Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse

Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus solorensis, also go by the name Koi Fairy Wrasse or Red Eye Wrasse.

The colour of the males set them apart from the rest of the fairy wrasse. They are darker compared to the bright and bold fish typical of the group. As a result, Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse are perfect for someone after something different but still glamourous. Males have shimmering, blue green bodies, nicely offset by their pale white bellies. A dark purple stripe marks their gills and back. Their faces contrast beautifully; they show off yellow noses and orangey red heads. Females are remarkably different. They are mostly orangey red in colour. They have white stomachs and yellow tinted fins.

Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse, Cirrhilabrus solorensis, Ecology.

These beautiful fish live around Indonesia, in the Western Central Pacific.

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, Red Head Solon 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, Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse, or Red Eye 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.

Red Eye / Koi Fairies, 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.

Red Head Solon Fairy Wrasse, or Koi 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.