Queen Wrasse

Queen Wrasse, Thalassoma schwanenfeldii, are amazing and charismatic fish, perfect for adding a colour and movement in a predator tank. They have spectacular, rich green bodies, covered in bright pink stripes. Queen Wrasse males and females are sexually dimorphic. Meaning they look different even though they are the same species.

Queen Wrasse, Thalassoma schwanenfeldii, Ecology.

These fish live in the West Indian Ocean. They live on coral reefs and in lagoons. Females and young mostly prefer sheltered areas, compared to the males. Who can be found in loose groups above coral heads. Queen Wrasse are protogynous hermaphrodites. Which means that, when they get old enough, breeding females transition into a male.

These fish have large diets and are active foragers. They are able to crack through mollusc and echinoderms, as well as catch shrimp and small fish. The name “rock mover” also describes these fish, as they will overturn loose objects on the hunt for food. Queen Wrasse can also handle larger, armoured prey, thanks to their bashing technique. This is where they throw a prey item against a surface to break it up. These behaviours are interesting to watch. The name rock mover also describes these fish as they will overturn loose objects on the hunt for food

Wrasse in the Aquarium.

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

Queen Wrasse do best when fed a varied diet. They will accept: frozen krill, large frozen mysis and whole frozen fish, that we enrich with garlic and vitamins. These additives are extremely useful for supporting fish immune systems. They will also devour live foods, such as feeder shrimp. 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.