrides
Saltwater8.7 in (22 cm) · 90 gal (340 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
Gold-specs jawfish
Opistognathus randalli
Saltwater3.9 in (10 cm) · 30 gal (115 L)73–81°F (23–27°C)
Sunburst anthias
Serranocirrhitus latus
Saltwater5.1 in (13 cm) · 70 gal (265 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)
Common questions
What size tank does a yellow coris wrasse need?
A yellow coris wrasse needs at least 40 gal (150 L). It spends most of its time in the middle.
What temperature and pH does a yellow coris wrasse need?
A yellow coris wrasse is comfortable at 73–81°F (23–27°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.
What does a yellow coris wrasse eat?
A yellow coris wrasse hunts small benthic invertebrates by day among the rock and sand. It eats bristle worms, spaghetti worms, feather dusters and other small polychaetes, and it may take tiny shrimp or snails.
How big does a yellow coris wrasse get?
An adult yellow coris wrasse reaches about 4.7 in (12 cm).
Related species
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