Wrasses: Quick Guide To Keeping These Active Saltwater Aquarium Fish

Wrasses are known as the most beautiful and attractive fish in the saltwater fish variety. They are loved by aquarists for their vibrant colors and their peaceful nature. They have interesting personalities that aquarists love to observe and understand.

They come in so many different colors and hues, are docile, and easy to keep. They are also very resilient and can adapt to different living conditions. Wrasses live calmly with coral reefs, so don’t pose a threat to the corals in the tank.

As easy as it might be to keep Wrasses, it is still very important to know all about this fish. Let’s walk you through a detailed guide on how to keep and care for this wonderful saltwater fish.

Ideal Habitat

Wrasses are mostly found in the Indo-Pacific region, specifically East Africa and South Africa. They like to spend time in rocks, but they also come out of their hiding spots to the water column.

Tank Size

Wrasses are active swimmers. Hence, they need a lot of space to swim around. The minimum size of the tank to keep them in should be 100 gallons. The fact that they like to stay in groups also calls for a bigger tank.

Tank Set-Up

Temperature: The water temperature should be between 72 to 78 degrees Fahrenheit. This is not very warm but moderately. This reflects the temperature of their natural habitats.

pH: The water should be alkaline. The ideal pH to maintain is between 8 and 8.4.

Water hardness: Wrasses prefer soft to slightly hard water. Hence, keep the water hardness between 8 to 12 dKH.

Plants: You should keep plants in the tank of Wrasses as they appreciate items they can swim around and even hide behind.

Decorations: They love corals, and hence, you should try to provide them as close to their natural habitat as possible. Use corals, rocks, and other items to provide them with hiding spots.

Tank Mates

Wrasses are usually peaceful. You can keep the below mentioned fish with them.

Coral Beauty Angelfish
Clownfish
Bangaii Cardinal
Royal Gramma Basslet
Blue/Green Chromis
Mandarin
Purple Firefish
Flame Angelfish

However, you need to carefully monitor Wrasses with other fish in their tank as they can, sometimes, chase smaller fish and bully them.

Can you keep Wrasses with other Wrasses?

Yup, you can. However, there are some factors you need to consider. You should introduce a few wrasses of the same age at the same time to a tank. That way, they can get along well. If you introduce new or smaller wrasses to a tank with adult Wrasses, the former is likely to get bullied by the latter.

Diet

Wrasses are carnivores. Hence, the food options are limited to meaty foods. Let’s see what you can feed to your Wrasses.

Fireworms
Snails
Flatworms
Shrimp
Cramp
Kill
Frozen Mysis
Reef Frenzy

You can use food in any form, like flakes or pallets. Wrasses even eat frozen meaty items.

Care

First and foremost, Wrasses are saltwater fish. So, make sure you get authentic saltwater from a pet shop.

Cleaning: You have to change 25% of the water every week. Change the entire tank’s water once or twice a month. It depends on how many fish you have in that tank, as that is directly proportional to the waste.

Make sure to carry out a deep clean every time you change the water with fresh saltwater. The sandy substrate is very important as they can use it to cover themselves if and when they want.

If you want to have healthy Wrasses in your tank, you should place a great focus on hygiene.

Conclusion

Keeping Wrasses isn’t a challenge. It is a beautiful experience that many pet fish keepers long for. However, you just have to make sure you do everything in your capacity to replicate the natural habitat of Wrasses in their tank.

Cleanliness, proper feeding routine, and fulfilling their requirements of corals and hiding spots will keep your Wrasses very happy.

I hope you have a wonderful experience of keeping Wrasses.