Wrasse Brunneus Fairy - Medium

The Brunneus Fairy Wrasse has a dark body with red eyes. The base of its dorsal fin is a bright blue colour. The belly normally has an orange hue and there is usually a red streak running behind the eye. It has a crescent tail that also hosts flashes of bright blue.

They are found in deep water around Borneo and the Philippines around the Indo-Pacific region. These Wrasses are relatively rare and photographs of them in the wild are few and far between.

Tank Recommendations for a Brunneus Fairy Wrasse

The smallest tank size is 180 litres for these wrasses. Their natural habitat is steep rocky slopes, so plenty of live rock is recommended.

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 suppliment their food supply.

The Brunneus Fairy Wrasse, like most other wrasses, is likely to jump out of your tank if startled, so care should be taken to cover it appropriately.

Suitable Tank Buddies

As is common with wrasse, Brunneus Fairy Wrasse males will be aggressive towards other males. If keeping conspecifics together a perfect combination would be one male, with a couple of females or some juveniles. For these non-aggressive fish the main criteria for finding suitable tankmates is that they aren't going to be eaten by them.

Usually Compatible

The Brunneus Fairy Wrasse has a calm demeanor and is rarely aggressive to other fish. Large Angelfish, Boxfish, Damselfish, Clownfish, and Tangs/Surgeons are all good tankmates.

Sometime Compatible

Housing them with other wrasse isn't a proble, but avoid keeping two males together, or with similar looking fish. If you add other wrasses to a large tank at the same time they should settle well.

Rarely Compatible

Seahorses and Pipefish as they have similar food sources, but are much slower, so would be outcompeted for food. Sharks and Eels should also be avoided as they view your wrasse as food.

Reef environments are not recommended for these fish as they have been known to feed on coral polyps.

Feeding Your Brunneus Fairy Wrasse

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

They will also feed on zooplankton and rotifers. If there is live rock in the aquarium they will feed on any attached copepods. Flake food and pellets can be occasionally offered if introduced early enough.