Common name: Dot-and-dash Flasher Wrasse, Spot-lined Flasher Wrasse
Scientific name: Paracheilinus lineopunctatus
Max size: 3 in / 7 cm
pH: 8.1-8.4
Salinity: 1.020-1.025
Temperature: 72-78ºF (22-26°C)

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse, or Spot-lined flasher as it is also called, is a very beautiful fish. It is not as common in the trade as some other flasher wrasses, but you should still be able to find one if you want one. This species shows a lot of variation, but the typical Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse has a red and pink body. The lower part of the body is pink, the upper part is red. The upper half of the body displays a lot of yellow and the nether part a lot of white. The anal fin is red with a white stripe. The dorsal fin on Dot-and-dash flasher wrasses is truly spectacular. It is blue near the base of the fin and then turns yellow. The edges of the fin are red. The tail fin is red with a turquoise edge. As mentioned earlier, they do however show a lot of variation between different specimens and populations. A Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse can for instance be almost all red or all brown, and there is also a truly stunning variation with a body that is purple on the lower half and blue on the upper half. The fins on the lower half of the body are bright red with white edges. The dorsal fin is white and the tailfin is divided. The lower part of the tail fin has white edges and the upper part blue edges.

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is a docile species. You can keep a group of them in the same aquarium but you should avoid keeping more than one male in the same aquarium. They are seldom aggressive towards other species but can sometimes be aggressive towards similar species and other plankton feeders. If you want to keep more than one Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse in the same aquarium you should introduce all of them at the same time. If this is not possible you should introduce the females first. Once you have introduced the females you can not wait too long to introduce the male because one of the females might change into a male. (Read more about this in the breeding section of this article.) Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse should not be kept with aggressive species or large wrasses. The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is very suitable for the community reef aquarium and can be kept with most friendly species.

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is considered reef safe and usually leave all reef animals alone except very small shrimp and other micro invertebrates. It is generally considered an ideal fish for reef aquariums.

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is suitable for intermediate and advanced aquarium keepers. It is not suitable for beginners as it can be sensitive before it has adapted to your tank which can take a few weeks. Once it is adapted it is usually quite hardy.

Introduce Dot-and-dash flasher wrasses to your tank slowly. It is recommended that you give them 4 hours to acclimatize before you release them into your aquarium. They are usually very shy the first few days after being introduced into a new tank

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse originates from the western Pacific Ocean. It is mainly found in the waters of the Philippines.

Dot-and-dash Flasher Wrasse care and aquarium setup:

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse can be kept in small aquariums and a single specimen can be kept in a tank as small as 10 gallon / 40 L. If you want to house a group of them you will need an aquarium that is at least 2 times and preferable 3 times that size.

The aquarium should be decorated with a lot of caves, overhangs and other hiding places among live rock. It is important to decorate the aquarium in such a way that your Dot-and-dash flasher wrasses feel safe. If they don't feel safe they will become very shy and they will not display their true behavior. They prefer if the bottom if the tank is covered with at least 2 in / 5 cm of sand.

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse prefers a brightly lit aquarium with a few shaded areas. Keep the water well circulated. It is important to keep good water quality with stable water parameters.

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is, like all wrasses, a good jumper and it is important that you keep your aquarium well covered or you wrasses might jump to their deaths. The smallest gap in the covering is enough for them to jump out.

Ideal conditions for a Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is pH 8.1-8.4, salinity 1.020-1.025, and temperature 72-78ºF (22-26°C).

Feeding Dot-and-dash Flasher Wrasse

This small wrasse is easy to feed and feeds on zooplankton in the wild. In the aquarium, you should feed your Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse a varied diet consisting of finely chopped sea food such as shrimp, crab and clam meat, as well as frozen food such as brine shrimp and daphnia. The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse usually accepts flake food. Feed them 3-4 times a day.

Breeding Dot-and-dash Flasher Wrasse

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is a protogynous hermaphrodite. What this means is that all fish are born as females and only develop into males if the need arises. They live in harems in the wild. Each harem has one dominant male (and sometimes subordinates males) and several females. If the dominant male dies, the dominant female turns into a male (unless there is a subordinate male present). She can go through this transformation in as little as 10-14 days. If you buy a group of juvenile Dot-and-dash flasher wrasses one of them will develop into a male and the rest will stay female giving you a harem. (Sometimes more than one fish can develop into a male, but only one male will be dominant.)

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is relatively easy to sex as males are larger and more colorful than females.

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse is an egg scattering species that scatters its egg in the pelagic (open water). Eggs and larvae float in the current until the fry become free swimming at which point they make their way to the bottom. The actual spawning is preceded by a "dance" during which the male follows the female. This dance may go on for quite a while. At the end of the dance, both Dot-and-dash flasher wrasses suddenly darts upwards into the pelagic where they simultaneously release their eggs and milt. They then quickly return to the bottom. The entire process of swimming upwards, releasing milt and eggs and returning to the bottom is often over in less than a second.

The Dot-and-dash flasher wrasse has, as far as we know, not been bred in home aquariums. If you want to breed them you likely need a big aquarium that is large and high enough for your Dot-and-dash flasher wrasses to be able to perform their natural breeding behavior.

Wrasse Articles:

Bird Wrasse – Gomphosus varius
Dragon Wrasse  - Novaculichthys taeniourus
Harliquin Tuskfish – Coerodon fasciatus
Hogfish - Information about Hogfish
Neon Wrasse – Halichoeres melanurus
Ornate Wrasse – Halichoeres ornatissimus
Queen Coris – Coris frerei
Radient Wrasse – Halichoeres iridis
Spanish Hogfish – Bodianus rufus
Striated Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus evanidus
Yellow Coris – Halichoeres chrysus

Line Wrasses:
Fourline Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus tetrataenia
Sixline Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus hexataenia
Eightline Wrasse – Pseudocheilinus octotaenia

Fairy Wrasses:
Exquisite Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus exquisitus
Lubbock's Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus lubbocki
Scott's Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus scottorum
Solar Fairy Wrasse – Cirrhilabrus solorensis

Flasher Wrasses:
Carpenter's Flasher Wrasse – Paracheilinus carpenteri
Filamented Flasher Wrasse – Paracheilinus filamentosus
McCosker's Flasher Wrasse – Paracheilinus mccoskeri