Wrasse ID

[jetskiwilly]

at my local at my local fish store….it’s more white than pictures show… has blue/pink scales around face. Can anyone confirm this is a yellow head wrasse? Seemed like a good price, but wanted to confirm and research before purchase. It would be going in a reef tank.

 

[Tamberav]

Can't tell from photo, but the yellowhead wrasse has a few color morphs I believe as well as transitioning from juvi to female to male.

Here is a description of color changes and a few different pics. There is a more pink or blue color phase so maybe that.

divepix - Yellowhead Wrasse

Aspect: Dramatic livery changes according to age or phase. Juveniles are yellow with "fluo blue" side-line, then gently acquire darker upper body to eventually adopt a more sphisticated change of colours, turning a more plain blue or pink body before acquing a greenish forebody t...

divepix.webdhb.com

 

[jetskiwilly]

 

[jetskiwilly]

Thanks for the help… think yellow head wrasse is correct from link you provided.

 

[albano]

I don’t know of many Caribbean wrasses that are reef safe… are you sure you can remove it, if necessary?

 

[jetskiwilly]

The more I read seems they are safe for corals but eat inverts. Going to pass on him and wait for yellow coris wrasse. Coris still may eat inverts but lot smaller wrasse so inverts have a fighting chance.

 

[blaxsun]

Get bigger inverts.

 

[Lavey29]

The more I read seems they are safe for corals but eat inverts. Going to pass on him and wait for yellow coris wrasse. Coris still may eat inverts but lot smaller wrasse so inverts have a fighting chance.

My yellow coris is great. Does not bother any inverts. Peaceful fish, great pest hunter.

 

[nereefpat]

Going to pass on him and wait for yellow coris wrasse.

Yellow 'coris' is always a great fish.

Any Thallasoma genus wrasse like the one pictured is pretty risky, for aggression reasons.

 

[i cant think]

The picture species doesn’t look like a Yellow Head/Neon (Halichoeres garnoti). I’d agree on it being more like a Thalassoma species or possibly Halichoeres trispilus.

As for the Yellow “Coris” that’s in fact not a coris wrasse and is part of the genus Halichoeres. Most wrasses called Coris are of the genus Coris, another exception being the Green “Coris” Wrasse, Halichoeres chloropterus.