Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse

Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse, Paracheilinus carpenteri, are truly stunning fish.

They have vibrant red orange bodies, that sport soft blue stripes. Bright yellow bellies highlight their glamour, as do their large, ornate fins. The dorsal and anal fin are soft red in colour, framed by soft orange bands. Males are distinguished by long spines on their dorsal fin.

The name “Flasher wrasse” broadly describes the Paracheilinus genus. The name comes from distinctive courtship displays the males put on. The brightly coloured boys dart around, flashing their fins at potential partners. While keeping other males away by showing off their spines.

Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse, Paracheilinus carpenteri, Ecology.

Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse live in the Western Pacific. They range from the: Philippines, Taiwan, Bali, Flores and Tonga. They live on outer reefs amongst coral heads and rock.

The complex structures of the coral branches help the wrasse avoid predation. Unlike some species, these fish do not bury themselves to sleep or hide. Instead they have an incredibly nifty trick. In order to sleep safely, Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse find a nook and envelope themselves in a protective mucus coat. Supposedly, this hides the wrasses scent from predators. These sticky invisibility cloaks do not degrade your water quality like some coral wax jackets’ might.

Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse live in groups with one dominant male to a few or more females. These fish are protogynous hermaphrodites. Which means that, when they get old enough, breeding females turn into a male. As a result, all juveniles are immature females.

Wrasse In the Aquarium.

It is important to imitate the natural environment by providing plenty of nooks and crannies for the fish to hide in. Hobbyists should invest in a jump guard to prevent any unfortunate mishaps.

Carpenter’s Flasher Wrasse do best when fed a varied diet. They will accept enriched frozen mysis shrimp and enriched frozen brine shrimp. They will also devour live foods, such as copepods and amphipods, that can be cultivated in attached refugium. Over time they will accept high-quality pellet or flake. We adapt all our wrasse to aquarium life before they leave us. We focus on their health, and most are eating a good quality flake food and/or pellet, such as JBL Maris, before being offered for sale.