Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse

Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus naokoae, also go by the name Shark Fin Fairy Wrasse.

These stunning creatures show a number of vibrant colours, making them very sort after in trade. Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse have bright crimson heads and backs, undercut but a narrow yellow stripe. Bright white bellies nicely offset these glowing bands. Their dorsal and anal fins are dark purple and blue in colour. while their tail is white with purple edging.

Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus naokoae, Ecology.

These beautiful fish live around Sumatra and Indonesia, in the Indian Ocean.

The complex habitat help the wrasse avoid predation. Unlike some species, these fish do not bury themselves to sleep or hide. Instead, they have quite a nifty trick. In order to sleep safely, Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse find a nook they like. They then 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.

In Nature, Naoko’s Fairy Wrasse live in groups with one male to a few or more females. Dominant males instigate spawning by preforming their courtship display. He will dash around, showing off his colours to the harem. 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.

Shark Fin Wrasse in the Aquarium.

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

Naoko’s or Shark Fin Fairy 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.