Change in wrasse coloration

[coachfraley]

Hey,

I picked up this wrasse back in February. Here is what it looked like back then:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/newwrasse.jpg

And here is what it looks like now:
http://www.cshm.org/images/fraley/changeinwrasse.jpg

The fish appears to be very healthy. I am just a little bummed that the color has changed so much...I liked it much better before :scry:

Has anyone else seen this kind of thing in fairy wrasses?

My guess is that it has something to do with "courtship coloring"??

[unleashed]

What species of wrasse do you have?

IMO, one of 2 things has happened:

Your fish was a male and has changed back into a female

Or, your fish has turned into a terminal phase male (won't change back into a female)

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

exactly my thoughts on it unleashed.

[coachfraley]

I think it is an orange backed wrasse.

Thanks for the help.

It is a very pretty fish, but unfortunately, the new color scheme is similar to my royal gramma. I would prefer to have something with some different colors, but I don't think it is enough of an issue to catch the fish and return it.

[rageybug]

I don't think it is enough of an issue to catch the fish and return it.



HA HA HA... too funny. Take it from me... just learn to love it's new color. I would rather have my fingernails pulled out then have to catch another wrasse in a reef tank.

[ILuvMyGoldBarb]

You want some realy fun? Try catching a Pseudochromis species in a 60gal reef tank. LOL

[coachfraley]

I am actually a little tempted to try a bottle trap, for two reasons. One, the last time I used a bottle trap (helping a friend catch a tang), we had a hard time keeping his carpenter's wrasse OUT of the trap. Two, my LFS has a crazy selection of fairy wrasses right now. I was drooling big time!

If I had a 2 litre bottle in the house, I probably would have tried it all ready, lol.

[Kyle]

Its still a good looking fish, I had a cross damsel that are really good looking when young but as mine aged it turned to a real dark blue almost brown but I still kept him

[unleashed]

After researching your fish. I do definitely think that it was a subadult male which has changed back into a female.....

Your fish is Cirrhilabrus aurantidorsalis by the way

[coachfraley]

Thanks Unleashed!

The wrasse was sold to me as a Cirrhilabrus solorensis, but after getting it home, posting for some ID help, and looking at pics, I realized it was an orange-backed wrasse.

Too bad I don't have room to add a mate, maybe it would color up again.