Laboute's Fairy Wrasse (Cirrhilabrus labouti)

Quick facts

Appearance

Laboute's Fairy Wrasse is a small, slender fish reaching approximately 4 inches at maturity. Males display vibrant coloration with orange-red hues on the head and anterior body, transitioning to blue and purple tones on the rear and dorsal regions, often with distinctive vertical bars or stripes. Females are duller, typically pale orange or yellow with subtle markings.

Diet and feeding

Feed a varied diet of high-quality meaty foods including small crustaceans, copepods, amphipods, mysis shrimp, and finely chopped marine flesh. Frozen foods and small quality pellets may be accepted. Feed 2–3 times daily in small portions.

Difficulty and care for the Laboute's Fairy Wrasse

Moderate difficulty. Laboute's Fairy Wrasse requires a well-established, mature reef aquarium with plenty of live rock for grazing and hiding. It is sensitive to water quality fluctuations and acclimation stress, and may be difficult to transition to captive diets.

Common health issues

Acclimation stress, parasitic infections, nutritional deficiencies, lateral line erosion (head and lateral line erosion), secondary bacterial infections

Origin and habitat

Indo-Pacific region, found in coral reef environments from the Philippines and Indonesia throughout the Indo-Pacific to Samoa and French Polynesia, typically at depths of 40–130 meters.