Ornate Wrasse

Facts about the Ornate Wrasse, it is a marine fish, belonging to the Thalassoma genus of the Labridae family. The binomial name of this fish is Thalassoma pavo and it is also commonly called as the Christmas Wrasse. The Ornate Wrasse fish species are indigenous to the eastern parts of Atlantic Ocean from Portugal to the oceanic islands and Gabon and into the Mediterranean Sea. The Ornate Wrasse are also largely found in the Hawaiian region, central Polynesia, and Johnston Island. The Ornate Wrasse fish species is of minor significance to restricted commercial fisheries, and it is accepted as a game fish, as well, and they are also found in the aquarium business.

The Ornate Wrasse is a brightly colored fish that can attain a maximum body length of 9.8 inches (25 cm). The Ornate Wrasse fish prefers to live in rocky areas and eelgrass in coastal waters at a depth that ranges from 3.3 feet to 492.1 feet (1 meter to 150 meters), though they are rarely seen below 160 feet (50 meters).

Distinctive for its eye-catching coloration, the beautifully decorated Ornate Wrasse is also well-known in the pastime as the Biocellate or a Red-Lined Wrasse. Female Ornate Wrasse features distinctive eye spots on their dorsal fins. The male ones boast reddish stripes along their green or orange colored body and a U-shaped stain between the end of their anal fin and the bottom of their caudal fin. The Ornate Wrasse have no eye spots in their dorsal fin. Both male and female fish take 5 to 7 years to attain maturity.

The Ornate Wrasse is a peaceful fish, typically minding its own dealing. Occasionally, the Ornate Wrasse fish may harass new fish put into a smaller aquarium where it lives, but this is only a rare occurrence. If threatened, this fish species will hide repeatedly and slowly perish.

Though the Ornate Wrasse can be maintained in small aquariums with a capacity of 30 gallons, this fish species will perform well if it is provided with a bigger aquarium with a capacity of 55 gallons or more than that. The Ornate Wrasse fish is supposed to be provided with a sand-bed at a minimum depth of 2 inches (5 cm) so that it can bury in while threatened or when sleeping at night for safety. Satisfactory water constraints for this fish include a pH between 8.1 and 8.4, with the water specific gravity between 1.019 and 1.025 and with the temperature that ranges from 76 degrees Fahrenheit to 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

When the Ornate Wrasse is kept in aquarium, it is vital to maintain a clean substrate and maintained frequently because this fish can pick up external and internal fungal and bacterial infections easily from the accumulation of detritus in the gravel or sand.

The Ornate Wrasse is a carnivorous fish and in the wild, it mostly feeds on pyramidellid snails and fireworms, protecting clams and corals. The Ornate Wrasse also feeds on feather dusters, tubeworms, wild shrimp, and flatworms in the wild. While in aquarium, it may also feed on leeches off of tank companions. In the aquarium, the Ornate Wrasse fish is nourished with vitamin-rich freezing mysis, shrimp, vitamin enriched cold brine shrimp, and other fleshy foods, together with a high quality sea flake and sea pellet food.