Red Velvet Wrasse - Medium

The Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse has a bright red head with purple flashes around the pectoral fins. The base of its dorsal fin is a bright purple colour and the top fades from orange to purple.. The belly normally has an orange hue and their eyes are usually dark red and black. It has a crescent tail that also hosts flashes of bright purple.

Depending on their origin, Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse can vary substantially in colour variety. There can also be a significant colour difference between males and females. They can also change their gender from male to female and back again as needed.

During courtship, males can modify and flash their colours. It has been observed that in captivity, males can lose their colours significantly over time if they are not kept with females of the same species.

They are found in shallow reefs Eastern Indian Ocean around the Maldives and the Chagos Archipelago

Tank Recommendations for Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse

The smallest tank size you should house these wrasses in is 400Litres.

They are just as happy in a reef environment as they are in a fish only tank, but live rock in a non-reef tank helps with their feeding habits. They will not feed on the live corals.

Unlike some Wrasse species, they do not need a substrate layer to sleep. They hide in cracks in the rock and cover themselves with a mucus ball similar to Parrotfish. Plenty of live rock though is essential.

The Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse, like most other wrasses, is a known jumper. This is because their natural reaction is to flee upwards if they are spooked. For this reason care should be taken to cover your aquarium with a tight-fitting lid to keep them from jumping out.

Suitable Tank Buddies

As with most Wrasse, Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse males will be aggressive towards other males. So a perfect combination would be one male, a couple of females and some juveniles.

As for pairings with other fish, they are usually non-aggressive, so as long as you ensure they won’t get eaten you should be set. Care should be taken with small non-aggressive fish that share the same feeding habits as they can become aggressive towards them.

Usually Compatible

The Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse has a calm demeanour and is rarely aggressive to other fish. Large Angels, Boxfish, Damselfish, Clownfish, and Tangs/Surgeons are all good tankmates.

They are considered reef safe, so mix well with live corals, but other tank cleaners like shrimp might be a tempting food source.

Sometime Compatible

Adding other Wrasse is ok, but males with other males should be avoided. If you do add more than one to a large tank, then add them at the same time so one doesn't have an estabilshed territory.

Rarely Compatible

Avoid Seahorses and Pipefish as they have similar feeding habits, but are much slower, so they are likely to starve. Sharks and Eels should also be avoided as they will hunt your Wrasse.

Feeding your Red Velvet Fairy Wrasse

This fish is a carnivore, so they will eat a variety of small meaty foods, including chopped meats, live shrimp, foraminiferans, amphipods, and worms.

They can discolour in the aquarium, so food with pigmentation is advised and a generally varied diet can help stop colour loss.