Melanurus Wrasse

Care Summary

The Melanurus Wrasse is a useful reef-safe wrasse that actively eats flatworms, pyramid snails, and small bristle worms, making it genuinely functional in addition to being visually attractive. House it in 55+ gallons with a secure lid; it is an active swimmer and a jumper, especially during the first week in a new tank before it has established a sleeping spot in the sand. It sleeps buried in the sand at night; make sure you have a sand bed of at least 2 inches or it will be unable to exhibit this natural behavior and may become chronically stressed. Feed frozen mysis, enriched brine, and meaty foods twice daily; it eats aggressively and competes well at feeding time, so you rarely need to target-feed a Melanurus.