Tono’s Fairy Wrasse Supermale

The Cirrhilabrus genus is a group of fish that is not commonly found in the trade. These fish are usually seen in seaward reefs with strong currents and at depths ranging from 50 to 130 feet (15-40 m). They feed on zooplankton in their natural environment. The male of the species has a reddish-yellow body with a red tail edged in blue, red anal fin, and a pink dorsal. Meanwhile, females are orange-red overall with fine white lines on the back and a black spot on the caudal peduncle. The colors of these fish vary greatly depending on their age, collection areas, and breeding timeframes. Cirrhilabrus can be kept in reef or fish-only aquariums as long as there are ample crevices and caves, and peaceful tankmates. They will eat most regular aquarium foods, such as finely chopped various frozen or fresh meaty foods like mysis, squid, fish flesh, shrimp, clam, etc., and should be offered two to three times daily. These fish are known to hide for several days when first introduced and are also good jumpers, so covered aquariums, possibly with eggcrate, are necessary to prevent them from jumping out of the aquarium. Unlike other wrasses, they do not bury themselves in the sand at night. Instead, they may form a mucus cocoon similar to some parrotfishes and/or wedge themselves into a rock crevice. It should be noted that the remnants of the cocoon do not seem to harm water quality or other aquarium inhabitants.