Plectorhinchus polytaenia

(Bleeker, 1852)

Yellowribbon Sweetlips

Range: Indo-West Pacific Ocean: Bali to Papua New Guinea, north to Philippines, south to northwestern Australia.

Size: 20 inches (50 cm)

Natural Environment: Inhabits lagoons,fringing reefs, reef channels, reef faces and reef slopes at depths between 10 – 100 feet (3 – 30 m) and take shelter under overhangs or in caves during daytime and feed at night on shrimp, crabs, snails, worms and various other benthic invertebrates and small fishes.

General Husbandry: Rarely seen in the trade. Quite attractive as a juvenile has a orangish brown body with a central black band, while adults have yellowish body with white horizontal lines edged in black, with all fins yellow.

Requires a very large fish-only aquarium with wide-open swimming areas and caves or overhangs to take shelter during daytime. As to diet, newcomers are sometimes shy and difficult to get feeding, therefore require fortified live brine shrimp and/or live glass/grass shrimp to get feeding. Once accepting aquarium foods, a wide variety of frozen and fresh meaty foodstuffs (chopped squid, fish flesh, scallops, shrimp, clam, etc.) can be offered and fed several times daily. Any ornamental crustaceans and small fish in the aquarium will also be consumed.

Taxonomy:

Order: Perciformes

Suborder: Percoidei

Family: Lutjanidae

Genus: Plectorhinchus

FYI: Usually seen as juveniles in the trade, however, grow fast and soon outgrow most hobbyist aquariums.

May stir up the substrate looking for food.

Experience Level: Intermediate

Temperament: Peaceful

Diet: Carnivore

Coral Safe: Yes

Invertebrate Safe: No

Fish Safe: With caution

Acclimation Time: 30 minutes+

Aquarium Environment: Fish-only aquarium

Tankmates: Peaceful or non-aggressive

Minimum Tank Size: 300 gallons

Temperature Range: 72 - 82°F (22 – 28°C)

Specific Gravity: 1.020 -1.026

pH: 8.0 - 8.5